güvenini

Güvenini is a Turkish noun phrase formed from the root güven, meaning trust or confidence, combined with possessive and accusative suffixes. The form translates roughly to “one’s trust” or “your trust,” with the exact meaning determined by the possessor and the sentence context. It is most often used as the definite direct object of a verb or within phrases that indicate whose trust is being referred to.

Morphology and use. The base word güven carries the sense of trust or confidence. To express possession, Turkish adds a possessive suffix; when the possessor is third person, the possessive form Güveni appears (his/her/its trust). The definite direct object suffix -i (accusative) can then attach, yielding güvenini. In practice, the possessor is usually made explicit elsewhere in the sentence (for example halkının güvenini = “the people’s trust”). Thus güvenini serves as the object form of “trust” specific to the chosen possessor, as in phrases like güvenini kazandı (“he earned [the people’s] trust”) or güvenini sarsan sözler (“words that shake [someone’s] trust”).

Examples.

- Halkının güvenini kazandı. — He earned the people’s trust.

- Güvenini kaybetti. — He lost his trust.

- Güvenini sarsan sözler. — Words that shake one’s trust.

See also. The related terms güven (trust), güvenmek (to trust), güvenilir (trustworthy), and the various Turkish possessive and case suffixes that shape noun forms like güvenini. The usage of güvenini is fluid and relies on surrounding pronouns or nouns to specify the exact possessor.