kendilerinde

Kendilerinde is a Turkish locative construction built from the reflexive pronoun kendileri, meaning themselves, with the locative suffix -de (alternating as -da by vowel harmony). The result, kendilerinde, translates roughly to “in themselves” or “in their own [something]” and is used to indicate that a state, quality, or resource resides within the people or things referred to by the subject.

In use, kendilerinde denotes location or possession inside the group mentioned, rather than outside or in another subject. It can refer to literal location, such as something physically within a group, or to abstract possessions like abilities, traits, or information. The expression often appears in formal or literary Turkish, but is also found in everyday language when emphasizing internal sources.

Examples:

Kendilerinde sabır var. = They have patience within themselves.

Kendilerinde bulunan kaynakları kullandılar. = They used the resources found within themselves.

Kendilerinde olan güven, sınavda onlara yardımcı oldu. = The confidence they have within themselves helped them on the exam.

Related forms include kendinde, kendimde (locatives for singular reflexives: in yourself/in me), and kendide/kendilerde gibi variations that align with different persons and possessive nuances. Kendilerinde differs from external possessive constructions by focusing on internal or intrinsic aspects of the subject group.