Conditional Sentences

Conditional sentences express a condition and its result. In Turkish the "if" meaning is carried by the suffix -sa/-se on the verb of the condition clause, which always comes first. The words eğer or şayet (if) may begin the clause for emphasis, but they are optional and never replace the suffix.

Type 1: Real/Possible Conditions

For things that may really happen. The aorist + -sA (-Ir/-Arsa) is the most common if-clause.

• (Eğer) zamanım olursa, gelirim. (If I have time, I'll come.)
• Yarın yağmur yağarsa, evde kalacağız. (If it rains tomorrow, we'll stay at home.)
• Ali gelirse, bana haber ver. (If Ali comes, let me know.)
• Ödevini bitirdiysen, çıkabilirsin. (If you've finished your homework, you can go out.)
• Yorgunsan, dinlen. (If you're tired, rest.)

Type 2: Hypothetical Conditions

For unlikely or imaginary situations now or in the future ("if I were..."). The condition is the bare stem + -sA; the result uses the aorist + -DI ("would").

• Zengin olsam, dünyayı gezerdim. (If I were rich, I would travel the world.)
• Senin yerinde olsam, öyle yapmazdım. (If I were you, I wouldn't do that.)
• Vaktim olsa, yardım ederdim. (If I had time, I would help.)

Type 3: Unreal Past Conditions

For things that did not happen. The condition takes -sAydI (or the more emphatic -mIş olsaydı). In everyday speech -sAydI is also often used for present hypotheticals (Zengin olsaydım...).

• Çalışsaydın / Çalışmış olsaydın, sınavı geçerdin. (If you had studied, you would have passed the exam.)
• Daha erken gelseydik, treni kaçırmazdık. (If we had come earlier, we wouldn't have missed the train.)

Related uses: -sA bile (even if): Yağmur yağsa bile giderim. (I'll go even if it rains.); wishes with keşke are covered in the Conditional Mood lesson.

Common Mistakes

• ✗ Eğer gelirim, ... → ✓ Eğer gelirsem, ... (eğer alone doesn't make a condition)
• ✗ Zengin olursam, ev alırdım. → ✓ Zengin olsam, ev alırdım. or Zengin olursam, ev alırım. (don't mix a real condition with a "would" result)
• Prefer gelirlerse (if they come) over the colloquial gelirseler: in the standard language, plural -lAr comes before -sA when there is a tense suffix (but gelseler for the hypothetical).