Grammar
- Verb Stems & Infinitives
- Person Suffixes
- Present Simple / Aorist (-r)
- Present Continuous (-iyor)
- Past Simple / Definite Past (-di)
- Past Continuous / Imperfect (-iyordu)
- Future Tense (-ecek/-acak)
- Narrative/Reported Past (-miş)
- Imperative Mood
- Optative Mood (-e)
- Necessitative Mood (-meli/-malı)
- Conditional Mood (-se/-sa)
- Ability (-ebilmek/-abilmek)
- Negation (-me/-ma)
- Questions (-mi?)
- Passive Voice (-il/-in)
- Causative Voice (-dir, -t, etc.)
- Verbal Nouns (-me, -mek, -iş)
- Participles (Sıfat-Fiiller)
- Gerunds / Adverbial Clauses
Grammar
Verb Stems & Infinitives
CEFR level: A1 · Topic: Verbs & Conjugation
In a dictionary, every Turkish verb appears in its infinitive form, which ends in -mek or -mak. This is the equivalent of English "to …": gelmek (to come), yapmak (to do, to make).
Choosing -mek or -mak
The infinitive suffix follows two-way (A-type) vowel harmony. The last vowel of the stem decides:
- Last vowel e, i, ö, ü (front) → -mek: gelmek, içmek, görmek, yürümek
- Last vowel a, ı, o, u (back) → -mak: yapmak, kalkmak, okumak, unutmak
Finding the Verb Stem
Remove -mek/-mak and what is left is the stem (kök/gövde). Every tense, mood and personal ending is attached to this stem, never to the full infinitive.
| Infinitive | Stem | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| gelmek | gel- | to come |
| yapmak | yap- | to do, to make |
| okumak | oku- | to read |
| içmek | iç- | to drink |
| konuşmak | konuş- | to speak |
| beklemek | bekle- | to wait |
| öğrenmek | öğren- | to learn |
| inanmak | inan- | to believe |
From one stem you build every form: gel- → geliyorum (I am coming), geldim (I came), gelirim (I come / I'll come), geleceğim (I will come).
The Bare Stem as a Command
On its own, the stem is the informal command to one person (sen): Gel! (Come!), Oku! (Read!), Kapıyı aç! (Open the door!)
The Negative Stem
Negation is built into the verb: add -me/-ma directly after the stem. gelmek → gelmemek (not to come), yapmak → yapmamak (not to do). The negative stem gelme-, yapma- also works as a command: Gelme! (Don't come!)
Using the Infinitive in Sentences
The infinitive behaves like a noun (like English "-ing" or "to …"). When a vowel-initial case ending is added, the final -k drops and a buffer y appears: yüzmek → yüzmeyi, yüzmeye.
- Türkçe öğrenmek zor değil. (Learning Turkish isn't hard.)
- Eve gitmek istiyorum. (I want to go home.)
- Kitap okumayı seviyorum. (I love reading books.)
- Burada sigara içmek yasak. (Smoking is forbidden here.)
- Geç kalmamak için erken çıktım. (I left early so as not to be late.)
Stems That Change
A few stems change when a vowel-initial suffix follows: git- → gidiyor, gider; et- → ediyor, eder (t → d). The stems de- and ye- (from demek (to say), yemek (to eat)) become diyor, yiyor in the present continuous. Many "noun + verb" compounds use etmek or olmak: yardım etmek (to help), memnun olmak (to be pleased); only the verb part is conjugated: yardım ediyorum.
Common Mistakes
- Adding suffixes to the infinitive: ✗ gelmekiyorum → ✓ geliyorum.
- Choosing the suffix by the first vowel: inan- has i then a, so it is inanmak, not ✗ inanmek.
- Forgetting t → d: ✗ gitiyorum → ✓ gidiyorum.
- Keeping the -k before a vowel: ✗ yüzmeki seviyorum → ✓ yüzmeyi seviyorum (I love swimming).
Practice Zone
1. What is the verb stem of 'gelmek' (to come)?