BASICS OF TURKISH GRAMMAR

Verbs
If you ignore verbs, the preceding pages contain about all there is to learning Turkish!
However, there are many verb forms to learn. At least they're fairly well ordered....

• This uses -mek, and is the form found in the dictionary:

anlamak = to understand
görmek = to see
gitmek = to go
okumak = to read

• There are several ways of modifying verbs to produce related words. Some of these
begin to show how complex verbs, expressed as phrases in English, are made by
combining suffixes. Presumably a large dictionary would cover these other forms, but
you often have to (de)construct your own...
• Negative -- -me- or infrequently -mez-
o For most tenses, add -me-
görmek = "to see"
görmemek = "not to see"
o For the general (or aorist) tense only, add -mez- in place of the characteristic
aorist -(i)r- suffix, except for the 1st person, where it is just -me-.
 Ahmet yazır = Ahmet is a writer.
Ahmet yazmazır = Ahmet is not a writer.
 Barişnikov dans etir. Siz, Senatör Kuğayl, siz dans etmezsin.
Baryshnikov is a dancer. But you, Senator Quayle, you are not a
dancer.
• Passive -- -n- or -il- or -in-
o For verb stems ending in vowels, add -n-
okumak = "to read",
okunmak = "to be read"
o For verb stems ending in consonants other than l, add -il-
vermek = "to give",
verilmek = "to be given"
o For verb stems ending in l, add -in-
bilmek = "to know",
bilinmek = "to be known"
• Causative -- -dir- or -t- or -it-
o Most verbs add -dir-
bilmek = "to know",
bildirmek = "to inform" or "to announce"
o Verbs ending in a vowel, or l, or r, add only -t-
anlamak = "to understand",
anlatmak = "to explain"
o Verbs ending in ş or ç add -ir-
içmek = "to drink",
içirmek = "to cause or make to drink"
o A few monosyllable verb stems ending in k add -it-.
o Doubly causative verbs are possible:
pişmek = "to cook" (intransitive, the meat cooks)
 pişirmek = "to cook" (transitive, the chef cooks the meat)
pişirtmek = "to have something cooked"
ölmek = "to die"
öldürmek = "to kill"
öldürtmek = "to have someone killed"
Higher-order causation is grammatically possible, but stilted:
öldürttürmek = "to get someone to have someone killed", or to get someone
else to hire a hitman.
öldürttürtmek = the same thing but one more step removed, "to get someone to
get someone to have someone killed", or to get someone else to contact an
agency to have them hire the hitman.
• Reflexive -- -in-
o giymek = "to wear clothes"
o giyinmek = "to dress oneself"
o giyindirmek = "to dress someone else"
o giyindirilmek = "to be dressed by someone else"
o giyindirildirmek = "to be forced to be dressed by someone else"
• Verbs of mutual action -- -iş-
o görmek = "to see"
o görüşmek = "to see one another" or "to converse"
o görüşülmek = "to be conversed about"
o görüştürmek = "to make to converse with one another"
görüştürülmek = "to be made to converse with one another