Grammar guide
Turkish grammar, one rule at a time
Every rule with clear examples, the word parts in color and audio for the Turkish, in the same order as the course.
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A1 · Beginner
Turkish A1 courseThe Turkish plural: -ler and -lar
Make nouns plural with -ler or -lar: kalemler, kitaplar. Pick the ending from the last vowel, keep the noun singular after numbers (iki kitap) and stack endings: kitaplarım.
The Turkish question particle: mi, mı, mu, mü
Turn any sentence into a yes/no question with mi: Bu kitap mı? Geliyor musun? Choose mi, mı, mu or mü, put it after the word you ask about, and add the person ending to it.
Turkish possessive endings: evim, evin, evi…
Say my, your, his and our with an ending on the noun: evim, evin, evi, evimiz, eviniz, evleri. After a vowel: arabam, arabası. Plus kitabım, oğlum, benim evim and Ali'nin arabası.
Var and yok: there is, there isn’t
var means “there is” and yok “there isn’t”. Use them for what exists, for what you have (Kedim var: I have a cat), for questions (Çay var mı?) and in set phrases like Sorun yok.
The Turkish present continuous: -iyor
Say what is happening with -iyor: geliyorum, yapıyorsun, okuyoruz. Four-way harmony, stems like bekliyor and gidiyor, the negative gelmiyorum and the question geliyor musun?
A2 · Elementary
Turkish A2 courseThe Turkish past tense: -di
Say what you did with -di: geldim, gittin, yaptık. Vowel harmony, -ti after hard letters, personal endings, the negative gitmedim and the question gittin mi?
The Turkish future tense: -ecek
Say what you will do with -ecek: geleceğim, yapacaksın, gidecekler. Two-way harmony, k → ğ, the glue y, the negative gelmeyeceğim and the question gelecek misin?
Must, should and need in Turkish: -meli, lazım, gerek
Say what you must or should do with -meli (gitmeliyim), what you need with lazım and gerek (bana su lazım), and what you need to do: gitmem gerek, gerek yok.
The Turkish aorist: geniş zaman
Talk about habits and facts with the aorist: okurum, içer, gelir. Which verbs take -r, -er or -ir, the 13 exceptions, the negative içmem, içmez and offers like Çay içer misin?
Comparatives and superlatives in Turkish: daha and en
Compare with -den daha: Ali Can'dan daha uzun. Say “the most” with en: en iyi, en büyük. Plus benden, senden, daha az, kadar and dünyanın en yüksek dağı.
Can and can’t in Turkish: -ebil and -eme
Say what you can do with -ebil (yüzebilirim) and what you can’t with -eme (gelemem). Could and couldn’t, Can I…?, Could you…? and “might”: yağmur yağabilir.
B1 · Intermediate
Turkish B1 courseThe Turkish -miş past: hearsay and surprise
Use -miş for things you didn’t see yourself: Ali evlenmiş! (Ali got married, I hear). The four shapes, personal endings, negatives, questions, surprise and fairy tales.
The Turkish conditional: if with -se
Say “if” with an ending on the verb: gelirsen (if you come), yağmazsa (if it doesn’t rain), yorgunsan (if you’re tired). Plus olursa for plans and keşke for wishes.
-ken: while and when in Turkish
Say “while” with -ken on the aorist: eve giderken (on the way home), yemek yerken (while eating). On nouns and adjectives it means “when I was”: öğrenciyken, gençken.
The Turkish passive voice: -il, -in, -n
Say what was done, not who did it: yapıldı (it was done), bulundu (it was found), okunur (it is read). Three shapes, any tense, and signs like Burada sigara içilmez.
The Turkish causative: -dir, -t, -tir
Make someone do something, or have it done: güldürmek (make laugh), bekletmek (keep waiting), saçımı kestirdim (I had my hair cut). Which ending, and who takes -i or -e.