Some verbs that are not normally used in continuous tenses in English are especially used in continuous tenses in Turkish, and strange to say, these verbs are not generally used in simple tenses.
These verbs are as follows:
adore, appreciate, believe, care, desire, forgive, hate, hear, know, like, love, mean, mind, miss, recall, refuse, remember, see, smell, seem, think, trust, understand, want, wish.
Consider and compare the following sentences:
Sen-i affet-i.yor-um.
(se*ni / af*fe*di*yo*rum ↷) I forgive you. (The /t/ changes into /d/.)
Sen-i sev-i.yor-um. Ben-i sev-i.yor mu-sun?
(se*ni / se*vi*yo*rum ↷) (be*ni / se*vi↝*yor / mu*sun ↷) I love you. Do you love me?
Sana tap-ı.yor-um.
(sa*na / ta*pı*yo*rum ↷) I adore you.
Hepiniz-i hatırla-ı.yor-um. Ben-i hatırla-ı.yor mu-sun.uz?
(he*pi*ni*zi / ha*tır*lı*yo*rum ↷) (be*ni / ha*tır*lı↝*yor / mu*su*nuz ↷) I remember all of you. Do you remember me?
Hepiniz-e güven-i.yor-um. Bana güven-me-i.yor mu-sun?
(he*pi*ni*ze / gü*ve*ni*yo*rum ↷) (ba*na / gü*ven↝*mi*yor / mu*sun ↷) I trust all of you. Don't you trust me?
Siz-i anla-ı.yor-um. Siz ben-i anla-ı.yor mu-sun-uz?
(si*zi / an*lı*yo*rum ↷) (siz / be*ni / an*lı↝*yor / mu*su*nuz ↷) I understand you. Do you understand me?
Siz-i an.la-ma-ı.yor-um. Ben-i anla-ma-ı.yor mu-sun-uz?
(si*zi / an*la*mı*yo*rum ↷) (be*ni / an*la↝*mı*yor / mu*su*nuz ↷) I don’t understand you. Don't you understand me?
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Bir fincan kahve iste-i.yor-um.
(bir / fin*can / kah*ve / is*ti*yo*rum ↷) I want a cup of coffee.
Gramer kitap-lar-ı oku-mak-tan nefret et i.yor-um. (liaison)
(gra*mer / ki*tap*la*rı / o*ku*mak*tan / nef*re*te*di*yo*rum ↷) I hate reading grammar books.
Ben-i özle-ü.yor mu-sun?
(be*ni / öz*lü↝*yor / mu*sun ↷) Do you miss me?
Sana inan-ma-ı.yor-um.
(sa*na / i*nan*mı*yo*rum ↷) I don’t believe you.
Hiçbir şey işit-me-i.yor-um.
(hiç*bir / şey / i*şit*mi*yo*rum ↷) I don’t hear anything.
Umursa-ma-ı.yor-um. Umur-um-da değil. (Bana ne?)
(u*mur*sa*mı*yo*rum↷) (u*mu*rum*da / de*ğil ↷) (ba*na / ne ↷) I don’t care.
Bu proje uygulan-a.bil-ir gör-ün-ü.yor.
(bu / pro*je / uy*gu*la*na*bi*lir / gö*rü*nü*yor ↷) This project seems (looks) (sounds) feasible.
Siz-i takdir et.i.yor-um. (liaison) (si*zi / tak*di:*re*di*yo*rum ↷)
I appreciate you.
The verbs that are given above can be used in The Simple Present Tense (Geniş Zaman) in conditional sentences:
Tekrar geç kal-ma-ma-/y/a söz ver-ir-se-en sen-i affet-er-im.
(tek*rar / geç / kal*ma*ma*ya / söz / ve*rir*sen~ / se*ni / af*fe*de*rim ↷) If you promise not to be late again, I will forgive you.
Bana yeni bir araba al-ır-sa-an sen-i daha çok sev-er-im.
(ba*na / ye*ni / bir / a*ra*ba / a*lır*san ~/ se*ni / da*ha / çok / se*ve*rim ↷) If you buy me a new car, I will love you more.
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TURKISH VERB FRAMES
The suffixes (the infectional allomorphs) that form Turkish verb frames make them indivisible units, and so they are used as verb stems. The other suffixes, such as: negation, time and personal allomorphs follow them in succession. There are five kinds of verb frames:
Transitive verb frames (geçişli fiil çatıları), intransitive verb frames (ge-çişsiz fiil çatıları), passive verb frames (edilgen fiil çatılar), reflexive verb frames (dönüşlü fiil çatıları), and reciprocal verb frames (işteş fiil çatıları).
TRANSITIVE AND INTRANSITIVE VERB FRAMES
Transitive verb frames are the verbs that take direct objects:
Annem her hafta ev-i temizler. Mother cleans the house every week.
subj adverbial obj tran verb subj tran verb obj adverbial phrs
Ahmet bir hikâye kitab-ı okuyor. Ahmet is reading a story book.
subj obj tran.verb subj tran verb obj
Ben her sabah odam-ı tertiplerim. I tidy my room every morning.
subj adverbial obj tran verb subj tran verb obj adverbialphrs
Intransitive verb frames do not take objects:
Ben bazen nehir-de yüzerim. I sometimes swim in the river.
subj adverb adverbial intr verb adverbial intr verb adverbial
Oğlum gün-de sekiz saat uyur. My son sleeps eight hours a day.
subj adverbial adverbial intr verb subj intr verb adverbial
Oğlum okul-a her sabah otobüs-le gider.
subj adverbial adverbial adverbial intr verb
My son goes to school by bus every morning.
subj intr verb adverbial adverbial adverbial
REFLEXIVE VERB FRAMES (DÖNÜŞLÜ FIIL ÇATILARI)
A reflexive verb frame is a verb whose action in a sentence has its effect on a person or thing that does the action. The most commonly used inflec-tional suffix that turns verb roots and stems into reflexive verbs is [İN], which has six allomorphs: ♫ [in, ın, ün, un, en, an]. The other one, which has only a few examples in Turkish, is [İL], which has four allomorphs ♫ [il, ıl, ül, ul],
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such as “Gömleğime çay dök-ül-dü”, “Deniz çek-il-di”. As a rule the identical
“a-a”, “e-e”, “ı-ı”…vowels combine, and the single underlined consonants /n/
detach from their syllables and attach to the following vowels.
Oğlum yıka-an-ı.yor.
(oğ*lum / yı*ka*nı*yor ↷) My son is having a bath. (He is washing himself.)
Ayşe tara-an-ı.yor. Ayşe tara-an-ı.yor mu? (ay*şe / ta*ra*nı↝*yor / mu ↷) (ay*şe / ta*ra*nı*yor ↷)
The meaning is “Ayşe is combing herself (her hair)”.
Başım kaşı-ın-ı.yor.
(ba*şım / ka*şı*nı*yor ↷) My head is itching.
Kedi masa-/n/ın alt-ı/n/-da kaşı-ın-ı.yor.
(ke*di / ma*sa*nın / al*tın*da / ka*şı*nı*yor ↷) The cat is scratching under the table.
Yazı sil-in-di. (Turkish is reflexive.) (ya*zı / si*lin*di ↷)
The writing has been ereased. (English is passive.)
Öv-ün-ü.yor.
(ö*vü*nü*yor ↷) He is boasting or praising himself.
Ayşe saç-ı-/n/ı tara-ı.yor. (Transitive.) (ay*şe ~/ sa*çı*/n/ı / ta*rı*yor ↷)
Ayşe is combing her hair. (The double underlined /a/ drops.) (transitive)
Dükkân-lar saat yedi-de kapa-an-ır.
(dük*kân*lar / sa*at / ye*di*de / ka*pa*nır ↷) Shops close at seven o’clock. (They close themselves.)
Ayşe kapı-/n/ın arka-/s/ı/-/n/a sakla-an-ı.yor.
(ay*şe / ka*pı*nın / ar*ka*sı*na / sak*la*nı*yor ↷) Ayşe is hiding behind the door. (She is hiding herself.)
Yer sars-ıl-ı.yor.
(yer / sar*sı*lı*yor ↷ ) The ground is shaking. (It is shaking itself.)
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Üz-ül-e.cek-sin.
(ü*zü*le*cek*sin ↷) You will be sorry.
The allomorphs that are used to form reflexive verbs are also used with verbs when they are transformed into the passive voice. As these allo-morphs sometimes cause confusion, one should be careful when one de-fines them:
Kara gör-ün-dü.
(ka*ra / gö*rün*dü ↷) (reflexive) The land has showed itself.
Kara gör-ül-dü.
(ka*ra / gö*rül*dü ↷) (passive) The land has been seen by someone.
THE PASSIVE TRANSFORMATION OF THE INTRANSITIVE VERB FRAMES
Some Turkish intransitive verbs can also be transformed into the passive forms without being put into the passive voice. While these verbs are being shaped, the passive transformation allomorphs are attached to these verb roots or stems. In doing this, the verbs ending with vowels and the /L/
phonemes attach to the ♫ [in, ın, ün, un, en, an] allomorphs; the others ending with consonants attach to the ♫ [il, ıl, ül, ul] allomorphs. Although this form does not exist in English, it is expressed in a different sentence structure, which does not exist in Turkish. Consider the following:
Deniz-de yüz-ül-ür. (de*niz*de / yü*zü*lür ↷)
“It is possible (natural) to swim in the sea”, or "The sea is a place where one can naturally swim." (passive shaped intransitive)
İş-e saat sekiz-de başla-an-ır.
(i*şe / sa*at / se*kiz*de / baş*la*nır ↷) It is a rule to start work at eight. (passive shaped intransitive)
Pazar günleri dinlen-il-ir.
(pa*zar / gün*le*ri / din*le*ni*lir ↷) It is customary to have a rest on Sundays. (passive shaped intransitive)
Böyle güneş-li bir gün-de piknik-e git-il-ir.
(böy*le / gü*neş*li / bir / gün*de~/ pik*ni*ğe / gi*di*lir ↷) It is advisable (natural) to go for a picnic on such a sunny day.
(passive shaped intransitive)
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Güzel-e bak-ıl-ır. Güzel-e bak-ıl-maz mı? Isn't it natural to look at the ...?
(gü*ze*le / ba*kı*lır ↷) (gü*ze*le / ba*kıl*maz↝ / mı ↷) It is natural to look at the beautiful. (passive shaped intransitive)
Pazartesi gün-ler-i erken kalk-ıl-ır.
(pa*zar*te*si / gün*le*ri / er*ken / kal*kı*lır ↷)
It is a rule to get up early on Mondays.
(passive shaped intransitive)
To use the negative forms of the above sentences, [mez, maz] allomorphs
are used after the verbs:
Böyle bir gürültü-de uyu-un-maz. Böyle bir gürültü-de uyu-un-ur mu?
böy*le / bir / gü*rül*tü*de ~ / u*yun*maz ↷) (u*yu*nur↝ / mu ↷) It is impossible to sleep in such a noise. (passive shaped intransitive)
Bu sokak-ta yürü-ün-mez.
(bu / so*kak*ta / yü*rün*mez ↷) It is impossible to walk in this street. (passive shaped intransitive)
Onun laf-ı-/n/a bak-ıl-maz.
(o*nun / lâ*fı*na / ba*kıl*maz ↷) It is natural (advisable) not to mind what he says. (passive shaped intr.)
Bu otel-de kal-ın-maz.
(bu / o*tel*de / ka*lın*maz ↷) It is impossible to stay in this hotel. (passive shaped intransitive)
Onun aklı-/n/a uy-ul-maz.
(o*nun /ak*lı*na /u*yul*maz ↷) It is inadvisable to follow his advice. (passive shaped intransitive)
Bu göl-de yüz-ül-ür mü?
(bu / göl*de / yü*zü*lür↝/ mü ↷) Is it possible to swim in this lake? (passive shaped intransitive)
İngiltere’ye tren-le git-il-mez mi?
(in*gil*te*re*ye / tren*le / gi*dil*mez↝ / mi ↷) Isn’t it possible to go to England by train?
RECIPROCAL VERB FRAMES (İŞTEŞ FİİL ÇATILARI)
1. A reciprocal verb expresses an action which is exchanged between two or more people. The reciprocal morpheme is [İŞ], which has ♫ [iş, ış, üş, uş, eş, aş] allomorphs. When the verbs end with vowels, and the allomorphs
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start with the same vowels, these two vowels coincide and combine and are verbalized as a single vowel:
Onlar bak-ış-ı.yor-lar. Onlar bak-ış-ma-ı.yor-lar mı?
(on*lar / ba*kı*şı*yor*lar ↷) (on*lar / ba*kış↝*mı*yor*lar / mı ↷) They are looking at each other. Aren' they looking at each other?
Kucakla-aş-ı.yor-lar.
(ku*cak*la*şı*yor*lar ↷) They are hugging (each other).
Tokala-aş-ı.yor-lar.
(to*ka*la*şı*yor*lar ↷) They are shaking hands.
Döv-üş-ü.yor-lar.
(dö*vü*şü*yor*lar ↷) They are fighting. (They are beating each other.)
Öp-üş-ü.yor-lar-dı Onlar öp-üş-me-ü.yor-lar mı/y/-dı?
(ö*pü*şü*yor*lar*dı↷) (on*lar / ö*püş↝*mü*yor*lar / mıy*dı ↷) They were kissing. Weren't they kissing?
Onlar Pazar gün-ler-i gör-üş-ür-ler.
(on*lar / pa*zar / gün*le*ri / gö*rü*şür*ler ↷) They meet and talk on Sundays.
2. Some verbs that are attached to reciprocal allomorphs convey the con-cept of “(all) together”:
Haber-i duy-un.ca bağır-ış-tı-lar.
(ha*be*ri / du*yun*ca~/ ba*ğı*rış*tı*lar ↷) or (bağ*rış*tı*lar) They shouted all together when they heard the news.
Polis-i gör-ün.ce kaç-ış-tı-lar.
(po*li*si / gö*rün*ce / ka*çış*tı*lar ↷) They ran away all together when they saw the police-officer.
Çocuklar futbol takım-lar-ı hakkında tart-ış-ı.yor-lar.
(ço*cuk*lar / fut*bol / ta*kım*la*rı / hak*kın*da / tar*tı*şı*yor*lar ↷) The boys are discussing about their football teams.
Bazı çocuk-lar kapı-da bekle-eş-i.yor-lar.
(ba*zı / ço*cuk*lar / ka*pı*da / bek*le*şi*yor*lar ↷) Some children are waiting together at the door.
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3. Some other verbs that are attached to the allomorphs above convey the idea of “about”:
Kuş-lar gökyüzü/n/-de uç-uş-u.yor-du.
(kuş*lar / gök*yü*zün*de / u*çu*şu*yor*du ↷) The birds were flying about in the sky.
Çocuk-lar bahçe-de koş-uş-u.yor-lar.
(ço*cuk*lar / bah*çe*de / ko*şu*şu*yor*lar ↷) The children are running about in the garden.
Ördek-ler havuz-da yüz-üş-ü.yor-lar.
(ör*dek*ler / ha*vuz*da / yü*zü*şü*yor*lar ↷) The ducks are swimming about in the pool.