Learn Turkish
Introduction
Grammar
Turkish grammar is simplistic once you get used to the style. However, it can seem to be very difficult since the grammatical structure is totally different from the Indo-European languages. This is because Turkish is from a different language family called Ural-Altaic languages. Some
languages similar to Turkish are ´Finnish, Hungarian, Estonian, Japanese, Korean, Mongolian,
Kazak, Uzbek, Tatar, Manchu´. Compared to English, the most fundamental differences
in Turkish grammar can be listed as: Ordering of sentence parts
o A typical Turkish sentence is ordered as (subject + object + verb)
ArkadaĢım [My friend --> subject] araba [car -->object] aldı
[bought-->verb].
No gender
o There are no articles in Turkish, and no gender associated with words
o No gender in personal pronouns (the Turkish word for he, she and it is o) Vowel harmony
o Harmony of vowels is a very fundamental property of Turkish. The rules concerning vowel harmony need to be learned as one of the first steps because they affect the way almost all the other rules are applied.
Use of suffixes
o Suffixes are very widely used in Turkish. The meaning of prepositions, personal pronouns and tenses are all countered by adding suffixes to word roots.
Kalbimdesin [You are in my heart]
Once you get to these differences and learn the basic harmony rules, the rest of the grammar is quite simple. Almost everything follows well defined, simple rules.
Sounds
Another important point is the way you read a written text. There is exactly one sound for each character in Turkish. A character always represents the same sound, regardless of its position in a word or the characters next to it. Therefore, it is straightforward to pronounce a word that you see for the first time once you are familiar with the characters in the Turkish alphabet.
Vocabulary
Once you are comfortable or at least familiar with the harmony rules, the main challenge will be the vocabulary. Turkish vocabulary can be very challenging since the words have no resemblance to the European languages except the few words adapted directlyfrom these languages.
Alphabet
Turkish alphabet consists of 29 letters - 8 vowels and 21 consonants.Each letter has exactly one associated sound which never changes.
There are seven additional characters not found in the English alphabet. 1. (Ç-ç) 2. (Ğ-ğ) 3. (I-ı) 4. (Ġ-i) 5. (Ö-ö) 6. (ġ-Ģ) 7. (Ü-ü)
The letters of Turkish alphabet and the sounds associated with these are in the following table... Lette
r Pronunciation Letter Pronunciation
A, a like the a in car M, m like the m in man
B, b like the b in bet N, n like the n in neighbor
C, c like the g in gender O, o like the a in ball
Ç, ç like the ch in chance Ö, ö like the u in urge
D, d like the d in debt P, p like the p in pen
E, e like the e in less R, r like the r in rent
F, f like the f in felony S, s like the s in send
G, g like the g in game ġ, Ģ like the sh in shed
Ğ, ğ weak sound,not pronouncing at all will be ok T, t like the t in tennis
H, h like the h in hello U, u like the oo in good
I, ı like the e in halted Ü, ü like the u in nude
Ġ, i like the ee in keen V, v like the v in vent
J, j like the s in leisure Y, y like the y in yes
K, k like the k in kelly Z, z like the z in zen
Numbers
Constructing numbers in Turkish is simple and straightforward. The rule is to line up the parts in decreasing magnitude like in English, but without putting any conjunctive words in between. For example, direct translation of 1256 from Turkish would be ´thousand two hundred fifty six´. Let´s continue to construct numbers after you take a look at the table below. The numbers from 0 to 10 definitely need to be learned without any rule, as well as 10, 20, ..., 100 and 1,000-1,000,000-1,000,000,000.... After that, it´s all about applying the simple-straightforward rules and practicing.
0 sıfır 21 yirmi bir
1 bir 22 yirmi iki
2 iki 30 otuz 3 üç 40 kırk 4 dört 50 elli 5 beş 60 altmış 6 altı 70 yetmiş 7 yedi 80 seksen 8 sekiz 90 doksan 9 dokuz 100 yüz
10 on 137 yüz otuz yedi
11 on bir 200 iki yüz
12 on iki 300 üç yüz
13 on üç 1,000 bin
14 on dört 2,000 iki bin
15 on beş 10,000 on bin
16 on altı 25,000 yirmi beş bin
17 on yedi 1,000,000 bir milyon
18 on sekiz 1,000,000,000 bir milyar
19 on dokuz
Looking at the table above, let us see how some numbers are read in different cases:
58 --> elli sekiz 63 --> altmış üç 97 --> doksan yedi 104 --> yüz dört 148 --> yüz kırk sekiz 752 --> yedi yüz elli iki 1,765 --> bin yedi yüz
altmış beş
48,392 --> kırk sekiz bin üç yüz doksan iki
305,018 --> üç yüz beş bin on sekiz
4,762,345,258 --> dört milyar yedi yüz altmış iki milyon üç yüz kırk beş bin iki yüz elli sekiz Now, practice time. Try tofigure out the number correspondin to thefollowing (answers are below the list)
Correct answers in sequence are: 4, 14, 44, 174, 629, 724, 1785, 1000003, 328, 1919, 2004, 1789
Fractions
Another point to note here is how to read fractions. The most commonly used form, x.5, is read as the whole part of the number followed by buçuk. The only exception to this is the 0.5 case, which is read like the other fractions. For the other fractions, the whole part of the number is read first, and then the fractional part is read as if it is a seperate number after saying virgül . Acually virgül means comma, and this word is used for separating the whole part and the fractional part of a number. Comma is used instead of point or dot because in Turkish convention fractions are separated by comma. Here are some examples:
Turkish spelling Number
dört ?
on dört ?
kırk dört ?
yüz yetmiş dört ?
altı yüz yirmi dokuz ?
yedi yüz yirmi dört ?
bin yedi yüz seksen beş ?
bir milyon üç ?
üç yüz yirmi sekiz ?
bin dokuz yüz on dokuz ?
iki bin dört ?
2.5 --> iki buçuk 274.5 --> iki yüz yetmiĢ dört
buçuk 0.5 --> sıfır virgül beĢ
104.25 --> yüz dört virgül
yirmi beĢ 14.8 --> on dört virgül sekiz 7.52 --> yedi virgül elli iki 1.705 --> bir virgül yedi yüz
beĢ
48.012 --> kırk sekiz virgül sıfır on iki
305.008 --> üç yüz beĢ virgül sıfır sıfır sekiz
We should also look at the translations of fraction denoting adjectives. These are:
Half --> Yarım (Be careful that this is used only as an adjective, the word buçuk is used instead when you are reading numbers -half a bread is yarım ekmek, one and a half is bir buçuk)
Quarter --> Çeyrek
Some sentences and prases using these adjectives would be: Half an hour --> yarım saat
Buy half a bread. --> Yarım ekmek al.
Joe made a foul in the last quarter. --> Joe son çeyrekte bir faul yaptı.
Sequence Numbers
Now, let us take a look at how order is indicated using the numbers. The suffix used for order is -inci. Adding this at the and of any number will give the meaning of order. An important point to pay attention here, as always, is that this suffix changes according to vowel harmony.
1st --> birinci 2nd --> ikinci (not ikiinci, one vowel falls when there is two next to each other)
3rd --> üçüncü 4th --> dördüncü
5th --> beĢinci 6th --> altıncı (again, not altııncı because one of the double ı´s falls) 7th --> yedinci 10th --> onuncu
Pronouns 1
Personal Pronouns
Here are the Turkish translations of the personal pronouns. However, these pronouns are generally omitted in sentences since person is implied in the adjectives or the verbs in sentences. They are often used to stress the person.
i ben i am adjective ben adjective-im
you sen you are adjective sen adjective-sin
he she it o he she | is adjective it / o adjective
we biz we are adjective biz adjective-iz
you siz you are adjective siz adjective-siniz they onlar they are adjective onlar adjective-ler
güzel --> beautiful
I am beautiful. --> Ben güzel-im. --> Güzelim. (Personal pronoun is implied) You are beautiful. --> Sen güzel-sin. --> Güzelsin.
He/she/it is beautiful. --> O güzel. --> Güzel. We are beautiful. --> Biz güzel-iz. --> Güzeliz. You are beautiful. --> Siz güzel-siniz. --> Güzelsiniz. They are beautiful. --> Onlar güzel-ler. --> Güzeller. kötü --> bad
I am bad. --> Ben kötü-y-üm. --> Kötüyüm. (Note how kötü and -üm are connected with the fusion consonant ´y´.)
You are bad. --> Sen kötü-sün. --> Kötüsün. He/she/it is bad. --> O kötü. --> Kötü. We are bad. --> Biz kötü-y-üz. --> Kötüyüz. You are bad. --> Siz kötü-siniz. --> Kötüsünüz. They are bad. --> Onlar kötü-ler. --> Kötüler.
geliyor --> coming (present continuous tense) I am coming. --> Ben geliyor-um. --> Geliyorum. You are coming. --> Sen geliyor-sun. --> Geliyorsun. He/she/it is coming. --> O geliyor. --> Geliyor. We are coming. --> Biz geliyor-uz. --> Geliyoruz.
You are coming. --> Siz geliyor-sunuz. --> Geliyorsunuz. They are coming. --> Onlar geliyor-lar. --> Geliyorlar.
For nouns other than these pronouns, you must use the third person case. Marzena is beautiful. --> Marzena güzel.
Marzena is very beautiful. --> Marzena çok güzel. Joe is bad. --> Joe kötü.
Joe is coming. --> Joe geliyor.
Demonstrative pronouns
These are the pronouns used for obects instead of people.
this bu
that (between this and that) Ģu
that o
these bunlar
those (between these and those) Ģunlar
those onlar
kitap --> book
Bu bir kitap. --> This is a book. ġu bir kitap. --> That is a book. O bir kitap. --> That is a book. Bunlar kitaplar. --> These are books. ġunlar kitaplar. --> Those are books. Onlar kitaplar. --> Those are books.
Possessive Pronouns
Personal posessive pronouns:
my ben-im my noun ben-im noun-im
your sen-in your noun sen-in noun-in
his her its o-n-un his her | noun its / o-n-un noun-i
our biz-im our noun biz-im noun-imiz
your siz-in your noun siz-in noun-iniz
their onlar-ın their noun onlar-ın noun-leri
Notice his/her/its is o-n-un instead of o-un. Since two vowels don´t come together in Turkish, one fusion consonant is added in between. It is ´n´ in this case. Either a fusion consonant is added in between, or one of the vowels is dropped whenever a vowel is followed by another vowel. Which technique must be used changes among different rules, but it is consistent in a single rule. This will be mentioned in different lessons when necessary.
ev --> house
my house --> ben-im ev-im --> evim (personal pronoun is implied) your house --> sen-in ev-in --> evin
his/her/its house --> o-n-in ev-i --> onun evi --> evi our house --> biz-im ev-imiz --> evimiz
your house --> siz-in ev-iniz --> eviniz their house --> onlar-ın ev-leri --> evleri araba --> car
my car --> ben-im araba-m --> arabam (the suffix -im becomes -m when added after a vowel, since two vowels don´t come together in Turkish)
your car --> sen-in araba-n --> araban
his/her/its car --> o-n-in araba-s-ı --> onun arabası --> arabası (Instead of dropping one vowel, here the fusion consonant ´s´ is added between vowels since the suffix is only a single vowel.)
our car --> biz-im araba-mız --> arabamız your car --> siz-in araba-nız --> arabanız their car --> onlar-ın araba-ları --> arabaları
- For nouns other than these pronouns, always the third person form is used. Gizem´s house --> Gizem´in evi
My mother´s house --> Annemin evi
Demonstrative posessive pronouns:
of this bu-n-un
of that (between this and that) Ģu-n-un
of that o-n-un
of these bunlar-ın
of those (between these and those) Ģunlar-ın
of those onlar-ın
Bunun evi --> The house of this ġunun evi --> The house of that Onun evi --> The house of that
Bunların evleri --> The house of these. ġunların evleri --> The house of those. Onların evleri --> The house of those.
- For nouns other than these pronouns, always the third person form is used. The room of the house --> Evin odası
Cat´s food --> Kedinin yemeği
Reflexive Pronouns
The way reflexive pronouns are constructed in Turkish is very similar to the way we do it in English. The Turkish word for self iskendi. The reflexive pronouns hence are as follows:
myself kendi-im kendim
yourself kendi-in kendin
himself herself itself
kendi-si kendisi
ourselves kendi-imiz kendimiz
yourselves kendi-iniz kendiniz
Pronouns 2
In the previous lesson on pronouns, we covered the basic pronouns. The topics covered were:
Personal pronouns (ben, sen, o, biz, siz, onlar)
Demonstrative pronouns (bu, şu, o, bunlar, şunlar, onlar) Possessive pronouns
o Personal possessive pronouns (benim, senin, onun, bizim, sizin, onların)
o Demonstrative possessive pronouns (bunun, şunun, onun, bunların,
şunların, onların)
Reflexive pronouns (kendim, kendin, kendisi, kendimiz, kendiniz, kendileri) There are also other pronouns used for many different situations, like everybody, nothing... Let's now see the Turkish meanings for these pronouns.
English Turkish
Basic components of these pronouns
every her thing Ģey none hiç any herhangibir one, a bir some bazı all bütün Pronouns everything everything something something nothing nothing anything anything everybody everybody somebody somebody nobody nobody anybody anybody
all of these all of these
all of those all of those
all of us all of us
all of you all of you
none of these none of these
none of those none of those
none of us none of us
none of you none of you
some of these some of these
some of those some of those
some of us some of us
In English, some of these pronouns that have negative meanings are used in positive sentences. For example,
There is nobody here. (Instead of there isn't nobody here)
In Turkish, you never do this. If the meaning of a pronoun is negative, it must always be used in a negative sentence. Similarly, pronouns with positive meanings must always be used in positive sentences.
There is nobody here. --> Burada hiçkimse yok.
Now, let's use some of these pronouns in sentences: Every flower does not smell. --> Her çiçek kokmaz. What is this thing? --> Bu Ģey ne?
There is none left. --> Hiç kalmadı.
Some students are here. --> Bazı öğrenciler burada. All students are here. --> Bütün öğrenciler burada. Everything's ok. --> HerĢey yolunda.
Everything is here. --> HerĢey burada. Ask something. --> BirĢey sor.
I saw nothing. --> Hiçbir Ģey görmedim. Is there anything? --> Herhangibir Ģey var mı? Is everybody here? --> Herkes burada mı? Somebody came. --> Birisi geldi.
Nobody came. --> Hiç kimse gelmedi.
Anybody can come. --> Herhangi birisi gelebilir. All of these are mine. --> Bunların hepsi benim.
Date and Time
1. Time
Let´s start with simple dialogue sentences about time, the question and different answers. Time - English Turkish (Parantheses for explanation only)
What time is it? Saat kaç?
It is ten o´clock. Saat on (10).
It is five past ten. Saat onu (10-i) beĢ (5) geçiyor.
It is five past five. Saat beĢi (5-i) beĢ (5) geçiyor.
It is five past six. Saat altıyı (6-[y]-i) beĢ (5) geçiyor.
It is five past three. Saat üçü (3-i) beĢ (5) geçiyor.
It is quarter past ten. Saat onu (10-i) çeyrek (quarter) geçiyor.
It is ten twenty. Saat onu (10-i) yirmi (20) geçiyor.
It is half past ten. Saat on (10) buçuk (half).
It is ten thirty five. Saat on bire (11-e) yirmi beĢ (25) var.
It is ten forty. Saat on bire (11-e) yirmi (20) var.
It is quarter to eleven. Saat on bire (11-e) çeyrek (quarter) var.
It is ten to eleven. Saat on bire (11-e) on (10) var.
It is eleven. Saat on bir (11).
Now, time to explain the words and phrases used in this table. Let´s start with the question, ´Saat kaç?´. Word by word:
Saat --> Hour Kaç --> How many
It is not perfectly logical, but the question sentence used for asking the time is ´Saat kaç?´. Then, you may say, how do you ask how many hours? To say ´How many hours?´ you would say ´Kaç saat?´. ´Saat kaç?´ is a special phrase for asking the time which otherwise would not be very meaningful. More or less the same is true for the answer. The best thing is to try to learn the main phrase instead of trying to learn the logic, because the logic used here does not apply to other cases in the language. You basically say "Saat xxx.".
From the exact hour to half past, you say the time as minutes past hour. From half past to the next hour, convention is to sat the time as minutes to hour.
The word for past is ´geçiyor´. The word for to is ´var´. The word for half is ´buçuk´. The word for quarter is ´çeyrek´.
The general phrase for "It is minutes past hours" is:
Saat hours-i minutes geçiyor. (Note the vowel harmony rules for the suffix -i) And the general phrase for "It is minutes to hours" is:
Saat hours-e minutes var. (Note the vowel harmony rules for the suffix -e)
2. Date
Let´s start with the days of the week and months:
English Turkish
Days of the week
Sunday Pazar Monday Pazartesi Tuesday Salı Wednesday ÇarĢamba Thursday PerĢembe Friday Cuma Saturday Cumartesi Months January Ocak February ġubat March Mart April Nisan May Mayıs June Haziran July Temmuz August Ağustos September Eylül October Ekim November Kasım December Aralık
2.1. Day of the week
A simple conversation about the day of the week would be like the following:
English Turkish
A. What´s the day? A. Bugün günlerden ne?
B2. Monday. B2. Pazartesi.
Let´s examine the parts of the question sentence first: bu --> this
gün --> day bugün --> today günler --> days
günlerden --> from the days (also means among the days) ne --> what
Putting all these words together, the direct translation of ´Bugün günlerden ne?´ would be ´Today among the days what?´. Funny? That´s the way you ask the day of the week. After these explanations and translations, the answer sentence should be clear.
2.2. Whole Date
To ask the date, you say:
-Bugünün tarihi ne? -14 Temmuz 2004.
Vocabulary:
bugün --> today tarih --> date
bugünün tarihi --> today´s date ne --> what
Using these, the direct translation of the question sentence would be: ´Today´s date what? ´. Actually, this is how you form a regular question sentence in Turkish. You shouldn´t worry about this yet, we´ll cover it later in another lesson.
The answer doesn´t need much explanation. The day number, followed by month´s name, and finally the year. The day number and the year are both read as a regular numbers.For reading years, it is always read as a whole as a single number. Years are never read as two parts like it is done in English in the case of 1996 (nineteen ninety six). The way you read this year in Turkish would be ´bin dokuz yüz doksan altı´ (one thousand nine hundred ninety six).
3. Seasons
Let´s see the words used for seasons in Turkish:
English Turkish
spring bahar or ilkbahar
summer yaz
fall, autumn sonbahar or güz
Love
In this lesson, we will cover the love words and expressions in Turkish. Let's start with a list of love words used to call the person you love in Turkish. A general point here is that you always use these words with possession in Turkish. Instead of saying 'honey', the word you use in Turkish means 'my honey'. I will also give the direct translations of these words to English.
Turkish English
aĢkım my love
canım my life
bi tanem my only one
hayatım my life
sevgilim my darling
balım my honey
tatlım my sweety (used for girls)
güzelim my beautiful (used for girls)
çiçeğim my flower (used for girls)
gülüm my rose (used for girls)
meleğim my angel (used for girls)
Now, let's see some common love phrases in Turkish and their meanings:
Turkish English
Seni seviyorum. I love you.
Seni çok seviyorum. I love you very much.
Senden çok hoĢlanıyorum. I like you very much.
Benimle çıkar mısın? Would you like to go out with me? Benimle dans eder misin? Would you like to dance with me?
Benimle evlenir misin? Will you marry me?
Evlenme teklifi. Marriage proposal.
NiĢanlı Fiancee
Rüyalarımın erkeğisin/kadınısın. You are the man/woman of my dreams. Seninle olmak istiyorum. I want to be with you.
Seninle kalmak istiyorum. I want to stay with you.
Seni çok özlüyorum. I am missing you very much.
Seni çok özledim. I missed you very much.
Biraz daha kalabilir misin? Can you stay a little longer? Seni bir daha ne zaman göreceğim? When will I see you next?
Bir yerlerde buluĢalım. Let's meet somewhere.
Seni görmek istiyorum. I want to see you.
Antonyms
A set of important antonyms you need to know...
English Turkish big-small büyük-küçük fast-slow hızlı-yavaĢ quick-slow çabuk-yavaĢ full-empty dolu-boĢ easy-difficult kolay-zor heavy-light ağır-hafif open-shut açık-kapalı right-wrong doğru-yanlıĢ old-new eski-yeni old-young yaĢlı-genç first-last ilk-son beautiful-ugly güzel-çirkin free-busy serbest-meĢgul good-bad iyi-kötü
better-worse daha iyi-daha kötü
the best-the worst en iyi-en kötü
early-late erken-geç cheap-expensive ucuz-pahalı near-far yakın-uzak here-there burada-orada right-left sağ-sol tall-short uzun-kısa dark-light koyu-açık high-low yüksek-alçak open-closed açık-kapalı thin-thick ince-kalın slim-fat zayıf-ĢiĢman
Quantity words
English Turkisha little, some biraz
very, much, many çok
enough yeterli
any, no, none hiç
few az
too much, too many çok fazla
too fazla
more daha fazla, daha çok
a few birkaç (tane)
Colors
English Turkish Black Siyah White Beyaz Red Kırmızı Blue Mavi Orange Turuncu Green YeĢil Purple Mor Pink Pembe Brown Kahverengi Yellow Sarı Grey Gri Color Renk Light Açık Dark KoyuThe question for asking colors is constructed similar to the way it´s done in English:
Eng: What color is XXX?
Tr: XXX ne renk? (Here, ne is what and renk is color)
The answer is also simple: Eng: XXX is red. Tr: XXX kırmızı.
However, note the difference in word ordering when you want to add a color (or any adjective) to an indefinite noun.
Eng: A red XXX.
Tr: Kırmızı bir XXX. (Not ´Bir kırmızı XXX´)
Now, try to understand the following sentences. English translations are below the Turkish sentences.
1. Bu araba açık mavi. 2. Evim koyu kırmızı. 3. Gözlerin ne renk? 4. Beyaz bir gömlek aldım.
1. This car is light blue. 2. My house is dark red. 3. What color are your eyes? 4. I bought a white shirt.
Family
English Turkish
father baba
mother anne
brother (erkek) kardeĢ
sister (kız) kardeĢ
elder brother abi
elder sister abla
son oğul - erkek çocuk
daughter kız - kız çocuk
aunt (mother side) teyze
aunt (father side) hala
grandfather dede - büyükbaba
grandmother nine - büyükanne
grandmother (mother side) anneanne
grandmother (father side) babaanne
nephew, niece yeğen
uncle (father side) amca
uncle (mother side) dayı
cousin kuzen
father-in-law kayınbaba - kayınpeder
mother-in-law kaynana - kayınvalide
sister-in-law baldız
sister-in-law's husband bacanak
son-in-law damat
daughter-in-law gelin
sister's husband eniĢte
grandson, granddaughter, grandchild torun
twin ikiz
twin brother, twin sister ikiz kardeĢ
wife eĢ, hanım, karı
husband koca
step mother üvey anne
step father üvey baba
Fruits and vegetables
Weight is measured with kilograms in Turkey like in Europe, unlike pounds used in America. Some sentences useful for buying fruits and vegetables would be:
Sentences for request:
A. Bir kilo domates alabilir miyim? (Can I get one kilogram tomatoes?) A. Ġki kilo elma verir misiniz? (Can you give me two kilograms of apple?)
A. Yarım kilo çilek alacaktım. (Something like "I would like to buy half a kilogram of
strawberries.")
Possible response of the seller: B. Tabi, buyrun.(Sure, here you are) B. Hemen. (Immediately)
B. Buyrun, afiyet olsun. (Here you are, good appetite) Reply to the seller before leaving:
A. TeĢekkürler. (Thank you)
A. Hayırlı iĢler. (Something like "Have a fruitful work day") A. Ġyi günler. (Have a nice day)
English Turkish Fruits --- Meyveler banana muz apple elma orange portakal grape üzüm cherry kiraz tangerine mandalina
sour cherry viĢne
pear armut avocado avokado pineapple ananas strawberry çilek currant kuĢüzümü grapefruit greyfurt fig incir watermelon karpuz melon kavun apricot kayısı kiwi kivi mulberry dut raspberry ahududu blackberry böğürtlen plum erik Vegetables --- Sebzeler lettuce marul eggplant patlıcan zucchini kabak
cucumber salatalık - hıyar
parsley maydanoz potato patates onion soğan tomato domates pepper biber cabbage lahana cauliflower karnıbahar lemon limon
Another point worth noting if you are in Turkey is that bargaining is very common :) You can buy many things under the display price with some bargaining.
Body parts
English Turkish English Turkish
Vücudumuz --- Our Body Vücudumuz --- Our Body
head kafa - baĢ lip dudak
body vücut - gövde moustache bıyık
arm kol beard sakal
leg bacak shoulder omuz
hand el waist bel
foot ayak toe ayak baĢparmağı
finger parmak abdomen karın
index finger iĢaret parmağı lip dudak
thumb baĢ parmak Organs --- Organlar
eye göz heart heart
ear kulak lung lung
hair saç liver liver
nail tırnak kidney kidney
nose burun stomach stomach
mouth ağız vein vein
tooth diĢ blood blood
tongue dil brain brain
cheek yanak chin çene throat boğaz neck boyun eyelash kirpik eyelid göz kapağı eyebrow kaĢ forehead alın temple Ģakak
wrist bilek - kol bileği
ankle ayak bileği
elbow dirsek
knee diz
Animals
English Turkish English Turkish
Animals --- Hayvanlar Animals - Hayvanlar
animal hayvan beaver kunduz
lion aslan gull martı
tiger kaplan hawk Ģahin
sheep koyun hedgehog kirpi
cow inek squirrel sincap
bull boğa stork leylek
ox öküz vulture akbaba
hen tavuk worm kurt - solucan
rooster horoz wasp eĢek arısı
pig domuz millipede kırkayak
horse at hyena sırtlan
donkey eĢek grasshopper çekirge
turkey hindi zebra zebra
dog köpek fox tilki
cat kedi snake yılan
mouse fare elephant fil
fish balık bear ayı
whale balina giraffe zürafa
dolphin yunus penguin penguen
shark köpek balığı spider örümcek
octopus ahtapot crocodile timsah
insect, bug böcek lizard kertenkele
butterfly kelebek turtle kaplumbağa
bee arı rabbĢt tavĢan
ant karınca bird kuĢ
wolf kurt fish balık
deer geyik frog kurbağa
Character
English Turkish English Turkish
Character --- Karakter Character --- Karakter
behavior davranıĢ clumsy sakar
honest dürüst tidy düzenli
patient sabırlı untidy düzensiz
impatient sabırsız friendly cana yakın
kind kibar glad memnun
proud gururlu hardworking çalıĢkan
polite kibar lazy tembel
impolite kaba joyful neĢeli
decent terbiyeli - nazik happy mutlu
skilful yetenekli unhappy mutsuz
witty, clever zeki - akıllı sad üzgün
quite suskun - sessiz surprising ĢaĢırtıcı
curious meraklı serious ciddi
funny komik charming çekici
boring sıkıcı angry sinirli - kızgın
cruel zalim stupid aptal
talkative konuĢkan arrogant küstah
good iyi jealous kıskanç
bad kötü understanding anlayıĢlı
naive saf excuse özür
optimistic iyimser obedient itaatkar
pessimistic kötümser active aktif
shy utangaç nice hoĢ
strange garip amusing eğlenceli
sensitive duygusal joyful neĢeli
crazy çılgın arrogant kibirli
English Turkish English Turkish
House --- Ev Furniture --- Eşyalar
door kapı table masa
room oda bookcase kitaplık
front door ön kapı chair sandalye
back door arka kapı wardrobe gardrop
window pencere shelf raf
kitchen mutfak armchair koltuk
bedroom yatak odası sofa koltuk - kanepe
dining room yemek odası shower duĢ
living room oturma odası trash bin çöp kutusu
chıldren's room çocuk odası ashtray kül tablası
bathroom banyo bathtub küvet
toilet tuvalet door mat paspas
balcony balkon tap musluk
corridor koridor heating kalorifer
garden bahçe candle mum
basement bodrum key anahtar
ground floor zemin kat lamp lamba
garage garaj frame çerçeve
terrace teras socket priz
yard avlu plug fiĢ
upper floor/story üst kat mirror ayna
loft tavan arası door bell kapı zili
cellar kiler radio radyo
stairs merdiven television televizyon
step basamak computer bilgisayar
lift, elevator asansör pan tava
wall duvar glass bardak
roof çatı bottle ĢiĢe
fireplace Ģömine plate tabak
House and Furniture
Illness
English Turkish
Sicknesses
sick hasta, rahatsız
headache baĢ ağrısı
to catch a cold soğuk almak
flu grip
measles nezle
tootache diĢ ağrısı
stomach ache karın ağrısı
contagious bulaĢıcı ulcer ülser cancer kanser to faint bayılmak hiccups hıçkırık migraine migren
heart attack kalp krizi
itch kaĢıtı
to itch kaĢınmak
angina anjin
bronchitis bronĢit
Now, some sentences for telling you or somebody is sick. - I am sick. (Hastayım.)
- I am very sick. (Çok hastayım.) - I have a toothache. (Dişim ağrıyor.) - I have a cold. (Nezleyim. or Nezle oldum.) - I got sick. (Hasta oldum. or Hastalandım.) - I don´t feel well. (İyi hissetmiyorum. ) - My foot is itching. (Ayağım kaşınıyor.)
If somebody tells you that he is sick or somebody close to him is sick, you say:
- GeçmiĢ olsun. (This is like wishing for recovery.)
Major Vowel Harmony
Vowel harmony is one of the most fundamental and important aspects of Turkish grammar. Turkish words generally obey two vowel harmony rules, called the major vowel harmony and theminor vowel harmony. More important than the words obeying these rules, there are ways these rules change the vowels in the suffixes added to words. A good understanding of these rules is necessary to be able to use suffixes, hence to be able to make correct and meaningful
sentences.
1. Major Vowel Harmony
The 8 vowels in the Turkish alphabet are separated into two groups called hard vowels and soft vowels. There are 4 hard vowels and 4 soft vowels.
Hard vowels: a, ı, o, u
Soft vowels: e, i, ö, ü
Words of Turkish origin generally (not always) have all hard or all soft vowels. This is just a generalization that you won´t use for constructing Turkish words and sentences. Words that have hard and soft vowels together are said to violate the major vowel harmony. A word that violates the major vowel harmony probably has been adopted from another language or has been changed in the lifetime of the Turkish language.
Each of the hard vowels are the hard counterparts of one soft vowel (and vice versa). Following this rule, vowels can be paired with their counterparts as follows:
Hard Soft a e ı i o ö u ü
A Turkish word is either a hard word or a soft word depending on its last vowel.
ev[home] is a soft word since its last and only vowel, e, is a soft vowel. okul[school] is a hard word since its last vowel, u, is a hard vowel. kahve[coffee] is a soft word since its last vowel, e, is a soft vowel.
Now, try to guess if the following words are hard or soft. The correct answers are below the table.
Word Hard or Soft
meslek[job] ? araba[car] ? güzel[beautiful] ? yemek[food] ? gülümse[smile] ? çabuk[quick] ? gül[rose] ? göl[lake] ? gidelim[let´s go] ? telefon[telephone] ?
(Correct answers: soft, hard, soft, soft, soft, hard, soft, soft, soft, hard)
Major vowel harmony states that:
Any suffix appended to a hard word must have hard vowels
Any suffix appended to a soft word must have soft vowels
As an example to this rule let´s consider the suffix -de. When added to a noun, this suffix gives the meaning of "at/in the location expressed by that noun". When added to a soft word like ev[home], this suffix is -de. However, when added to a hard word like okul[school], the soft vowels in this suffix are replaced by their hard counterparts and the suffix becomes -da. Hence:
at home --> evde at school --> okulda in the car --> arabada at the lake --> gölde
Minor Vowel Harmony
Vowel harmony is one of the most fundamental and important aspects of Turkish grammar. Turkish words generally obey two vowel harmony rules, called the major vowel harmony and theminor vowel harmony. More important than the words obeying these rules, there are ways these rules change the vowels in the suffixes added to words. A good understanding of these rules is necessary to be able to use suffixes, hence to be able to make correct and meaningful sentences.
2. Minor Vowel Harmony
We saw that the 8 vowels in the Turkish alphabet are divided into two groups as hard and soft vowels. Besides this grouping, the 8 vowels are divided into two groups as round vowels and flat vowels. There are 4 flat and 4 round vowels. A vowel´s being round or flat is actually determined from the shape of the mouth when pronouncing that vowel, but it can also be seen in the shape of the capital characters.
Flat vowels: A, E, I, Ġ
Round vowels: O, Ö, U, Ü
A Turkish word is either a round word or a flat word depending on its last vowel.
ev[home] is a flat word since its last and only vowel, e, is a flat vowel. okul[school] is a round word since its last vowel, u, is a round vowel. kahve[coffee] is a flat word since its last vowel, e, is a flat vowel.
Now, try to guess if the following words are round or flat. Move the mouse over the right table cell of the word to see the answer.
Word Round or Flat
meslek[job] ? araba[car] ? güzel[beautiful] ? yemek[food] ? gülümse[smile] ? çabuk[quick] ? gül[rose] ? göl[lake] ? gidelim[let´s go] ? telefon[telephone] ?
(Correct answers: flat, flat, flat, flat, flat, round, round, round, flat, round) Minor vowel harmony states that:
If a suffix starting with -i is appended to a round word, the -i in the suffix becomes -u or -ü. This depends on whether the word is hard or soft. The major vowel harmony and the minor vowel harmony apply to words simultaneously. This means:
If a suffix starting with -i is added to a hard and round word, the -i in the suffix becomes -u.
o okul --> school [a hard vowel]
o suffix we will add is -im (gives the meaning my)
o my school --> okulum [the suffix -im changes according to vowel harmonies and becomes -um] If a suffix starting with -i is added to a soft and round word, the -i in the suffix becomes -ü.
o gül --> rose
o suffix we will add is -im (gives the meaning my)
o my rose --> gülüm [the suffix -im changes according to vowel harmonies and becomes-üm]
my telephone --> telefonum my beautiful --> güzelim my lake --> gölüm
Notes on Vowel Harmony
Vowel harmony is one of the most fundamental and important aspects of Turkish grammar. Turkish words generally obey two vowel harmony rules, called the major vowel harmony and theminor vowel harmony.
These rules change the vowels in the suffixes added to words. A good understanding of these rules is necessary to be able to use suffixes, hence to be able to make correct and meaningful sentences.
3. Practical notes about vowel harmony rules
As far as vowel harmony is concerned, we can separate all the suffixes in Turkish into two main groups. Thinking in terms of these two cases simplifies these seemingly complicated rules. These are:
Case 1:
The suffixes with first vowel -i (the suffixes -i, -di, -iyor, -im, -in ...)
Case 2:
All suffixes with first vowel -i, -ı, -u, -ü fall into the first group, and they are different forms of this case modified according to vowel harmony rules.
bal-ım --> balım (my honey) ev-im --> evim (my home) sınıf-im --> sınıfım (my class) dil-im --> dilim (my tongue) sol-im --> solum (my left) göz-im --> gözüm (my eye) okul-im --> okulum (my school) üzüm-im --> üzümüm (my grape)
All suffixes with first vowel -e, -a fall into the second group, and they are different forms of this case modified according to vowel harmony rules.
araba-den --> arabadan (from the car) ev-den --> evden (from home)
kapı-den --> kapıdan (from the door) deniz-den --> denizden (from the sea) sol-den --> soldan (from the left) göz-den --> gözden (from the eye) okul-den --> okuldan (from school) kapı-den --> kapıdan (from the door)
Note that no suffix has -o or -ö as the first vowel. Actually, no suffix has the letter -ö in it and there is only one suffix that has the vowel o (this is the suffix for present continuous tense,
-iyor and this -o does not change according to any vowel harmony rules).
bak-iyor --> bakıyor (he/she/it is looking) gel-iyor --> geliyor (he/she/it is coming) sık-iyor --> sıkıyor (he/she/it is squeezing) bil-iyor --> biliyor (he/she/it knows) koĢ-iyor --> koĢuyor (he/she/it is running) gör-iyor --> görüyor (he/she/it is seeing) bul-uyor --> buluyor (he/she/it is finding) gül-iyor --> gülüyor (he/she/it is laughing)
The suffixes in case 1 are affected from both the major vowel harmony and the minor vowel harmony. For example, the suffix -di can become -di, -dı, -du or -dü depending on the word at which it is appended. ara-di --> aradı gel-di --> geldi kır-di --> kırdı bil-di --> bildi sol-di --> soldu gör-di --> gördü bul-du --> buldu üĢü-di --> üĢüdü
The suffixes in case 2 are affected by only the major vowel harmony rule. For example, the suffix -erek can become -erek or -arak depending on the word at which it is appended. bak-erek --> bakarak (with looking)
sev-erek --> severek (with loving) sık-erek --> sıkarak (with squeezing)
bil-erek --> bilerek (with knowing, knowingly) koĢ-erek --> koĢarak (with running)
gör-erek -- görerek (with seeing) vur-erek -- vurarak (with hitting) bük-erek -- bükerek (with bending)
Vowel Rules
Besides the vowel harmony rules, there are other basic rules that affect the way suffixes are used. A vowel following another is never allowed in Turkish, and there are rules to avoid these situations when they occur as a result of other rules. There are also rules about consonant harmony, that make some consonants change in certain cases.
1. When two vowels come together
In Turkish, two vowels can never come together (note that there are a few exceptions to this rule). So, what do we do when we need to add a suffix that starts with a vowel at the end of a word that ends with a vowel? There are two cases here:
1.1. Dropping a vowel
To say my house, you append the suffix meaning my (-im) to the word meaning house (ev). Simple enough, ´my house´ --> evim.
You want to say ´my car´.
Car is araba and the suffix that gives the meaning my is -im. Change the suffix according to vowel harmony rules so that is can be appended to araba (a hard and flat word) and -im becomes -ım.
So, to put it together, my car becomes ´araba-ım = arabaım´. However, two vowels can not come together in Turkish. Trouble...
To avoid this, we drop one of the vowels in this case.
i. If both of the vowels are in the group "-i, -ı, -u, -ü" than these two vowels have to be the same (look at the vowel harmony rules to understand why). Since the two vowels are the same, it does not matter which one we drop in this case.
ii. However, if one of the vowels is in the group "-i, -ı, -u, -ü" but the other is not (meaning that it is one of "a, e, o, ö") then generally the vowel in the group "-i, -ı, -u, -ü" is dropped. There are some exceptions to this, however, and these exceptions will be noted when necessary.
Applying these rules, ´my car´ becomes ´arabam´.
1.2. Adding a buffer consonant in between
You are asked where you are going. You want to say "(to) home". Hence, you append the suffix giving the direction meaning (-e) to the word meaning home (ev) and your reply becomes "eve".
However, if you are going to the car and you want to tell this to your friend, things are not that simple for you:
First, change the suffix -e according to vowel harmony rules according to araba and it becomes -a.
Now, add this suffix -a at the end of our word araba, and get arabaa. We have two vowels together. Drop one? Unfortunately, not this time.
In this case we need to add a buffer consonant between the two vowels. There is not a simple rule to tell why. Sometimes one of the two vowels is dropped, sometimes one buffer
consonant is added in between.
word that ends with a vowel (like araba), you always add the fusion consonant y in between. Saying to the car then becomes arabaya.
Too much effort spent to say a very simple word? More to come. Let´s practice on a few other words:
Coast --> Kıyı | To the coast --> Kıyı-e --> Kıyıya Room --> Oda | To the room --> Oda-e --> Odaya Ship --> Gemi | To the ship --> Gemi-e --> Gemiye
This may take some time to get used to, definitely doable. Unfortunately, that´s not
everything. The buffer consonant is not y every time. y is the most common one, so you can put y whenever you don´t remember which one to put, chances are high you´ll be right. The other consonants that are sometimes used as fusion consonants are s and n.
Let´s see different cases where these fusion consonants are used: a. The suffix -i
If the suffix -i is used as the -i form of a noun, making it a direct object (like the in English), then the fusion consonant y is used.
araba-i sat -> araba-y-ı sat -> arabayı sat (sell the car) yazı-i oku -> yazı-y-ı oku -> yazıyı oku (read the text)
If the suffix -i is used as the third person posessive (his-her-its), then the fusion consonant s is used.
araba-i -> araba-s-ı -> arabası (his-her-its car) para-i -> para-s-ı -> parası (his-her-its money) kedi-i -> kedi-s-i -> kedisi (his-her-its cat)
* Note that the word for water (su) is an exception for this case, the fusion consonant y is used with the word su (water).
su-i -> su-y-u -> suyu (his-her-its water)
b. The suffix -e (direction suffix, adds the meaning of preposition to)
When the direction suffix -e is added to a word that ends with a vowel, the fusion consonant y is added in between.
araba-e -> araba-y-a -> arabaya (to the car) konu-e -> konu-y-a -> konuya (to the topic)
pencere-e -> pencere-y-e -> pencereye (to the window)
b. The suffix -in (gives the genitive meaning, like Andy´s)
When the suffix -in is added to a word that ends with a vowel, the fusion consonant n is added in between.
araba-in -> araba-n-ın -> arabanın (of the car, the car´s) konu-in -> konu-n-un -> konunun (of the topic)
pencere-in -> pencere-n-in -> pencerenin (of the window)
* Note that the suffix -in is also used with the second person posessive meaning.
If the suffix -in used as second person possessive is added to a word that ends with a vowel, than the letter i of the suffix is dropped. The same is true for the first person possessive suffix, -im, first person plural possessive suffix, -imiz and second person plural possessive suffix, -iniz.
araba-im -> araba-m -> arabam (my car) kedi-in -> kedi-n -> kedin (your cat)
kapı-imiz -> kapı-mız -> kapımız (our door)
para-iniz -> para-nız -> paranız (your (plural) money) pencere-im -> pencere-m -> pencerem (my window)
There are also other uses of fusion consonants besides separating two vowels.
d. The suffix -le (with, by)
When the suffix -le is added to a word that ends with a vowel, the fusion consonant y is added in between.
araba-le git -> araba-y-la git -> arabayla git (go by car)
kedi-le oyna -> kedi-y-le oyna -> kediyle oyna (play with the cat) gemi-le gel -> gemi-y-le gel -> gemiyle gel (come by ship)
e. The suffix -de (location, like propositions at, in, on) and the suffix -den (proposition from)
When the suffix -de or -den is added to a word as the first suffix, no fusion consonant is used. But when one of -de or -den/ is added to a word that already has a suffix or a series of
suffixes that end with a vowel, the fusion consonant n is added in between. araba-de -> araba-da -> arabada (in the car)
kedi-den -> kediden (from the cat)
araba-si-de -> araba-sı-n-da -> arabasında (in his-her-its car)
kedi-in-ki-den -> kedi-n-in-ki-n-den -> kedininkinden (from the cat´s) gemi-leri-den -> gemi-leri-n-den -> gemilerinden (from their ship)
Consonant Harmony
Besides the vowel harmony rules, there are other basic rules that affect the way suffixes are used. A vowel following another is never allowed in Turkish, and there are rules to avoid these situations when they occur as a result of other rules. There are also rules about consonant harmony, that make some consonants change in certain cases.
2. Consonant Harmony
Vowel harmony rules cause the vowels of suffixes to be modified when they are added to some words. There are similar rules about consonants. However, you may feel that all these rules are too many just for a simple start. Then, I advice you to omit the consonant harmony rules when you want to say or write something, just for the beginning. You will still be understood.
Consonant harmony is mainly for making speech more fluent, it does not have a major effect on understandability. You will eventually learn these if you decide to continue learning Turkish, as you read sentences or listen to Turkish speakers.
Tip
Consonant harmony is mainly for making speech more fluent, it does not have a major effect on understandability.
There are two different cases of consonant harmony - either the last consonant of the main word changes, or the first consonant of the suffix changes. The trouble making consonants in this case arep, ç, t and k. Let´s call the words that end with one of p, ç, t or k the trouble words.
CASE A - Word mutation.
Two conditions must be satisfied for word mutation to occur: 1. You have a word ending with one of ´p, ç, t, k´.
2. You want to add this word a suffix that starts with a vowel.
If the word has only one syllable, like saç, you are safe. The word usually does not change. saç-ı --> saçı (his/her/its hair)
sap-a --> sapa (to the handle)
However, if the word has more than one syllable, than the consonant at the end usually changes.
p becomes b ç becomes c t becomes d k becomes ğ
And here are some examples to this: ağaç-a --> ağaca (to the tree)
Ģarap-ın --> Ģarabın (of the wine) kağıt-a --> kağıda (to the paper) geyik-e --> geyiğe (to the deer)
Tip
There are exceptions to both the single syllable and multiple syllable cases mentioned above. For example:
kap-a --> kaba (to the container) saat-in --> saatin (the clock´s)
You should still learn and apply the rules though, there are not too many of these exceptions.
CASE B - Suffix mutation.
Two conditions must be satisfied for suffix mutation to occur: 1. You have a word ending with one of p, ç, t, k, f, h, s, ş. 2. You want to add this word a suffix that starts with c or d. In this case, the first letter of the consonant changes.
c becomes ç d becomes t Examples:
Leh --> Polish (people)
Leh-ce --> Lehçe --> Polish (language) Türk --> Turkish (people)
Türk-ce --> Türkçe --> Turkish (lanuage) yap --> do
yap-di --> yaptı --> he did
Infinitives and Plurals
1. Infinitives
Verbs in Turkish, when used alone, have the imperative meaning as in English. do --> yap
come --> gel go --> git drink --> iç sleep --> uy
In order to make a verb infinitive, the suffix -mek is used. to do --> yapmak (changes to -mak since yap[do] is a hard word) to come --> gelmek
to go --> gitmek to drink --> içmek to sleep --> uyumak
The following are examples to the use of infinitives in Turkish: It is good to sleep. --> Uyumak iyi(dir).
It is difficult to study. --> ÇalıĢmak zor(dur). I want to go. --> Gitmek istiyorum.
I want to walk. --> Yürümek istiyorum.
2. Plurals
To make plurals of nouns, the suffix ler is used. Below are some examples, note how the suffix
-lerbecomes 'sometimes -ler, sometimes -lar' obeying the rules of vowel harmony.
road(s) --> yol --> yollar room(s) --> oda --> odalar tree(s) --> ağaç --> ağaçlar house(s) --> ev --> evler rose(s) --> gül --> güller job(s) --> meslek --> meslekler
Negatives
1. Negatives of nouns and adjectives
To make a noun or adjective negative, add the word değil at the end of the adjective or noun.
Positive Negative
Bu bir araba. [This is a car.] Bu bir araba değil. [This is not a car] O bir ev. [That is a house.] O bir ev değil. [That is not a house]
O çok güzel. [She is very beautiful.] O çok güzel değil. [She is not very beautiful.] Bu araba beyaz. [This car is white.] Bu araba beyaz değil. [This car is not white]
2. Negatives of verbs
To make a verb negative, add the suffix -me at the root of the verb. to come --> gel-mek
not to come --> gel-me-mek (the negating suffix is always added at the verb root) Note how the suffix is added at the root. This is always the case. A verb may have many
suffixes, but the negating suffix is always immediately after the verb root. All the other suffixes follow as if they are being added to the positive of the verb.
gel-di --> geldi --> he came
gel-me-di --> gelmedi --> he did not come
ol-mak ya da ol-ma-mak --> olmak ya da olmamak --> to be or not to be
3. There is, there is not
In Turkish, there are special words for there is and there is not. In particular: there is --> var
there is not --> yok
Let's make sentences with these words:
There is a book on the table. --> Masada bir kitap var. There isn't a table in this room. --> Bu odada (bir) masa yok.
The words 'var' and 'yok' are more important than this, since they are used when you want to say "I have" or "I don't have" as well. In Turkish, to say "I have something", you say "There is mysomething". Let's give examples:
I have a book. --> (Benim) kitabım var. Aylin has a car. --> Aylin'in arabası var.
This woman has seven cats. --> Bu kadının yedi kedisi var. (Like saying "There is this woman's
seven cats")
I don't have a car. --> (Benim) arabam yok.
Noun states
In Turkish, a noun has 5 fundamental states, produced using suffixes, that correspond to meanings of some prepositions in English. It is not necessary to learn these as the states of nouns, but learning these suffixes is important since they are very commonly used.
State Meaning
Nothing state (no
suffix) Just the plain noun.
-i state Marks the noun as the subject of an action.
-e state Adds the meaning of direction (very similar to the proposition to)
-de state Adds the meaning of position (Used for the prepositions in, at, on)
-den state Adds the meaning of from, used for this preposition
An important thing to note here is the use of the -i form. It is used to denote the subject of an action, and adds the meaning of"being known, specified" just as the meaning given by "the". This will be more clear after looking at the sentences below. (bir --> one, kedi -->
cat, gördüm --> I saw)
Bir kedi gördüm. --> I saw a cat. (Note that although cat is the object of the action here, the -i form of kedi is not used since it is not known, i.e. it is a cat, not the cat)
Kediyi gördüm. --> I saw the cat. (Note that kedi has the suffix -i, but the two -i's are separated by the fusion consonant 'y'.)
Now, example sentences for all the cases. Nothing state:
o This is a house. --> Bu bir ev. -i state:
o I saw the house. --> Evi gördüm. -e state:
o Go home. --> Eve git. (House and home are the same word in Turkish, 'ev'.) -de state:
o The pen is on the table. --> Kalem masada.
o Joe is at school. --> Joe okulda.
o Your mother is in that room. --> Annen o odada. -den state:
To be
The verb to be (for the ´is´ in English) is handled in a special way, it is different from the other verbs. This is also the case in Turkish, the use of the verb to be is very unique. Unlike all the other verbs, to be is expressed with suffixes. It can be in one of present tense or past tense. Let´s see it in present tense and past tense for different cases of personal pronouns.
English Turkish Suffix
Present tense to be
i am xxx ben xxx-im -im
you are xxx sen xxx-sin -sin
he \ she | is xxx it / o xxx -(none) or -dir
we are xxx biz xxx-iz -iz
you are xxx siz xxx-siniz -siniz
they are xxx onlar xxx
or onlar xxx-ler none or -ler Past tense to be
i was xxx ben xxx-dim -dim
you were xxx sen xxx-din -din
he \
she | was xxx it /
o xxx-di -di
we were xxx biz xxx-dik -dik
you were xxx siz xxx-diniz -diniz
they were xxx onlar xxx(-y)-diler (-y)-diler
NOTE 1
For the third person of the present tense to be, there are two cases. One with no suffix and one with -dir. If you are making a personal statement or you are talking in a casual way, you use the no suffix case. However, if you want to make a definitive or informative statement like one in an encyclopedia, you use the suffix -dir. Both have the same meaning, and sometimes can be used interchangeably. Let´s see examples to this.
This house is very big. --> Bu ev çok büyük. That is my house. --> O benim evim.
He is a student. --> O bir öğrenci.
Spider is an animal. --> Örümcek bir hayvandır. (The -dir case is used since this is an informative statement)
NOTE 2
When constructing the third person plural past tense form of to be, the suffix -ler can be ommitted in some cases. These are explained below:
a. Humans or objects that have no individuality take singular conjugation for third person plural. But if the speaker wants to give objects individuality then he can use plural. This would be a poetic sentence.
b. Humans and other things that have individuality (for instance animals that have names) can take either singular or plural conjugation. Usually if the subject is defined (if we known them) then we use plural conjugation. If the subject is undefined then we use singular conjugation.
NOTE 3
Since the verb to be is different for each personal pronoun, personal pronouns can be omitted in speech or writing. The meaning of person is given with this verb. To say "I am beautiful." you can use one of:
"Ben güzelim." "Güzelim.".
Using the personal pronoun adds the meaning of stressing person. We will use the personal pronoun in parenthesis to indicate that it is optional.
Now, let´s see where to be is used:
1. To construct a sentence with a noun or adjective instead of a verb, like in English. The verb to be is the implicit verb here.
o You are beautiful. --> (Sen) güzelsin.
o You were beautiful. --> (Sen) güzeldin.
o This is a house. --> Bu bir ev.
o That was a house. --> O bir evdi.
2. To construct verbs in different tenses, the suffix for each tense is used with either present tense of to be or past tense of to be. Actually, it is present tense of to be in all cases except the regular past tense.
Adjective and noun clauses
In this lesson, we will learn how adjective clauses (for describing a noun using an adjective, like beautiful girl) and noun clauses (for describing ownership relationships between nouns, like car's door) are formed in Turkish. First, let's start with the adjective clauses which is simpler and then we'll look at noun clause construction.
Adjective clauses
Constructing adjective clauses in Turkish is very simple and straightforward, almost the same as in English. The only thing you need to do is to put the correct adjective before the noun. beautiful girl ==> güzel kız
fast car ==> hızlı araba big house ==> büyük ev thick book ==> kalın kitap high building ==> yüksek bina hard lesson ==> zor ders slow train ==> yavaĢ tren
If you don't add the adjective before the noun but use it as the main expression in the sentence, the word order changes in English and it changes the same way in Turkish. This girl is beautiful. --> Bu kız güzel
This car is fast. --> Bu araba hızlı. Ahmet is tall. --> Ahmet uzun.
I am tall. --> Ben uzunum. (Note the use of verb to be with the adjective) You are tall. --> Sen uzunsun.
However, note that when you want to say a beautiful girl, the word for a (bir) is placed between the adjective and the noun.
a small piece ==> küçük bir parça a greedy man ==> açgözlü bir adam a blue book ==> mavi bir kitap a short tree ==> kısa bir ağaç a long movie ==> uzun bir film
Let's now apply what we've learned in the construction of a few sentences. This is a red rose. ==> Bu kırmızı bir gül.
Joe is a quiet kid. ==> Joe sessiz bir çocuk.
Joe is a very quiet kid. ==> Joe çok sessiz bir çocuk.
Noun clauses
Two nouns form a clause in three different ways in Turkish: Case1:
The first noun tells what the second noun is made of (i.e. metal box, plastic plate...). In this case, you just write these nouns in the same order as you do in English without adding any suffixes.
metal box ==> metal kutu plastic plate ==> plastik tabak Case2:
The first noun describes the second noun, wıth any relationship except for the
made-of relationship we saw above and the specific ownership relationship. Examples to this case
can be car key, book shelf, garden door, window glass... In this case, you write the nouns in the same order as English, but add the suffix -i at the end of the second noun. If the noun to which you append suffix i already ends with a vowel, you add the fusion consonant
-s between the-se vowel-s to -separate the two vowel-s. The third example below demon-strate-s
this case.
car key ==> araba anahtarı book shelf ==> kitap rafı
garden door ==> bahçe kapısı (note the fusion consonant s here) window glass ==> pencere camı
Case 3:
There is a specific ownership relationship between the two nouns (the key of the car, the door of the garden, Kemal's daughter, the door of the car). In this case, you write the describing noun first and the described noun second as it was done in the preceding two cases. However, you add the suffix -in to the first noun and the suffix -i to the second noun. If the noun to which you append the suffix -in already ends with a vowel, you add the fusion
consonant n between the two vowels to separate them. For the suffix -i, the fusion consonant is same as told in the previous case. You add the consonant s to separate the word ending with a vowel from the suffix -i.
the key of the car ==> arabanın anahtarı (note the use of fusion consonant n here for the first noun, araba)
the door of the garden ==> bahçenin kapısı Kemal's daughter ==> Kemalin kızı
the door of the car ==> arabanın kapısı (note the use of fusion consonant n for the first noun and the fusion consonant s for the second noun)
exception: The word for water, su, is an exception for the fusion consonants in noun clauses. The fusion consonant for water (su) is always 'y'.
color of water --> su-in renk-i --> suyun rengi (not sunun rengi)
water of Kemal --> Kemal-in su-i --> Kemal'in suyu. (not Kemal'in susu)
(Note that ' is used in Turkish to separate the suffixes from private words that need to be always capitalized, like Kemal in this case
