I can ask for and give directions — Sağa dönün, düz gidin, köprüden geçin — say “don't” — gitme, gitmeyin — and get a passerby's attention: Bakar mısınız? Müzeye nasıl giderim?
Requests and directions: the imperative
Requests and directions: the imperative
The imperative (the command form) helps you ask, invite, or give directions. To a friend, with sen, you say just the stem of the verb, without -mak / -mek: gelmek → gel, bakmak → bak.
With siz, and to several people, add -ın / -in / -un / -ün to the stem; the last vowel of the stem picks the vowel, as in the table: kullanın, gelin, bulun, görün. After a vowel add y: başlayın. gitmek and etmek change their stem: gidin, yardım edin.
English commands have no “you” and fit everyone; Turkish always chooses sen or siz. Directions: sağa “to the right”, sola “to the left”, düz “straight ahead”. lütfen makes it polite.
Two set phrases: Bakar mısınız? — “Excuse me!”, to get the attention of a passerby or a waiter; Bankaya nasıl giderim? — “How do I get to the bank?”
Common mistakes:
• NOT “Hocam, gel” → Hocam, gelin (with hocam, Bey, or Hanım, always siz)
• NOT “yürüin” → yürüyün
• NOT “gitin” → gidin
Request and “don't”
With sen — the verb stem. With siz and to several people — an ending. “Don't” — -ma / -me.
| Verb | sen | siz | Don't (sen) | Don't (siz) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| gelmek | gel | gelin | gelme | gelmeyin |
| bakmak | bak | bakın | bakma | bakmayın |
| durmak | dur | durun | durma | durmayın |
| dönmek | dön | dönün | dönme | dönmeyin |
| yürümek | yürü | yürüyün | yürüme | yürümeyin |
| gitmek | git | gidin | gitme | gitmeyin |
The siz ending
The last vowel of the stem chooses the ending.
| The last vowel of the stem | After a consonant | After a vowel |
|---|---|---|
| a, ı | -ın | -yın |
| e, i | -in | -yin |
| o, u | -un | -yun |
| ö, ü | -ün | -yün |
How to give directions
lütfen makes it more polite.
| In English | In Turkish |
|---|---|
| turn right | sağa dönün |
| turn left | sola dönün |
| go straight ahead | düz gidin |
| cross to the other side | karşıya geçin |
| cross the bridge | köprüden geçin |
| stop at the traffic light | ışıkta durun |
Lesson notes
Requests and directions: the imperative
The imperative (the command form) helps you ask, invite, or give directions. To a friend, with sen, you say just the stem of the verb, without -mak / -mek: gelmek → gel, bakmak → bak.
With siz, and to several people, add -ın / -in / -un / -ün to the stem; the last vowel of the stem picks the vowel, as in the table: kullanın, gelin, bulun, görün. After a vowel add y: başlayın. gitmek and etmek change their stem: gidin, yardım edin.
English commands have no “you” and fit everyone; Turkish always chooses sen or siz. Directions: sağa “to the right”, sola “to the left”, düz “straight ahead”. lütfen makes it polite.
Two set phrases: Bakar mısınız? — “Excuse me!”, to get the attention of a passerby or a waiter; Bankaya nasıl giderim? — “How do I get to the bank?”
Common mistakes:
• NOT “Hocam, gel” → Hocam, gelin (with hocam, Bey, or Hanım, always siz)
• NOT “yürüin” → yürüyün
• NOT “gitin” → gidin
Saying “don't”: gitme, gitmeyin
“Don't”: after the stem put -ma / -me: gitme — “don't go”, bakma — “don't look”. With siz, -yın / -yin follows: gitmeyin, bakmayın.
English “don't” is a separate word; Turkish has none here, and değil doesn't work with a verb.
A sen command sometimes looks like another word: yaz — “write!” and “summer”, bin — “get on!” and “thousand”, geç — “cross!” and “late”, aç — “open!” and “hungry”. The words around it show the meaning.
Common mistakes:
• NOT “git değil”, NOT “gitmek değil” → gitme
• NOT “gitmein” → gitmeyin