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Turkish grammar · A1

Negation with 'değil'

Alexander StebnerCreator of Lingora · Updated 14 October 20262 min readComments

The word is used to negate nouns and adjectives. It functions like the "not" in sentences such as "I am not a student" or "The weather is not cold." It is placed after the noun or adjective it negates.

Crucially, is not used to negate verbs. Verbs are negated using the suffix or .

Compare the two types of negation:

  • Ben doktor değilim.

    I am not a doctor. (Negating a noun)

  • Ben gelmiyorum.

    I am not coming. (Negating a verb)

01

Adding Personal Endings

Like nouns and adjectives in affirmative sentences, takes personal suffixes to indicate who is being talked about. The noun or adjective itself does not change.

The structure is: Noun/Adjective + + Personal Suffix

  • - I am not tired.
  • - You are not a student.
  • - He/she/it is not at home.
  • - We are not ready.
  • - You (plural/formal) are not Turkish.
  • - They are not busy.

For the third-person plural (they), the plural suffix can be omitted from if the subject is explicitly stated. Both forms are correct.

  • Çocuklar bahçede değil.

    The children are not in the garden.

  • Onlar kötü insanlar değiller.

    They are not bad people.

02

Forming Negative Questions

To ask a negative yes/no question, such as "Aren't you tired?", the question particle is added after . The personal suffix then attaches to the question particle.

The structure is: Noun/Adjective + + + Personal Suffix?

Because the question particle always follows , its vowel is always 'i', so it is always .

  • Hava soğuk değil mi?

    Isn't the weather cold?

  • Sen mutlu değil misin?

    Are you not happy?

  • Biz takımda değil miyiz?

    Aren't we on the team?

03

Using 'Değil' for Contrast

is also commonly used to correct information or state a preference by contrasting two things. The structure is often "not X, but Y".

  • Bu araba kırmızı değil, mavi.

    This car is not red, it's blue.

  • Çay değil, kahve istiyorum.

    I want coffee, not tea.

  • O öğretmen değil, mühendis.

    He is not a teacher, he is an engineer.

In the course

Sentences from Lingora’s Turkish course

9 of the course's 500 sentences use this, the first in lesson 54. A few of them, with the words “Negation with 'değil'” is about in bold:

  • Harika hissediyorum! Hasta değilim. Sağlıklıyım.

    I feel great! I am not sick. I am healthy.

    Lesson 64

All 52 Turkish grammar topics

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