Verbs: Negative Conjugation — Turkish Grammar

To make a verb negative, the suffix or is added directly to the verb stem. The choice between and is determined by 2-way vowel harmony.

If the last vowel in the verb stem is e, i, ö, ü, use .
If the last vowel in the verb stem is a, ı, o, u, use .

gelmek, gelme
to come, don't come
içmek, içme
to drink, don't drink
yapmak, yapma
to do, don't do
okumak, okuma
to read, don't read

This new negative stem (, , etc.) is then used as the base for adding tense and personal suffixes.

Negation in Vowel-Initial Tenses

When a tense suffix starting with a vowel (like for present continuous or for future) is added to the negative stem, a buffer consonant y is inserted.

For the present continuous tense (), the vowel in the negative suffix (/) narrows. The e in becomes i, and the a in becomes ı.

→ → (is not coming)
→ → (is not taking)

Ben televizyon izlemiyorum.
I am not watching television.
O telefonu kullanmıyor.
He is not using the phone.

For the future tense (/), the buffer y is simply added.

→ → (will not love)
→ → (will not stay)

Yarın partiye gitmeyeceğim.
I will not go to the party tomorrow.
Sana yardım etmeyecekler.
They will not help you.

Negation in Consonant-Initial Tenses

When a tense suffix starts with a consonant, like the simple past tense (), it is added directly to the negative stem without any buffer.

→ → (did not see)
→ → (did not understand)

Dün akşam onu aramadım.
I did not call him last night.
Biz bu filmi beğenmedik.
We did not like this movie.

Special Case: The Simple Present (Aorist)

The simple present tense has a unique negative form. Instead of the positive suffix -r, the negative uses or . This is formed by adding z to the negative stem.

→ → (doesn't want)
→ → (doesn't work)

An important exception exists for the first person singular (I) and first person plural (we). In these cases, the z is dropped, and the personal suffix is added directly to the negative stem.

I don't go: →
We don't go: →

O genellikle et yemez.
He generally doesn't eat meat.
Ben asla yalan söylemem.
I never tell lies.
Biz hafta sonları çalışmayız.
We don't work on weekends.

Negative Commands (Imperative)

To form a negative command, simply use the negative verb stem without any additional suffixes.

git, gitme
go, don't go
konuş, konuşma
speak, don't speak
Lütfen bekleme.
Please don't wait.

In the course

Sentences from Lingora’s Turkish course

44 of the course's 500 sentences use this, the first in lesson 16. A few of them, with the words “Verbs: Negative Conjugation” is about in bold:

O da uyuyor. O uyumuyor.
He is also sleeping. She isn't.
Lesson 16
Seni dokuz yıldır görmüyorum!
I haven't seen you for nine years!
Lesson 175
Geç kalmadım. Erkenciyim. Trafik normaldi.
I am not late. I am early. Traffic was normal.
Lesson 279

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