Verbs: Present Progressive

01

Forming the Present Progressive

The core suffix is -iyor. A connecting vowel (`i`, `ı`, `u`, or `ü`) is often needed between the verb stem and this suffix, depending on the final letter of the stem.

If the verb stem ends in a consonant

Add a connecting vowel based on the last vowel in the verb stem, following 4-way vowel harmony, then add -yor.

• If the last vowel is e or i, add i: gelmek (to come) → geliyor
• If the last vowel is a or ı, add ı: bakmak (to look) → bakıyor
• If the last vowel is o or u, add u: koşmak (to run) → koşuyor
• If the last vowel is ö or ü, add ü: düşünmek (to think) → düşünüyor

• Ben Türkçe öğreniyorum.

  I am learning Turkish.

• Kedi uyuyor.

  The cat is sleeping.

If the verb stem ends in a vowel

Drop the final vowel of the stem and then add the appropriate connecting vowel and -yor as described above.

• beklemek (to wait): stem bekle- → bekl + i + yor → bekliyor
• okumak (to read): stem oku- → ok + u + yor → okuyor
• söylemek (to say): stem söyle- → söyl + ü + yor → söylüyor

• O, otobüs bekliyor.

  He is waiting for the bus.

• Ne söylüyorsun?

  What are you saying?

Exceptions

For some common single-syllable verbs ending in -t, the t softens to a d when a vowel is added.

• gitmek (to go) → gidiyor
• etmek (to do/make) → ediyor
• tatmak (to taste) → tadıyor

• Nereye gidiyorsun?

  Where are you going?

02

Personal Endings

After forming the tense with -iyor, you must add a personal ending to indicate who is performing the action. The personal endings are attached directly to -yor.

• Ben geliyorum - I am coming
• Sen geliyorsun - You (singular) are coming
• O geliyor - He/She/It is coming
• Biz geliyoruz - We are coming
• Siz geliyorsunuz - You (plural/formal) are coming
• Onlar geliyorlar - They are coming

• Biz yemek yiyoruz.

  We are eating food.

• Onlar film izliyorlar.

  They are watching a movie.

03

The Negative Form

To make the present progressive negative, insert the negative suffix -me/-ma after the verb stem but before the -iyor suffix. The vowel of the negative suffix is dropped, effectively creating the negative marker -mıyor, -miyor, -muyor, or -müyor.

• gelmek → gel-me-yor → gelmiyor (is not coming)
• okumak → oku-ma-yor → okumuyor (is not reading)

• Bugün çalışmıyorum.

  I am not working today.

• O telefonu kullanmıyor.

  She is not using the phone.

04

Asking Questions

To form a yes/no question, use the question particle mu. It is written as a separate word after the verb and takes the personal endings (except for the 3rd person plural). Because the verb always ends in -iyor, the question particle is always mu.

• Sen geliyor musun? - Are you coming?
• O geliyor mu? - Is he/she/it coming?
• Siz geliyor musunuz? - Are you (pl.) coming?
• Onlar geliyorlar mı? - Are they coming?

• Kahve içiyor musun?

  Are you drinking coffee?

• Yağmur yağıyor mu?

  Is it raining?

05

Other Uses of the Present Progressive

Besides actions happening now, this tense is also frequently used for two other situations.

1. Near Future Plans

It can describe definite plans for the near future, much like in English.

• Yarın Ankara'ya gidiyoruz.

  We are going to Ankara tomorrow.

• Bu akşam arkadaşlarımla buluşuyorum.

  I am meeting my friends this evening.

2. Habits and Routines

In conversational Turkish, it is very common to use the present progressive to talk about habits or recurring actions, even though the simple present tense (-ar/-er) is also used for this.

• Her sabah spor yapıyorum.

  I exercise every morning.

• Genellikle hafta sonları ailemi ziyaret ediyorum.

  I usually visit my family on the weekends.