Verbs: Third Person Imperative — Turkish Grammar

The third-person imperative is used to express a command, wish, or strong suggestion directed at a third person (he, she, it) or a group of third persons (they). In English, this is often translated as "Let him..." or "May they...". It is formed by adding a specific suffix to the verb stem.

Third-Person Singular (O)

To form the imperative for "he/she/it", the suffix , , , or is added to the verb stem, following the rules of 4-way vowel harmony.

If the last vowel of the stem is a or ı, add .

O burada beklesin.
Let him wait here.
Ahmet mektubu yazsın.
Let Ahmet write the letter.

If the last vowel of the stem is e or i, add .

İçeri gelsin.
Let her come inside.
Her şeyi bilsin.
Let him know everything.

If the last vowel of the stem is o or u, add .

Sorun olmasın.
Let there not be a problem.
Çocuk uyusun.
Let the child sleep.

If the last vowel of the stem is ö or ü, add .

Bunu o da görsün.
Let him see this too.
Lütfen gürültü yapmasın.
Please let him not make noise.

Third-Person Plural (Onlar)

For the plural "they", the suffix is formed by adding the plural marker / to the singular imperative suffix. This results in , , , or .

Misafirler otursunlar.
Let the guests sit down.
Onlar da bizimle gelsinler.
Let them come with us too.
Çocuklar dışarıda oynasınlar.
Let the children play outside.

Negative and Question Forms

To make the third-person imperative negative, the negative suffix / is added to the verb stem before the imperative suffix.

Oraya gitmesin.
Let him not go there.
Bunu yapmasınlar.
Let them not do this.

The question form is created by adding the question particle /// after the verb. This is often used to ask for permission or confirmation regarding the third person's action.

Ayşe de gelsin mi?
Should Ayşe come too?
Pencereyi kapatsın mı?
Should he close the window?
Beklemesinler mi?
Shouldn't they wait?

Common Usage Contexts

Beyond simple commands, this form is very common in wishes, blessings, and set expressions.

Wishes and Blessings: It is frequently used to express good wishes.

Kolay gelsin.
May it come easy. (Said to someone working)
Geçmiş olsun.
May it be in the past. (Get well soon.)

Permissions: It can be used to grant or deny permission.

İçeri girebilir mi?
Yes, let him come in.

Instructions: It is used when relaying instructions to be carried out by a third party.

Sekretere söyle, dosyaları hazırlasın.
Tell the secretary, let her prepare the files.

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