The Conditional in Turkish

Şart Kipi

Turkish expresses 'if' with a suffix, not a separate word. The conditional suffix -sa / -se attaches to the verb, and the tense in front of it tells you whether the condition is real or imaginary.

Forming -sA

Add -sa after a, ı, o, u and -se after e, i, ö, ü, then the personal ending. The negative puts -mA before it.

Person	gelmek	almak	Negative
ben	gelsem	alsam	gelmesem
sen	gelsen	alsan	gelmesen
o	gelse	alsa	gelmese
biz	gelsek	alsak	gelmesek
siz	gelseniz	alsanız	gelmeseniz
onlar	gelseler	alsalar	gelmeseler

Real Conditions: Aorist + -sA

For things that may really happen, put -sA after the aorist (geniş zaman). The main clause is in the present, future, aorist or imperative. The negative aorist -mAz becomes -mAzsA.

Infinitive	Aorist	Conditional	Negative
yağmak	yağar	yağarsa	yağmazsa
gelmek	gelir	gelirse	gelmezse
çalışmak	çalışır	çalışırsa	çalışmazsa
gitmek	gider	giderse	gitmezse

Yağmur yağarsa evde kalırız.If it rains, we'll stay at home.

Erken gelirsen birlikte kahvaltı yaparız.If you come early, we'll have breakfast together.

Onlar da gelirlerse çok sevinirim.If they come too, I'll be very happy.For 'they', -lAr comes before -sA.

Unreal Present: -sA with -(I)rdI

Plain -sA, without the aorist, describes an imagined situation now or in the future. The main clause takes the aorist plus -dI, like English 'would'.

Zengin olsam dünyayı gezerdim.If I were rich, I would travel the world.

Vaktin olsa bize gelir miydin?If you had time, would you come to us?

Test yourself

5 quick questions on this lesson. How many can you get right?

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Question 1 of 5

Choose the right answer.

Keşke İspanyolca ___. (bilmek, ben)

Unreal Past: -sAydI

For something that did not happen, use -sAydI with the personal endings of the past tense. The main clause again takes -(I)rdI.

Person	bilmek	kalkmak
ben	bilseydim	kalksaydım
sen	bilseydin	kalksaydın
o	bilseydi	kalksaydı
biz	bilseydik	kalksaydık
siz	bilseydiniz	kalksaydınız
onlar	bilselerdi	kalksalardı

Bilseydim sana söylerdim.If I had known, I would have told you.

Erken kalksaydın treni kaçırmazdın.If you had got up early, you wouldn't have missed the train.

Wishes with Keşke

Keşke means 'I wish' or 'if only'. Use -sA for a wish about now and -sAydI for a regret about the past. Never use the aorist conditional after keşke.

Keşke daha çok zamanım olsa.I wish I had more time.

Keşke dün gelseydin.I wish you had come yesterday.

Keşke o sözleri söylemeseydim.If only I hadn't said those words.

Eğer and -(y)sA after Nouns

Eğer ('if') at the start of the sentence is optional and only adds emphasis: the suffix does the work. Nouns, adjectives, var, yok and other tenses take -(y)sA, with a buffer y after a vowel.

Base	With -(y)sA	Meaning
hasta	hastaysan	if you are ill
evde	evdeyse	if he is at home
var	varsa	if there is
yok	yoksa	if there isn't
gidiyor	gidiyorsa	if she is going
geldi	geldiyse	if he came
gelecek	gelecekse	if he is going to come

Common Mistakes

Mixing real and unreal: say gelirsen görürsün or gelsen görürdün, not 'gelirsen görürdün'.
Breaking vowel harmony: say gelsem and alsam, not 'gelsam' or 'alse'.
Using the aorist after keşke: say keşke bilsem, not 'keşke bilirsem'.
Forgetting the buffer y: say hastaysa and evdeyse, not 'hastasa'.
Mixing up gelsen (if you came) and gelsene (come on): see the lesson on the imperative.

Example Sentences

Eğer vaktin olursa bize uğra.If you have time, drop by.

Sorunuz varsa şimdi sorun.If you have a question, ask it now.

Ödevini bitirdiysen dışarı çıkabilirsin.If you've finished your homework, you can go out.

Piyangoyu kazansam ilk iş bir ev alırdım.If I won the lottery, the first thing I'd do is buy a house.

Otobüs zamanında gelseydi geç kalmazdım.If the bus had come on time, I wouldn't have been late.

Bu akşam gelmeyeceksen bana haber ver.If you aren't coming this evening, let me know.

Keşke annem de bizimle yaşasa.I wish my mother lived with us too.