The Imperative in Turkish
Emir Kipi
Test yourself with a quick quizThe Turkish imperative gives orders, instructions and invitations. For one friend you use the bare verb stem (gel!), and for several people or polite speech you add -(y)In (gelin!).
The Sen Form: Just the Stem
To tell one friend, child or family member to do something, drop -mek or -mak from the infinitive. Nothing else changes.
| Infinitive | Sen form | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| gelmek | gel | come |
| yazmak | yaz | write |
| okumak | oku | read |
| gitmek | git | go |
| beklemek | bekle | wait |
| yemek | ye | eat |
The Siz Form: -(y)In and -(y)InIz
For several people, or one person you address politely, add -In with four-way vowel harmony: -ın, -in, -un, -ün. After a vowel, a buffer y comes first. The longer -(y)InIz is more formal and appears on signs, in announcements and in instructions.
| Sen | Siz | Formal siz |
|---|---|---|
| yaz | yazın | yazınız |
| gel | gelin | geliniz |
| dur | durun | durunuz |
| dön | dönün | dönünüz |
| oku | okuyun | okuyunuz |
| bekle | bekleyin | bekleyiniz |
| git | gidin | gidiniz |
| ye | yiyin | yiyiniz |
- Gitmek, etmek and tatmak change t to d before a vowel: gidin, edin, tadın. The sen form keeps the t: git, et, tat.
- Yemek becomes yiyin, not 'yeyin'.
- Bekleyin is often pronounced 'bekliyin', but it is always written bekleyin.
Negative Commands with -mA
Add -ma or -me straight after the stem. The siz ending then follows with a buffer y. Consonants never change before -mA: gitme, gitmeyin.
| Positive | Negative sen | Negative siz |
|---|---|---|
| gel | gelme | gelmeyin |
| yaz | yazma | yazmayın |
| git | gitme | gitmeyin |
| konuş | konuşma | konuşmayın |
| unut | unutma | unutmayın |
Test yourself
5 quick questions on this lesson. How many can you get right?
Choose the right answer.
Third Person: -sIn and -sInlAr
Turkish also has commands for 'he, she' and 'they', meaning 'let him come' or 'he should come'. Add -sın, -sin, -sun or -sün, and -lAr for 'they'. The negative is -mAsIn. Many fixed wishes use this form: Kolay gelsin, Geçmiş olsun.
| Person | Positive | Negative |
|---|---|---|
| o | gelsin | gelmesin |
| onlar | gelsinler | gelmesinler |
| o | otursun | oturmasın |
| onlar | otursunlar | oturmasınlar |
Friendly Pushes with -sAnA
Adding -sana or -sene makes a warm, slightly impatient request between friends, like 'come on, sit down'. For siz use -sanıza or -senize. Don't use it with strangers or your boss: it can sound pushy.
Sounding Polite
With people you don't know, use the siz form and add lütfen. A question with the aorist is even softer, like 'would you...?'
Common Mistakes
- Mixing up gelin (you all, come) and gelsin (let him come): the s marks the third person.
- Mixing up gelsene (come on) and gelsen (if you came): see the lesson on the conditional.
- Forgetting the buffer y: say okuyun, not 'okuun'.
- Breaking vowel harmony: say dönün and durun, not 'dönin' or 'durın'.
- Keeping the t: say gidin and edin, not 'gitin' or 'etin'.
- Using sen with strangers: a waiter or a teacher expects siz.