You will decide whether a sentence is about what is happening now or about what is generally true, and choose -iyor or the aorist -ir to match.
The idea
Use -iyor for what is happening now or around now (yağıyor, çalışıyorum) and for a plan already made (yarın gidiyorum). Use the aorist -ir for habits, general facts and friendly offers: içer, yağar, kaynar, Kahve içer misin?
| Verb stem | Aorist, 3rd person | -iyor, 3rd person |
|---|---|---|
| gel | gelir | geliyor |
| oku | okur | okuyor |
| yağ | yağar | yağıyor |
| iç | içer | içiyor |
| git | gider | gidiyor |
| çalış | çalışır | çalışıyor |
Examples
- Şimdi yağmur yağıyor.It is raining now.
- Kışın burada çok kar yağar.Here it snows a lot in winter.The aorist describes what is generally true of a place and a season, so yağar here does not mean that it is snowing at this moment.
- Babam şimdi çay içiyor.My father is drinking tea now.
- Babam her sabah çay içer.My father drinks tea every morning.
- Kahve içer misin?Would you like some coffee?The aorist question is the usual friendly offer. Depending on the situation it can also ask whether you drink coffee at all.
- Kahve içiyor musun?Are you drinking coffee right now?With -iyor the question is about this moment: are you drinking coffee right now? It is not an offer.
- Bu hafta çok çalışıyorum.I am working a lot this week.-iyor covers a stretch of time around now, not only this second. Çalışırım would describe your working life in general.
- Su yüz derecede kaynar.Water boils at a hundred degrees.
- Yarın Ankara'ya gidiyorum.Tomorrow I am going to Ankara.-iyor with a time word such as yarın is common for a plan already made. The future suffix -ecek has its own lesson.
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Watch out
The aorist does not report what is happening this minute: Şimdi yağmur yağar does not say that it is raining. The reverse slip, Su yüz derecede kaynıyor, sounds like one event rather than a rule. In everyday speech -iyor also appears with habits (Her sabah çay içiyorum), so the aorist is there only the more neutral choice.
Try it yourself
Someone is reading a book right now. Use -iyor in the third person: okumak (to read).
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okuyor
okuyor: şu an (right now) points to something happening at this moment, so -iyor; oku ends in a vowel, so the suffix loses its first vowel and becomes -yor.
The sun rises in the east. Use the aorist, third person, for a fact that is always true: doğmak (to rise).
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doğar
doğar: the sun rising in the east is always true, so the aorist; the one-syllable stem doğ takes -ar after its back vowel o.
It is snowing outside right now. Use -iyor in the third person: yağmak (to fall, of rain or snow).
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yağıyor
yağıyor: snow is falling at this moment, so -iyor; the last vowel a of yağ is back and unrounded, so the suffix vowel is ı.
You offer someone coffee: "Would you like some coffee?" Write the verb in the aorist before misin: içmek (to drink).
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içer
içer: a friendly offer uses the aorist, not -iyor; the one-syllable stem iç takes -er after its front vowel, and misin stays a separate word.
Practice round
Answer questions, then rebuild Turkish sentences and words where available. We keep your score.
Someone is reading a book right now. Use -iyor in the third person: okumak (to read).
The sun rises in the east. Use the aorist, third person, for a fact that is always true: doğmak (to rise).
It is snowing outside right now. Use -iyor in the third person: yağmak (to fall, of rain or snow).
You offer someone coffee: "Would you like some coffee?" Write the verb in the aorist before misin: içmek (to drink).
Tap the words in the right order.
Tap the words in the right order.
Tap the words in the right order.
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Write four sentences about your day: two about what is happening now and two about what you usually do. Choose -iyor or -ir for each and check the time word.