You will distinguish leaving an object, stopping an activity and abandoning an intention. The two verbs can describe the same event, but they frame it differently.
The idea
Bırakmak can mean leaving something somewhere or stopping an activity: anahtarı masaya bırakmak, şeker yemeyi bırakmak. Vazgeçmek focuses on giving up a plan, goal or pursuit: bu plandan vazgeçmek, bisiklet almaktan vazgeçmek. The plan need not have begun. Compare aramayı bırakmak (stop searching) with aramaktan vazgeçmek (give up searching). The first reports the end of the activity; the second highlights abandoning the pursuit. Their meanings can overlap.
| bırakmak | vazgeçmek |
|---|---|
| aramayı bırakmak | aramaktan vazgeçmek |
| çalışmayı bırakmak | çalışmaktan vazgeçmek |
Examples
- Annem anahtarı masaya bıraktı.My mother left the key on the table.
- Babam bu plandan vazgeçti.My father gave up on this plan.
- Ablam şeker yemeyi bıraktı.My older sister stopped eating sweets.
- Annem yeni bir bisiklet almaktan vazgeçti.My mother decided against buying a new bicycle.
- Babam anahtarını aramayı bıraktı.My father stopped looking for his key.
- Babam anahtarını aramaktan vazgeçti.My father gave up looking for his key.
- Bu hedeften vazgeçmek istemiyorum.I do not want to give up on this goal.
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Watch out
Do not swap just the verb and keep the same complement: aramayı vazgeçmek is incorrect; use aramaktan vazgeçmek. Nor does vazgeçmek always mean cancelling before starting: you can give up a search already in progress. For a key left on a table, use bırakmak.
Try it yourself
Choose the infinitive: I want to leave the bag on the chair.
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bırakmak
bırakmak: the bag is being left in a physical place. The chair is its destination, not a goal the speaker is abandoning.
Choose the infinitive: I do not want to give up on this plan.
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vazgeçmek
vazgeçmek: bu plandan names the plan that could be abandoned. With istemiyorum, the speaker says they want to keep that plan.
Choose the past form: I stopped working last night.
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bıraktım
bıraktım: çalışmayı presents working as the activity that stopped last night. This says nothing about giving up work forever.
Choose the past form: I have not bought a ticket yet. I decided against going on the trip.
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vazgeçtim
vazgeçtim: yolculuğa çıkmaktan names the intended trip. The speaker changed their mind before buying a ticket; no journey had to begin.
Practice round
Answer questions, then rebuild Turkish sentences and words where available. We keep your score.
Choose the infinitive: I want to leave the bag on the chair.
Choose the infinitive: I do not want to give up on this plan.
Choose the past form: I stopped working last night.
Choose the past form: I have not bought a ticket yet. I decided against going on the trip.
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 one sentence about leaving an object and two about stopping or giving up an activity. Explain the difference in emphasis, then follow the linked verb and suffix lessons for forms.