You will choose getirmek or götürmek for moving an object or accompanying a person. First locate the people in the conversation; a destination name alone cannot choose the verb.
The idea
Use getirmek for movement towards the speaker or a place adopted as the reference point, such as the listener’s home: Akşam sizdeyiz; tatlıyı ben getireceğim. Use götürmek for taking someone or something from that point to another place. Both verbs can name the same destination, as the office pair in the table shows. The difference is the viewpoint, not the distance or means of transport. The linked verb pages cover the forms.
| getirmek | götürmek |
|---|---|
| Buradayım. Çantayı buraya getir. | Buradayım. Çantayı oraya götür. |
| Ben ofisteyim. Dosyayı ofise getir. | Ben evdeyim. Dosyayı ofise götür. |
Examples
- Şu sepeti buraya getir.Bring that basket here.
- Bu bavulu oraya götür.Take this suitcase over there.
- Kardeşini de buraya getir.Bring your younger sibling here too.
- Ben ofisteyim; dosyayı bana getir.I am at the office; bring me the file.
- Ben evde kalıyorum; dosyayı ofise götür.I am staying at home; take the file to the office.
- Akşam sizdeyiz; tatlıyı ben getireceğim.We will be at your place this evening; I will bring the dessert.
- Akşam komşulara gidiyoruz; tatlıyı ben götüreceğim.We are going to the neighbours this evening; I will take the dessert.
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Watch out
Do not assume that getirmek always means movement towards where you are standing right now. Speaking to tonight’s host, you can treat their home as the destination and say getireceğim. Conversely, the destination ending in ofise does not by itself require either verb.
Try it yourself
I am in the kitchen; you are in the living room. Choose the command that moves the glass to me. Ben mutfaktayım, sen salondasın. Bardağı buraya ___. (getir / götür)
Show answer or example answer
getir
getir: the glass must reach the kitchen, where the person giving the instruction is waiting. Buraya fixes that destination as “here”.
I am staying home; you are going to the library. Choose the command that sends the book there with you. Ben evde kalıyorum, sen kütüphaneye gidiyorsun. Kitabı kütüphaneye ___. (getir / götür)
Show answer or example answer
götür
götür: the book leaves the person who stays home and travels with the listener to the library. Nothing in this scene treats the library as “here”.
You are speaking to the host about this evening at their home. Choose the verb from the host’s viewpoint. Akşam sizdeyiz. Tatlıyı ben ___. (getireceğim / götüreceğim)
Show answer or example answer
getireceğim
getireceğim: you are addressing the host, so the dessert’s arrival at their home is the focus. You do not need to be there already.
No viewpoint is given. Either option is possible: write one and explain where the office is relative to the reference point. Dosyayı ofise ___. (getirdim / götürdüm)
Show answer or example answer
getirdim / götürdüm
getirdim / götürdüm: getirdim presents the office as the arrival point adopted in the conversation; götürdüm presents it as another place the file was taken to. Without context, neither is an error.
Practice round
Answer questions, then rebuild Turkish sentences and words where available. We keep your score.
I am in the kitchen; you are in the living room. Choose the command that moves the glass to me. Ben mutfaktayım, sen salondasın. Bardağı buraya ___. (getir / götür)
I am staying home; you are going to the library. Choose the command that sends the book there with you. Ben evde kalıyorum, sen kütüphaneye gidiyorsun. Kitabı kütüphaneye ___. (getir / götür)
You are speaking to the host about this evening at their home. Choose the verb from the host’s viewpoint. Akşam sizdeyiz. Tatlıyı ben ___. (getireceğim / götüreceğim)
No viewpoint is given. Either option is possible: write one and explain where the office is relative to the reference point. Dosyayı ofise ___. (getirdim / götürdüm)
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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Describe taking a book from home to a café twice: first to someone staying at home, then to a friend waiting in the café. Use götürmek and getirmek, and state where each listener is.