The same visible word can set a condition or introduce a contrasting topic. You will decide whether one clause depends on another or whether two people, objects or aspects are being compared.
The idea
Conditional ise makes a state the basis for a result or proposal: Oda sessiz ise burada çalışalım. The room is not asserted to be quiet; quietness is the condition for working here. Contrastive ise follows the person or thing being set against another: Bu çanta hafif, diğeri ise ağır. Both descriptions are asserted. This use can also divide tasks, as in sen … ben ise …, without expressing disagreement. Read what ise relates to in the whole sentence; separate conditional sessiz ise and attached sessizse have the same conditional meaning. The linked suffix lesson covers the forms.
| Expression | Relationship |
|---|---|
| sessiz ise | Condition: if it is quiet |
| diğeri ise | Contrast: as for the other one |
| çekmecede değilse | Negative condition: if it is not in the drawer |
Examples
- Oda sessiz ise burada çalışalım.If the room is quiet, let’s work here.
- Sen çayı hazırla, ben ise masayı kurayım.You make the tea, and I’ll set the table.
- Vakit uygunsa konuşalım.If it’s a good time, let’s talk.
- Bu çanta hafif, diğeri ise ağır.This bag is light, whereas the other one is heavy.
- Anahtar çekmecede değilse çantaya bak.If the key is not in the drawer, look in the bag.
- Bilet ucuzsa alalım; saat ise bana uygun değil.If the ticket is cheap, let’s buy it; the time, though, doesn’t suit me.
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Watch out
Do not decide from spacing or from the presence of negation. In çekmecede değilse, the key’s absence is a condition. In saat ise bana uygun değil, the unsuitable time is stated as a fact about a contrasting topic; değil does not turn ise into “if”.
Try it yourself
Choose koşul (condition) or karşılaştırma (comparison): does working here depend on the room being quiet?
Show answer or example answer
koşul
koşul: working here is proposed only on the condition that the room is quiet. This sentence does not describe a second room for comparison.
Choose koşul (condition) or karşılaştırma (comparison): what does ise do between these descriptions?
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karşılaştırma
karşılaştırma: the two bags have different stated weights. The heaviness of the other bag is not conditional on this bag being light.
Choose değilse or ise: look in the bag if the key is NOT in the drawer.
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değilse
değilse: the instruction sends you to the bag when the drawer does not contain the key. Choosing ise would reverse that condition.
Choose ise or değilse: contrast the time with the ticket price. The time does not suit the speaker.
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ise
ise: the sentence shifts from price to time. Bana uygun değil already gives the negative description; the time itself is not a new condition.
Practice round
Answer questions, then rebuild Turkish sentences and words where available. We keep your score.
Choose koşul (condition) or karşılaştırma (comparison): does working here depend on the room being quiet?
Choose koşul (condition) or karşılaştırma (comparison): what does ise do between these descriptions?
Choose değilse or ise: look in the bag if the key is NOT in the drawer.
Choose ise or değilse: contrast the time with the ticket price. The time does not suit the speaker.
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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Plan a shared evening: write one condition for choosing a place and one sentence dividing tasks between two people. Add a negative statement about a contrasting topic, then explain what each ise relates to.