Move beyond dictionary forms: use a whole action phrase as the subject of a sentence, or say what you want to do. Then compare wanting an activity with liking it.
The idea
The infinitive in -mek/-mak names an action without marking its person or tense. It can keep its own object or adverb: bu kitabı bitirmek means “to finish this book”, and sessizce çalışmak means “to work quietly”. The whole phrase can be a subject: Sessizce çalışmak bazen zordur. With istemek, use the bare infinitive when the person wanting also performs the action: Bu akşam dinlenmek istiyoruz. The “we” ending belongs to istiyoruz, not to dinlenmek. To name a negative action, put negation before the infinitive ending: yapmamak, gelmemek.
| Function | Turkish phrase |
|---|---|
| Activity as subject | Sessizce çalışmak bazen zordur. |
| Desired action | Bu akşam dinlenmek istiyoruz. |
| Liked activity: accusative object | Sabahları okumayı seviyorum. |
| Negative action as subject | Geceleri gürültü yapmamak önemlidir. |
Examples
- Sessizce çalışmak bazen zordur.Working quietly is sometimes difficult.
- Bu akşam dinlenmek istiyoruz.We want to rest this evening.
- Her gün yürümek bana iyi geliyor.Walking every day does me good.
- Bu kitabı bitirmek istiyorum.I want to finish this book.
- Yanlış trene binmek istemiyorum.I do not want to get on the wrong train.
- Sabahları okumak beni mutlu ediyor.Reading in the mornings makes me happy.
- Sabahları okumayı seviyorum.I like reading in the mornings.
- Geceleri gürültü yapmamak önemlidir.It is important not to make noise at night.
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Watch out
Do not carry the bare infinitive over to every verb. Compare okumak istiyorum (I want to read) with okumayı seviyorum (I like reading). In the second phrase, okumayı is the verbal noun in -ma with the accusative ending -yı. The main verb determines the construction; the meaning “an activity” alone does not choose it.
Try it yourself
Use the infinitive of bitir- to complete: I want to finish this book.
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bitirmek
bitirmek: you want to finish the book yourself, so the ordinary construction is bitirmek istiyorum. The accusative on kitabı belongs to the book being finished, not to the infinitive.
Choose the form: Reading in the mornings makes me happy.
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okumak
okumak: what makes you happy is the activity of reading. The phrase sabahları okumak is the subject; beni already names the person affected.
Choose the form: I like reading in the mornings.
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okumayı
okumayı: reading is what you like, so seviyorum takes it as an accusative object. The form consists of oku-ma-y-ı, with y between two vowels.
Make yapmak negative: It is important not to make noise at night.
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yapmamak
yapmamak: the important thing is not making noise. Add negative -ma before -mak: yap-ma-mak. Leaving yapmak positive would reverse the intended meaning.
Practice round
Answer questions, then rebuild Turkish sentences and words where available. We keep your score.
Use the infinitive of bitir- to complete: I want to finish this book.
Choose the form: Reading in the mornings makes me happy.
Choose the form: I like reading in the mornings.
Make yapmak negative: It is important not to make noise at night.
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 an activity that is difficult, one about what you want to do tonight, and one about what you like doing. Underline the whole action phrase and explain why its final word has that form.