Let someone else do it: the third-person imperative

The idea

Use the third-person imperative for an action you want someone else to perform: Elif burada beklesin. The same construction can express a desired situation, as in Çorba biraz soğusun, or a wish with olsun or getirsin. The subject can be left out when it is clear. For several people, oynasınlar explicitly marks the plural; with çocuklar, oynasın is also possible. Put negation before the imperative ending: uyanmasın. These sentences express what you want to happen, not what is already happening.

Examples

• Elif burada beklesin.Let Elif wait here.
• Mert kapıyı kapatsın.Let Mert close the door.
• Çocuklar dışarıda oynasınlar.Let the children play outside.
• Bebek şimdi uyanmasın.Let the baby not wake up now.
• Çorba biraz soğusun.Let the soup cool a little.
• Herkes kendi biletini alsın.Everyone should buy their own ticket.
• Yeni eviniz size mutluluk getirsin.May your new home bring you happiness.

Watch out

Gel addresses one person directly; gelsin concerns someone you are talking about. It is not a more polite way to say “come” to your listener. Nor does “let” always mean granting permission: the context may express an instruction or a wish.

Try it yourself

1. Tell a friend that Elif should wait here. Fill the gap using beklemek (to wait).

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   beklesin

   beklesin: Elif is the one who must wait, while you are speaking to a friend. Bekle would tell that friend to wait instead.

2. Say that the children should play outside. Use oynamak (to play).

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   oynasınlar / oynasın

   oynasınlar / oynasın: the children are the intended players. The longer form marks plural people explicitly; the shorter form works too because çocuklar already names a plural subject.

3. Express the wish that the baby should not wake up now. Use uyanmak (to wake up).

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   uyanmasın

   uyanmasın: the desired outcome is that the baby stays asleep. The negative -ma comes before -sın; uyansın would express the opposite wish.

4. You tell one person to come here, then say Ece should come too. Complete the second clause with gelmek (to come).

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   gelsin

   gelsin: the second clause switches from your listener to Ece. Gel would still address the listener; gelsin assigns the action to Ece.

Use it today

Plan an afternoon with friends. Write one instruction about a named person, one about several people and one negative instruction. Then add a wish. Identify the person who should act in each sentence.