You will build simple sentences with the verb at the end and learn which words in front of it may swap places.
The idea
A basic Turkish sentence ends with its verb: Ali çay içiyor. The other words come first, usually as subject, time, place or goal, object: Annem akşam mutfakta yemek yapıyor. Suffixes, not position, show each word's job, so the words before the verb may change places to shift the emphasis, and the one right before the verb is stressed most.
| Subject | Time | Place or goal | Object | Verb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ali | bugün | okula | – | gidiyor |
| Annem | akşam | mutfakta | yemek | yapıyor |
| Biz | her gün | – | çay | içiyoruz |
Examples
- Ben her gün kitap okuyorum.I read a book every day.The verb closes the sentence. The words before it can change places, and the new order only shifts the emphasis a little.
- Ayşe sabah çay içiyor.Ayşe drinks tea in the morning.
- Ali bugün okula gidiyor.Ali is going to school today.The word just before the verb carries the stress: in Ali okula bugün gidiyor the news is the day (today), not the place.
- Annem mutfakta yemek yapıyor.My mother is cooking in the kitchen.
- Biz akşam sinemaya gidiyoruz.We are going to the cinema in the evening.
- Ali bugün nereye gidiyor?Where is Ali going today?The question word takes the place of the answer, right before the verb: compare Ali bugün okula gidiyor.
- Eve gidiyorum.I am going home.The pronoun is dropped: the ending -um in gidiyorum already means I, and the verb still comes last.
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Watch out
English speakers copy their own order and put the verb second: Ben okuyorum kitap, Ali gidiyor okula. Spoken Turkish allows that only as an afterthought; a normal sentence needs Ben kitap okuyorum, Ali okula gidiyor.
Try it yourself
Put the words in order: I am going to school.
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okula gidiyorum
okula gidiyorum: the verb goes last, so the goal okula stands before it; the ending -um already says 'I', so ben is not needed.
Put the words in order, subject first: Ali drinks tea.
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Ali çay içiyor
Ali çay içiyor: the subject comes first, the object çay stands directly before the verb, and the verb closes the sentence.
Put the words in order: Where are you going?
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nereye gidiyorsun
nereye gidiyorsun: nereye takes the place of the answer (okula), directly before the verb, and the verb stays last.
Write the verb that ends the sentence: We are going to the cinema.
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gidiyoruz
gidiyoruz: the verb must end the sentence, and its ending -uz carries the subject 'we'.
Practice round
Answer questions, then rebuild Turkish sentences and words where available. We keep your score.
Put the words in order: I am going to school.
Put the words in order, subject first: Ali drinks tea.
Put the words in order: Where are you going?
Write the verb that ends the sentence: We are going to the cinema.
Tap the words in the right order.
Tap the words in the right order.
Tap the words in the right order.
Keep your progress
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Write four sentences about your day, each with a subject, a time word, a place or an object, and the verb last. Then move the time word to the very front and right before the verb, and say how the emphasis changes.