You will tell someone in Turkish that you do not understand, and choose between the present and the past form.
The idea
To say you do not follow, use the present negative: stem + -mı/-mi/-mu/-mü + -yor + person ending, so anla-mıyor-um is anlamıyorum, “I don't understand”. Use anlamadım (“I didn't understand”) for what you just missed. Without the negative, anlamak gives anlıyorum, “I understand”.
| Verb | I do (positive) | I do not (now) | I did not (past) |
|---|---|---|---|
| anlamak | anlıyorum | anlamıyorum | anlamadım |
| bilmek | biliyorum | bilmiyorum | bilmedim |
| duymak | duyuyorum | duymuyorum | duymadım |
| görmek | görüyorum | görmüyorum | görmedim |
Examples
- Üzgünüm, sizi anlamıyorum.Sorry, I don't understand you.Sizi is the polite "you" as the object; to a friend you would say seni. Üzgünüm shows regret here, it does not admit a fault.
- Ben Türkçe bilmiyorum.I don't know Turkish.
- Anlamadım, bir daha söyler misiniz?I didn't catch that. Could you say it again?Anlamadım looks back at what was just said; anlamıyorum describes where you stand now. Söyler misiniz? is the polite way to ask someone for something.
- Bu kelimeyi anlamadım.I didn't understand this word.
- Biraz Türkçe biliyorum.I know a little Turkish.Biraz means "a little". Compare biliyorum (I know) with bilmiyorum (I do not know): the negative only adds -mi- before -yor.
- Şimdi anlıyorum, teşekkürler.Now I understand, thanks.Anla loses its final a before -ıyor, so the positive is anlıyorum. In the negative the a stays: anlamıyorum.
- anlamıyorumI don't understandanlamıyor-miyor / -mıyor / -muyor / -müyor: not doing nowum-im / -sin / -iz / -siniz: I am, you are, we are
- anlamadımI didn't understandanlamadı-medi / -madı: the negative pastmPast person endings: -m, -n, -k, -niz, -ler
- Bu ne demek?What does this mean?Demek means "to say", so the question is literally "what does this say?". Ask it when a single word is new, and keep anlamadım for a whole sentence.
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Watch out
Do not glue the negative -ma straight onto -yor: anlamayorum is wrong, because the vowel narrows to anlamıyorum. And do not swallow the negative when you speak fast: anlıyorum says the opposite.
Try it yourself
You do not know Turkish. Write bilmek in the negative present for ben.
Show answer or example answer
bilmiyorum
bilmiyorum: the last vowel of bil- is the front vowel i, so the negative is -mi-, followed by -yor and -um.
The line is bad and you cannot hear the other person. Write duymak in the negative present for ben.
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duymuyorum
duymuyorum: the last vowel of duy- is u, which is back and rounded, so the negative is -mu-; the y belongs to the stem.
The explanation finally makes sense. Write anlamak in the positive present for ben.
Show answer or example answer
anlıyorum
anlıyorum: there is no negative here, and the final a of anla- gives way to ı before -yor.
A moment ago you missed a whole sentence. Write anlamak in the past negative for ben: I did not understand.
Show answer or example answer
anlamadım
anlamadım: you missed the sentence a moment ago, so the past -dı with -ma- fits; anlamıyorum would describe your state instead.
Practice round
Answer questions, then rebuild Turkish sentences and words where available. We keep your score.
You do not know Turkish. Write bilmek in the negative present for ben.
The line is bad and you cannot hear the other person. Write duymak in the negative present for ben.
The explanation finally makes sense. Write anlamak in the positive present for ben.
A moment ago you missed a whole sentence. Write anlamak in the past negative for ben: I did not understand.
Tap the words in the right order.
Tap the words in the right order.
Tap the words in the right order.
Tap the parts in order to build this word: I don't understand
Tap the parts in order to build this word: I didn't understand
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Write what you would say in three moments: someone speaks too fast, you meet a word you do not know, and you miss a whole sentence.