You will ask someone in Turkish to slow down or to say it again, and choose the polite or the friendly form.
The idea
The polite request is built as verb stem + -ebil (“can”) + -ir + person ending, then mi and the same person ending: konuşabilir misiniz. Put daha yavaş in front: Daha yavaş konuşabilir misiniz? After a stem ending in a vowel the ability suffix gets a y: söyleyebilir misiniz. Use misiniz for a stranger or an elder, misin for a friend.
| Verb | Polite question (siz) | Friendly question (sen) |
|---|---|---|
| konuşmak | konuşabilir misiniz | konuşabilir misin |
| söylemek | söyleyebilir misiniz | söyleyebilir misin |
| tekrar etmek | tekrar edebilir misiniz | tekrar edebilir misin |
| okumak | okuyabilir misiniz | okuyabilir misin |
| yazmak | yazabilir misiniz | yazabilir misin |
Examples
- Biraz daha yavaş konuşabilir misiniz?Could you speak a little more slowly?Daha means “more” and makes yavaş “more slowly”. Biraz softens the request. The particle mi is written apart, and the subject siz is dropped because -siniz already shows it.
- Çok hızlı konuşuyorsunuz, ben yeni öğreniyorum.You speak very fast, and I am only just starting to learn.
- Ali, daha yavaş konuşabilir misin?Ali, can you speak more slowly?A friend gets misin, not misiniz. The name may stand first or last.
- Bunu tekrar edebilir misiniz?Could you repeat this?The verb is etmek, and its t softens to d before a vowel: edebilir.
- Biraz yavaş konuşun, lütfen.Please speak a little slowly.The polite imperative in -un is correct, but the question above is gentler.
- gelebilirsinizyou can comegelebil-ebil- / -abil-: can and may (gelebilirim)ir-ir / -ar / -er: the aorist (gelir, yapar)sinizAorist person endings: -im, -sin, -iz, -siniz, -ler
- söyleyebilirsinyou can saysöyleyebil-ebil- / -abil-: can and may (gelebilirim)ir-ir / -ar / -er: the aorist (gelir, yapar)sinAorist person endings: -im, -sin, -iz, -siniz, -ler
- Türkçem henüz çok iyi değil.My Turkish is not very good yet.Türkçem is Türkçe + -m, “my Turkish”. Saying this first explains why you ask.
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Watch out
Do not shout Yavaş konuş! at a stranger: a bare imperative sounds like an order, and the question is the polite way. Keep the particle apart from the verb: konuşabilir misiniz, never konuşabilirmisiniz.
Try it yourself
Ask a stranger to speak more slowly. Write konuşmak with -ebil and the aorist.
Show answer or example answer
konuşabilir
konuşabilir: the stem konuş- ends in a consonant, so -abil follows directly (back vowel u gives a), then the aorist -ir; the mi after it turns the sentence into a question.
Ask a stranger to repeat this. Write etmek with -ebil and the aorist, and mind the t.
Show answer or example answer
edebilir
edebilir: the verb is etmek, and its t softens to d before the vowel of -ebil; tekrar stays a separate word.
Ask your mother to read this to you. Write okumak with -ebil and the aorist.
Show answer or example answer
okuyabilir
okuyabilir: oku- ends in a vowel, so a y is inserted before -abil, giving oku-y-abil-ir.
You are speaking to a stranger. Write the question particle with its polite ending.
Show answer or example answer
misiniz
misiniz: you speak to a stranger, so the polite -siniz is needed; to a friend it would be misin.
Practice round
Answer questions, then rebuild Turkish sentences and words where available. We keep your score.
Ask a stranger to speak more slowly. Write konuşmak with -ebil and the aorist.
Ask a stranger to repeat this. Write etmek with -ebil and the aorist, and mind the t.
Ask your mother to read this to you. Write okumak with -ebil and the aorist.
You are speaking to a stranger. Write the question particle with its polite ending.
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: you can come
Tap the parts in order to build this word: you can say
Keep your progress
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Imagine three situations: a shop assistant, your friend’s grandmother and a classmate. Write the request you would make to each of them.