You will build the aorist of a verb, such as okur, gelir and yapar, and pick the right shape for each stem.
The idea
The aorist is the general present: habits, facts, offers and polite requests. Add its suffix to the verb stem, then the person ending. After a vowel the suffix is -r: okur, bekler. After a consonant, a stem of several syllables takes -ir, -ır, -ur or -ür by its last vowel: çalışır, oturur. So do most one-syllable stems: gelir, alır, bulur, görür. A fixed group of one-syllable verbs takes -er or -ar instead: yapar, yazar, gider, sever.
| Stem | Suffix | Aorist |
|---|---|---|
| oku- | -r | okur |
| bekle- | -r | bekler |
| çalış- | -ır | çalışır |
| öğren- | -ir | öğrenir |
| otur- | -ur | oturur |
| görüş- | -ür | görüşür |
| gel- | -ir | gelir |
| al- | -ır | alır |
| bul- | -ur | bulur |
| gör- | -ür | görür |
| yap- | -ar | yapar |
| git- | -er | gider |
Examples
- Babam her sabah çay içer.My father drinks tea every morning.The verb içmek has one syllable and belongs to the -er group: içer, not içir. The aorist fits a habit such as every morning.
- Kedimiz akşamları bahçede uyur.Our cat sleeps in the garden in the evenings.The stem uyu- already ends in a vowel, so only -r is added: uyur.
- Ayşe okula otobüsle gider.Ayşe goes to school by bus.Before the vowel of the aorist, the t of git- softens to d: gider, never gitir.
- Bana bir bardak su verir misiniz?Could you give me a glass of water?The aorist with the question word mi is a common way to ask politely. Ver- has one syllable but takes the regular -ir: verir.
- Buz sıcakta erir.Ice melts in the heat.
- Ödevimi akşam yaparım.I do my homework in the evening.
- gelirimI comegelir-ir / -ar / -er: the aorist (gelir, yapar)imAorist person endings: -im, -sin, -iz, -siniz, -ler
- bulursunyou findbulur-ir / -ar / -er: the aorist (gelir, yapar)sunAorist person endings: -im, -sin, -iz, -siniz, -ler
- okurlarthey readokur-ir / -ar / -er: the aorist (gelir, yapar)larAorist person endings: -im, -sin, -iz, -siniz, -ler
- gidersinizyou go (plural or polite)gider-ir / -ar / -er: the aorist (gelir, yapar)sinizAorist person endings: -im, -sin, -iz, -siniz, -ler
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Watch out
Do not put every one-syllable verb into the -ir group. yapır and gitir are wrong: yapmak takes -ar, and gitmek takes -er and also softens its t, giving gider. Learn the -er/-ar verbs one by one.
Try it yourself
Give the aorist, third person singular, of bul- (find).
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bulur
bulur: bul- has one syllable but is not an exception, so it takes the -ir group, and its last vowel u gives -ur.
Give the aorist, third person singular, of git- (go).
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gider
gider: git- is one of the one-syllable verbs that take -er, and its final t softens to d before the vowel.
Give the aorist, third person singular, of çalış- (work).
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çalışır
çalışır: çalış- has several syllables and ends in a consonant, and its last vowel ı gives -ır.
Give the aorist, third person singular, of yap- (do, make).
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yapar
yapar: yap- belongs to the small group that takes -ar, so yapır does not exist.
Practice round
Answer questions, then rebuild Turkish sentences and words where available. We keep your score.
Give the aorist, third person singular, of bul- (find).
Give the aorist, third person singular, of git- (go).
Give the aorist, third person singular, of çalış- (work).
Give the aorist, third person singular, of yap- (do, make).
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 come
Tap the parts in order to build this word: you find
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Write four sentences about what you or your family usually do on an ordinary day, each with an aorist verb. For every verb, ask: does the stem end in a vowel, does it have several syllables, or is it a one-syllable verb you have to know?