-ecek / -acak: will, going to

The idea

Add -ecek to a verb stem whose last vowel is front (e i ö ü) and -acak to one whose last vowel is back (a ı o u), then the person ending: gelecek, yapacak. If the stem ends in a vowel, a y comes between: okuyacak. Before an ending that starts with a vowel (-im, -iz) the k becomes ğ: geleceğim, yapacağız. Stems such as git- soften too: gidecek.

Examples

• Yarın sinemaya gideceğiz.Tomorrow we will go to the cinema.
• Babam cumartesi bize gelecek.My father will visit us on Saturday.
• Yarın yağmur yağacak.It will rain tomorrow.The future also states a prediction, as in a weather forecast. The verb is yağmak, so the stem yağ- takes -acak.
• Seni akşam arayacağım.I will call you in the evening.A promise or decision made now uses the future. The stem ara- ends in a vowel, so a y joins it to the suffix: ara-y-acağ-ım.
• Yarın gelecek misin?Will you come tomorrow?In a yes-or-no question the person ending sits on the separate word mi: gelecek misin?
• Akşam eve gideceğim.I will go home in the evening.The stem git- softens to gid- before a vowel, so the future is gidecek; the k then becomes ğ before -im: gideceğim.
• okuyacağımI will readoku·yBuffer -y-: the y that joins vowels·acağ-ecek / -acak: will, going to·ım-im / -sin / -iz / -siniz: I am, you are, we are
• bekleyeceğizwe will waitbekle·yBuffer -y-: the y that joins vowels·eceğ-ecek / -acak: will, going to·iz-im / -sin / -iz / -siniz: I am, you are, we arebekle- ends in e, so y joins it to the suffix, and the k of -ecek becomes ğ before -iz.
• yapacaksınyou will doyap·acak-ecek / -acak: will, going to·sın-im / -sin / -iz / -siniz: I am, you are, we are
• geleceklerthey will comegel·ecek-ecek / -acak: will, going to·ler-im / -sin / -iz / -siniz: I am, you are, we areBefore -ler the k stays: gelecekler, not geleceğler.

Watch out

The k becomes ğ only before -im and -iz: geleceğim, not gelecekim. Before -sin, -siniz and -ler/-lar it stays k: gelecekler, not geleceğler.

Try it yourself

1. Make the future for ben (I) from gel (come): I will come.

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   geleceğim

   geleceğim: the stem gel has the front vowel e, so -ecek; -im starts with a vowel, so the k becomes ğ.

2. Make the future for biz (we) from oku (read): we will read.

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   okuyacağız

   okuyacağız: oku ends in a vowel, so y joins it to -acak (back vowel u); -iz starts with a vowel, so the k becomes ğ.

3. Make the future for sen (you) from git (go): you will go.

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   gideceksin

   gideceksin: git softens to gid before a vowel, the front vowel i gives -ecek, and -sin starts with a consonant, so the k stays.

4. Make the future for onlar (they) from yap (do): they will do.

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   yapacaklar

   yapacaklar: the back vowel a gives -acak; -lar starts with a consonant, so the k stays.

Use it today

Write four sentences about what you will do this weekend. Mark the vowel of each suffix and check whether the k became ğ.