Use these forms to say what another person should do or what you want to happen. English often uses “let”: gelsin means “let him or her come”, while gelsinler refers to several people. This is a wish or instruction, not a statement that the action is happening.
The idea
Remove -mek or -mak and attach the ending to the stem. The last vowel selects -sın after a, ı, -sin after e, i, -sun after o, u, and -sün after ö, ü. The plural forms are in the table. No linking y is needed after a vowel: beklesin. For a negative, insert -me or -ma first; this new vowel determines the ending: gülmesin, okumasın. With an explicit plural human subject, the shorter form is also possible: Çocuklar bahçede oynasın.
| Last stem vowel | Singular ending | Plural ending | Affirmative singular | Negative singular |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| a, ı | -sın | -sınlar | baksın | bakmasın |
| e, i | -sin | -sinler | gelsin | gelmesin |
| o, u | -sun | -sunlar | okusun | okumasın |
| ö, ü | -sün | -sünler | gülsün | gülmesin |
Examples
- Çorba biraz soğusun.Let the soup cool a little.
- Kapı açık kalsın.Let the door stay open.
- Çocuklar bahçede oynasınlar.Let the children play in the garden.
- gelmesinlerLet them not come.gelme-me / -ma: don't, the negative commandsinlerThird-person imperative endings
- okumasınlarLet them not read.okuma-me / -ma: don't, the negative commandsınlarThird-person imperative endings
- gülmesinlerLet them not laugh.gülme-me / -ma: don't, the negative commandsinlerThird-person imperative endings
- Herkes biraz gülsün.Let everyone laugh a little.
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Watch out
Do not read every -sin as “you”. In gelsin, it follows the stem and refers to a third person; in gelirsin, it follows the aorist ending and means “you come”. Also keep t in gitsin: the following s does not trigger softening.
Try it yourself
Use gülmek (laugh): third-person singular, affirmative imperative.
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gülsün
gülsün: removing -mek leaves gül. Its rounded front vowel ü selects -sün, so this is a wish for someone else to laugh.
Use okumak (read): third-person singular, negative imperative.
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okumasın
okumasın: start with oku, then add negative -ma. The last vowel is now a, so the final part is -sın, even though the affirmative is okusun.
Use gitmek (go): third-person singular, affirmative imperative.
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gitsin
gitsin: the stem is git. Since the ending begins with the consonant s, the t stays; i selects -sin.
Use gelmek (come): third-person plural, affirmative imperative; include the plural ending.
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gelsinler
gelsinler: the prompt asks for an explicit plural ending. Gel takes -sin, followed by front-vowel -ler; gelsin alone would omit the requested plural marker.
Practice round
Answer questions, then rebuild Turkish sentences and words where available. We keep your score.
Use gülmek (laugh): third-person singular, affirmative imperative.
Use okumak (read): third-person singular, negative imperative.
Use gitmek (go): third-person singular, affirmative imperative.
Use gelmek (come): third-person plural, affirmative imperative; include the plural 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: Let them not come.
Tap the parts in order to build this word: Let them not read.
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Choose three people or groups and write what you want each to do. Make one instruction negative and one explicitly plural. Circle the vowel immediately before each imperative ending.