olmak: to be, to become
Olmak means 'become' and 'happen', and gives 'be' only outside the present. Study its forms and see why 'I am a student' needs no olmak at all.
Read and practiseAdventure journal
Turkish verbs
Learn each verb with its stem, tenses and common sentences, from olmak and gitmek to less frequent verbs.
Adventure journal
Turkish verbs
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gelmek: to come
The stem gel- never changes, but the k of the future -ecek softens to ğ before a vowel: gelecek, geleceğim. Present, past and future forms of gelmek.
Read and practisegitmek: to go, and why git- turns into gid-
Gitmek means to go, but its stem changes: gidiyorum, gideceğim, yet gittim and gitmiyor. See when t turns into d and which case marks where you go.
Read and practiseyapmak: to do, to make
Do homework, do sport, have breakfast, go shopping: see how yapmak takes -ıyor and -tı in six persons, and why it is yaptım and never yapdım.
Read and practiseyemek: to eat, yiyorum and yedim
Eat in Turkish: why the stem ye- turns into yi- in yiyorum, but stays ye- in yedim and yemiyorum, plus yemek as a noun for the meal itself.
Read and practiseiçmek: to drink and to smoke
Tea, water, soup and cigarettes all take one Turkish verb. See içmek in the present, past, future and negative, and why içtim has a t.
Read and practisealmak: to buy, to get, to take
How almak (to buy, get, take) works: a regular stem al-, the k of -acak turning into ğ in alacağım, and why a photo or a bus ride takes a different verb.
Read and practisevermek: to give
Who gets what? See how vermek puts the receiver in -e/-a and how its stem takes -iyor, -di and -ecek, including the softening in vereceğim.
Read and practisegörmek: to see
The ö of görmek rounds the endings that follow it: görüyorum and gördüm, not göriyorum. Present, past and future forms of görmek, to see.
Read and practisebakmak: to look at, to look after
Bakmak means to look at, and whatever you look at takes the dative. Its present, past and future forms, with baktım and bakacağız explained.
Read and practiseistemek: to want, to ask for
Conjugate istemek in the present, negative and past, say what you want, and put a second verb before it as in gitmek istiyorum.
Read and practisesevmek: to love, to like, with -i on the object
Say who or what you love or like: sevmek needs its object marked with -i (seni, kediyi). Present, past, future and negative forms, with seveceğim.
Read and practisebilmek: to know a fact, not a person
Bilmek is for facts, answers and skills; for someone you have met Turkish says tanımak. See all forms of bilmek in the present, the past and the negative.
Read and practisekonuşmak: to speak and to talk with someone
Talk with a friend, speak Turkish, stay quiet in a meeting: konuşmak marks the other person with ile, -le or -la. Present, past, future and negative forms.
Read and practiseokumak: to read, to study
Kitap okuyorum, okudum, okuyacağım: see why a vowel-final stem adds y before -acak, and how okumak also means to study at school or university.
Read and practiseyazmak: to write, and why it is yazdım, not yaztım
Yazmak is regular, yet its z is voiced: yazıyorum, yazdım, yazacağım. See the vowel before -yor, the d of the past, and how to say what you write and where.
Read and practiseoturmak: to sit, to live
Sitting down or living somewhere? Oturuyorum covers both. Learn oturmak in three tenses and when its place takes -de/-da or -e/-a.
Read and practiseçalışmak: to work, to study
Çalışmak covers a job, homework and a lift that runs: the workplace in -da, ders çalışmak for study, and why the past is çalıştım, not çalışdım.
Read and practiseuyumak: to sleep, to fall asleep
The stem uyu- ends in a vowel, which shapes every ending: uyuyorum, uyudum, uyuyacağım, uyumuyorum. Plus how uyumak differs from yatmak, going to bed.
Read and practiseanlamak: to understand, to get it
Anlıyorum, not anlayorum: the final a of anla- drops before -ıyor. See anlamak in the present, past, future and negative, with examples.
Read and practisesöylemek: to say, to tell, to sing
Who hears it, and what is said? Tell someone something with söylemek: the listener takes -e, the thing said takes -i. Forms: söylüyorum, söyledim, söyleyeceğim.
Read and practisebulmak: to find, to consider
Lost key or good film? Bulmak covers both: see why its rounded u gives buluyorum and buldum, and why searching for something is aramak, not bulmak.
Read and practiseöğrenmek: to learn
Öğreniyorum, not öğrenüyorum: only the last vowel of the stem chooses the ending. Present, past, future and negative forms, plus öğrenmek versus öğretmek.
Read and practiseöğretmek: to teach
Teach or learn? Öğretmek gives knowledge and öğrenmek receives it. See its forms, the person who learns in -e/-a, and the double t in öğrettim.
Read and practisebaşlamak: to begin, to start
A lesson, a job, a habit: what you begin takes -e/-a, and a verb before başlamak ends in -meye/-maya. Forms: başlıyorum, başladım, başlayacağım.
Read and practisebitirmek: to finish, and how it differs from bitmek
Ödevi bitirdim or ödev bitti? Learn bitirmek, to finish something with an object in the accusative, its forms in three tenses, and how it differs from bitmek.
Read and practisekalmak: to stay and to be left
Stay in a hotel, at a friend's place or at home: kalmak in the present, past and future, with a back-vowel stem that gives kalıyorum, kaldım and kalacağım.
Read and practisekalkmak: to get up, to leave
One letter from kalmak: kalkmak is to get up, stand and, for trains and planes, leave. See kalktım with -tı, kalkacağım with ğ and the ablative yataktan.
Read and practiseyürümek: to walk, with yürüyorum and yürüdüm
The ü at the end of yürü- brings a y before -ecek and rounds every past ending: yürüyorum, yürüdüm, yürüyeceğim, yürümüyorum.
Read and practisekoşmak: to run, with a stem that never changes
Koşuyorum, koştum, koşacağım: the stem koş- stays put, the past takes -tu after ş, and running in a place (-da) differs from running to it (-a).
Read and practisedurmak: to stop and to stand still
Dur! is only the start: durmak gives duruyorum, durdum and duracağım, and it never takes an object (that needs durdurmak).
Read and practisebeklemek: to wait for someone or something
Waiting for a bus or a friend: beklemek has no word for "for", its object ends in -i, and the e of bekle- drops in bekliyorum but returns in bekledim.
Read and practisearamak: to look for, to call
Calling your mother or hunting for keys? Aramak does both: see arıyorum, aradım and arayacağız, and why the person you phone takes the accusative.
Read and practiseaçmak: to open and to turn on
Because aç- ends in a voiceless ç, the past is açtım, not açdım. Learn the forms of açmak, when it means turn on, and why a door that is open is açık.
Read and practisekapatmak: to close and to switch off
Close a door, switch off the light, hang up on a call: kapatmak takes its object with -ı, and what closes by itself is kapanmak.
Read and practisedinlemek: to listen
Not dinleyorum but dinliyorum: the final e of dinle- narrows in the present. Plus how listening on purpose, dinlemek, differs from simply hearing, duymak.
Read and practisedüşünmek: to think, with düşünüyorum and düşündüm
Seni düşünüyorum, not sana: whom you think of takes the accusative. Plus düşünüyorum, düşündüm, düşüneceğim and düşünmüyorum with their ü.
Read and practisesormak: to ask, to ask about
Ask a person or ask about a thing? With sormak the person takes -e/-a and the thing asked takes -i: Ali'ye sordum, Ali'yi sordum. Forms: soruyorum, sordum.
Read and practiseyaşamak: to live
Where you live and whether someone is alive: yaşamak says both. See yaşıyorum, yaşadım, yaşayacağım and yaşamıyorum, with the city in -da.
Read and practisegirmek: to enter a room, a shop or a job
Odaya, not odayı: girmek takes the dative for the place you enter, and its stem gir- never changes in giriyorum, girdi and gireceğim.
Read and practiseçıkmak: to go out, leave, climb and appear
Evden çıkıyorum, dağa çıktık: one verb, two directions. See how -den marks the place you leave and -e/-a the one you climb, with a stem that never softens.
Read and practisebinmek: getting on a bus, a train or a horse
Otobüse, not otobüsü: binmek always marks the vehicle with -e/-a. Forms such as biniyorum, bindim and bineceğim, plus how it differs from inmek.
Read and practiseinmek: to get off and to go down
Down the stairs, off the bus, onto the runway: inmek covers all three. See iniyorum, indim and ineceğim, and why the vehicle you leave takes -den.
Read and practisedönmek: to return, to turn
Eve dönüyorum, sağa dön: the ö keeps rounding the endings (dönüyor, döndü, dönmüyor), and the place you return to takes the dative -e/-a.
Read and practisegülmek: to laugh, and laugh at
Bana gülme means don't laugh at me: the person laughed at takes -e/-a. Also gülüyorum, güldüm, güleceğim and the negative gülmüyorum.
Read and practiseağlamak: to cry, and the soft ğ that stays
Ağlıyorum, ağladım, ağlayacağım: the stem ağla- keeps its soft ğ and loses its final a before -yor. Learn to say who cries, when, and about what.
Read and practisegiymek: to wear, to put on
Coat, dress or shoes: giymek is the verb for clothes. See giyiyorum, giydim and giyeceğim, and why glasses and watches take takmak.
Read and practisesatmak: to sell
Sattım, not satdım: the voiceless t of sat- decides the past ending. Learn the forms of satmak, who gets what you sell, and how it differs from satın almak.
Read and practiseödemek: to pay
Paying a bill in Turkish: conjugate ödemek in three tenses and see why its stem becomes ödüyor- in the present and ödeyeceğim in the future.
Read and practisebuluşmak: to meet up with someone
Meeting a friend at six? Buluşmak marks the person with ile/-le, not the accusative: seninle buluşuyorum. Forms such as buluştum and buluşacağız.
Read and practisetanışmak: to meet someone, and the ile it needs
Ayşe'yle tanıştım, not Ayşe'yi: tanışmak never takes an object. Learn tanıştım, tanışıyorum and tanışacağım, and how -le/-la marks the person you meet.
Read and practisegeçmek: passing, crossing and time going by
Sınavdan geçtim, yoldan geçiyor: geçmek takes the ablative for what you pass, plus geçiyorum, geçtim, geçeceğim and why it is not "to spend time".
Read and practisegezmek: to stroll, to tour, with geziyorum and gezdim
Müzeyi gezdim, not müzeye: what you tour takes the accusative, while a place to wander in takes -de/-da. Forms: geziyorum, gezdim, gezeceğim.
Read and practiseyıkamak: washing hands, dishes and the car
Ellerimi yıkıyorum or duvarı yıkıyorlar? The present of yıkamak (wash) looks like yıkmak (demolish); the past, yıkadım against yıktım, keeps them apart.
Read and practisepişirmek: to cook
Cooking something versus being cooked: pişirmek puts you in charge, pişmek lets the food do it. Conjugate pişirmek and avoid the common mix-up.
Read and practiseuçmak: to fly
Uçuyorum, uçtum, uçacağım: how uçmak (to fly) rounds -iyor to -uyor after u, takes a t in the past and softens k to ğ in the future.
Read and practiseyüzmek: to swim, and where
Denizde yüzüyorum or denize yüzüyorum? In the sea takes -de, to the shore takes -e. Plus yüzüyorum, yüzdüm, yüzeceğim and the negative yüzmüyorum.
Read and practisehatırlamak: remembering people and moments
A face, a password, a shared trip: use hatırlamak for what you remember, practise hatırlıyorum and hatırlayacağım, and separate remembering from reminding.
Read and practiseunutmak: forgetting things and forgetting to act
An umbrella left on a bus and a call you never made both use unutmak. Practise unuttum, unutacağım and the action pattern aramayı unutmak.
Read and practiseanlatmak: tell a story, explain an idea
A plan to explain, a tale to tell: use anlatmak with a listener and a topic, practise its main forms, and distinguish explaining from understanding.
Read and practiseGöstermek: show someone something
A drawing, a route, a button: use göstermek to show something to someone, choose bana rather than beni, and form a polite request with gösterir misiniz.
Read and practisegöndermek: send a file, parcel or message
A file goes to someone: göndermek pairs the item with its recipient. Practise gönderiyorum, göndereceğiz and a polite request without confusing send and take.
Read and practisegetirmek: bring it here
A bowl of soup, a box for tomorrow: getirmek brings something towards a person or meeting place. Practise its forms, requests and contrast with götürmek.
Read and practisegötürmek: taking someone or something elsewhere
A bag to the car, a cat to the vet: götürmek connects an object with a destination. Practise its forms and distinguish taking there from bringing here.
Read and practisetaşımak: carrying things and moving them
A basket in your hands, a table in another room: use taşımak for carrying, practise its forms and distinguish it from taşınmak when you move home.
Read and practisetutmak: hold, take notes, keep a promise
A ladder, a notebook, a promise: tutmak changes meaning with its object. Practise tutuyorum, tuttum, tutarım and tutacağım in everyday contexts.
Read and practisebırakmak: leave something, let go, stop
An umbrella by the door, a rope in your hand: bırakmak covers leaving and letting go. Practise its forms and say which activity has stopped.
Read and practiseatmak: throw, discard and send a message
A ball, an old ticket, a message: atmak changes meaning with its object. Practise attım, atacağım and atar mısın, and keep the stem’s t.
Read and practiseçekmek: pull, take photos, withdraw money
A rope, a camera and a bank account meet in çekmek. Practise its forms, distinguish pulling from pushing, and choose the verb for taking photos.
Read and practiseitmek: push a door or move an object
A door that will not move? Use itmek for pushing: itiyorum, ittim and iter misiniz. Practise keeping t and naming the object you push.
Read and practisekoymak: put something in its place
A book on a shelf, salt in soup: koymak names the act of placing or adding. Practise koyuyorum, koydum, koyacağım and koyarım, with the destination in the dative.
Read and practisekullanmak: use a tool, drive a car
A tablet, a pencil or a car: the Turkish verb for using things also covers driving. Practise its forms, mark specific objects and distinguish drivers from passengers.
Read and practisedenemek: try something out or try doing it
A jacket, a recipe, a possible solution: denemek lets you try them out. Practise its forms and turn an action into the thing you try.
Read and practiseKazanmak: win a match, earn money
A match, an income, new experience: kazanmak covers all three. Practise its present, past, future and habitual forms, and distinguish winning from defeating.
Read and practiseKaybetmek: lose things, time or a game
A missing glove, wasted time, a game you lose: practise kaybetmek and its changing stem, then distinguish losing something from getting lost.
Read and practiseHarcamak: spend money, time and effort
Where does your money go? Harcamak names what you spend and what you spend it on. Practise its forms and distinguish time devoted to a task from time passed somewhere.
Read and practisebiriktirmek: save up and collect
Small amounts add up: biriktirmek describes saving money or collecting objects. Practise its forms and distinguish your action from money building up.
Read and practisekaçmak: escape and avoid
An open window, a noisy city, a duty to avoid: kaçmak connects escape with what you leave behind. Practise its forms and distinguish it from missing a bus.
Read and practiseTo catch: forms and objects
A flying ball, the last bus, a new opportunity: practise the Turkish verb for catching and see why the bus takes a different ending with “reach in time”.
Read and practisedüşmek: falling, dropping and going down
A wallet on the floor, a colder night: Turkish uses the same verb for both. Practise falling from and onto a place, and distinguish falling from dropping something.
Read and practiseKırmak: break objects, hurt feelings
Cracked walnuts and hurt feelings both use kırmak. Practise kırıyorum, kıracağım and kırarım, and distinguish breaking something from something breaking.
Read and practiseKesmek: cut, slice and interrupt
Cardboard, bread and a conversation: kesmek covers cutting and interrupting. Practise kestim, keseceğiz and keser, then distinguish an action from a power cut.
Read and practisedökmek: pour deliberately or spill by accident
Sauce onto pasta or water onto the floor: dökmek covers pouring and spilling. Practise döküyorum, döktüm and dökeceğim with liquids and loose ingredients.
Read and practisedoldurmak: fill a container, complete a form
A jug of water and a blank form both need doldurmak. Practise its common forms, mark what you fill, and distinguish filling something from becoming full.
Read and practiseBoşaltmak: empty a container, clear a space
A full drawer or a crowded shelf: boşaltmak removes what is inside or on it. Practise its forms, object endings and the contrast with boşalmak.
Read and practiseToplamak: gather, pick and tidy up
Scattered leaves and a messy room call for the same Turkish verb. Practise gathering, fruit picking and tidying, with present, past, future and habitual forms.
Read and practiseDağıtmak: hand out, distribute and make a mess
A deck of cards or a messy room: dağıtmak changes meaning with its object. Practise its forms and distinguish what you hand out from who receives it.
Read and practisesaymak: counting and considering
From counting buttons to judging a mistake: practise saymak, distinguish sayarım from sayıyorum, and count up to a number with yirmiye kadar.
Read and practiseKarıştırmak: stir, mix and confuse
Stirring soup or confusing salt with sugar? Karıştırmak covers both. Practise its forms, the object pattern and the difference from karışmak.
Read and practisetemizlemek: clean a surface or a room
A spotless mirror and a tidy room are different results. Practise temizlemek in five forms, mark what you clean, and distinguish cleaning from putting things away.
Read and practiseWipe, erase, delete: one Turkish verb
A dusty mirror and an unwanted file both call for the same Turkish verb. Practise its forms and distinguish the object you wipe from the place you remove something from.
Read and practisesüpürmek: sweeping and vacuuming
Crumbs on the floor, dust on the carpet: süpürmek covers sweeping and vacuuming. Practise its forms, name the surface and distinguish it from wiping.
Read and practisedikmek: sew a skirt, plant a sapling
A needle or a sapling gives dikmek its meaning. Practise sewing and planting with dikiyorum, diktim, dikeceğim and dikerim, and distinguish seeds from seedlings.
Read and practiseÇizmek: draw lines, sketch and scratch
A pencil draws; a key scratches: çizmek covers both. Practise çizer and çizeceğiz, describe shapes and plans, and use altını çizmek to underline a word.
Read and practiseboyamak: painting surfaces and dyeing hair
A shelf in blue, a wall in white: boyamak connects an object with its new colour. Practise boyuyorum, boyayacağız and the difference between painting and making a picture.
Read and practisePlaying, stealing and ringing in Turkish
A violin, a stolen bicycle and a ringing phone share one Turkish verb. Practise its forms and use the whole sentence to decide which meaning fits.
Read and practiseoynamak: games, teams and acting roles
Backgammon with grandpa, a school team or a stage role: use oynamak, practise oynuyorum and oynayacağım, and choose çalmak for musical instruments.
Read and practiseCelebrating and congratulating in Turkish
A birthday party or a message of congratulations: practise the Turkish verb for both, with present, past and future forms and the person as a direct object.
Read and practiseçağırmak: call someone over or invite them
A kitchen summons or a breakfast invitation: çağırmak brings someone to a place or event. Practise its forms and distinguish inviting from phoning.
Read and practisetanımak: know someone, recognise someone
A familiar voice can be enough: tanımak means knowing someone or recognising them. Practise its forms and distinguish knowing a person from knowing their name.
Read and practisesevinmek: be glad about something
A welcome invitation brings out sevinmek: practise being glad about news, feeling happy for someone, and choosing the right forms and noun endings.
Read and practisekorkmak: be afraid and name the fear
Thunder, a vacuum cleaner or making mistakes: korkmak names a fear with the ablative. Practise its forms and distinguish being afraid from frightening someone.
Read and practisekızmak: getting angry with someone
Anger has a target: Turkish uses sana kızmak, not seni kızmak. Practise kızıyorum, kızdım, kızacağım and kızarım, then soften a request with lütfen kızma.
Read and practiseŞaşırmak: being surprised
An unexpected price can leave you surprised. Practise Turkish verb forms, name what surprises you, and distinguish feeling surprise from causing it.
Read and practiseüzülmek: feel sad or upset
A disappointing result calls for üzülmek: name what upsets you, express sympathy, and distinguish feeling sad from making someone else sad.
Read and practiseMissing people and places in Turkish
An empty chair at dinner can bring someone to mind. Express longing in Turkish, practise the main verb forms, and distinguish missing someone from missing a bus.
Read and practiseİnanmak: believing someone or something
A claim can sound convincing without being true. Use inanmak with the dative, practise its main forms, and distinguish believing someone from trusting them.
Read and practisegüvenmek: trust someone, trust yourself
Trust takes a dative in Turkish: sana güveniyorum. Practise güvenmek across tenses, express confidence in yourself, and distinguish trust from belief.
Read and practiseSeçmek: choosing an item from a set
A window seat or a blue pen? Practise seçmek across four tenses, name the item you choose and the group you choose from, and keep ç in the stem.
Read and practiseChanging and replacing things in Turkish
A new password, a revised plan, a larger shirt: practise changing and replacing things in Turkish, with verb forms and the difference between an action and a change.
Read and practisedeğişmek: when something changes
A new meeting time, a different colour: değişmek makes the changing thing the subject. Practise its forms and distinguish it from changing something yourself.
Read and practisehazırlamak: prepare something, get it ready
A meeting needs coffee, a trip needs packed bags: practise hazırlamak, its changing stem and the difference between preparing something and getting yourself ready.
Read and practiseuyanmak: wake up, then get out of bed
Awake before the alarm? Practise uyanmak for waking up, compare uyanırım with uyanıyorum, and distinguish waking up from waking another person.
Read and practiseGoing to bed and lying down in Turkish
Bedtime is not the same as falling asleep. Practise the Turkish verb for going to bed or lying down, its common forms, and the difference between direction and location.
Read and practisedinlenmek: rest without necessarily sleeping
A quiet half-hour on the balcony: use dinlenmek for rest, keep its final n, and practise past, future and habitual forms without confusing rest with listening.
Read and practisealışmak: getting used to something
A new job slowly feels familiar: use alışmak with a dative noun or an activity, and distinguish getting used to something from already being used to it.
Read and practiseulaşmak: reach a place, person or goal
A destination, a person on the phone, or information online: use ulaşmak with the dative, practise its forms, and distinguish reaching from being unable to reach.
Read and practisevarmak: arrive at a place, reach a conclusion
The end of a journey calls for varmak: practise arrival times, the destination ending and varır, then use the same verb to reach a conclusion.
Read and practiseyararlanmak: benefit from and draw on
A dictionary or someone’s experience can be a resource: use yararlanmak with the ablative, practise its forms and ask politely to use a facility.
Read and practiseVazgeçmek: giving up a plan or an activity
A plan abandoned, an attempt continued: use vazgeçmek with the ablative, distinguish giving up from pausing, and practise positive and negative forms.
Read and practiseBaşvurmak: apply, turn to, consult
Applications and reference books share başvurmak: practise its forms, choose the dative target, and separate the purpose of a request from its recipient.
Read and practiseTaking part and agreeing in Turkish
Joining a choir does not mean agreeing with a proposal: practise the Turkish verb for both, its dative complement, future forms and past inability.
Read and practisesürdürmek: keep something going
Keeping a project alive takes action: practise sürdürmek with research, talks and traditions, and distinguish continuing something from something lasting.
Read and practiseengellemek: hinder, block and prevent
A truck across an entrance, noise that stops work: use engellemek with objects and actions, practise its forms and distinguish it from engel olmak.
Read and practiseÖnlemek: prevent an unwanted event
A lid that stops a spill, a schedule that avoids a clash: use önlemek with events, practise önlüyor and önlemiyor, and build objects such as suyun dökülmesini.
Read and practisedesteklemek: support a person, a project or a claim
Backing a project and lending weight to a claim both use desteklemek. Practise its forms, mark the object correctly and distinguish it from destek olmak.
Read and practisesavunmak: defend a person or a position
Defending a colleague can coexist with disagreement. Practise the forms of savunmak, mark its object, and report a position someone argues for.
Read and practiseeleştirmek: criticise with a reason
A headline too harsh, a proposal too costly: practise criticising a specific target in Turkish, explain your reason and distinguish criticism from anger.
Read and practiseTartışmak: discussing an issue or arguing
A proposal on the table or a heated exchange? Use tartışmak for both, distinguish the topic from the other person, and practise past and future forms.
Read and practiseKanıtlamak: prove a claim with evidence
A calculation can settle a claim: practise kanıtlamak, its changing stem, and the difference between not proving something and being unable to prove it.
Read and practiseaçıklamak: explain a point, announce information
A diagram clarifies a method; an association announces a programme. Practise açıklamak, its verb forms, its recipient and the clauses that carry its message.
Read and practisebelirtmek: to state and specify
A reservation voiced in a meeting or a cost named in a report: practise belirtmek, its verb forms, and clauses that state what someone said.
Read and practiseduyurmak: announce and make known
A club’s new programme gives duyurmak a clear purpose: announce something to an audience. Practise its forms, recipients and the passive duyuruldu.
Read and practiseyönetmek: manage a team, chair a meeting
Teams, meetings and limited time: use yönetmek to describe responsibility, practise its forms, and distinguish managing something from succeeding at a task.
Read and practiseDirecting people and attention in Turkish
A sign points drivers towards a car park; an editor steers a discussion. Practise the Turkish verb for directing, its forms and the cases for person and destination.
Read and practisegeliştirmek: develop a method, improve a skill
A better method or stronger writing skills: use geliştirmek for what you develop, practise its forms, and distinguish it from gelişmek.
Read and practisegelişmek: develop, improve and unfold
A skill improves, a town develops, events unfold: gelişmek puts the changing thing in the subject position. Practise its forms and distinguish it from geliştirmek.
Read and practiseArtırmak: raise an amount or level
More rehearsals, longer opening hours: use artırmak to raise an amount, distinguish it from artmak, and separate the increase from the new total.
Read and practiseReducing quantities with a Turkish verb
Ten minutes less, or only ten minutes left? Express reductions in Turkish, conjugate the verb and distinguish the amount removed from the final level.
Read and practiseartmak: increase, rise and be left over
Orders rise, curiosity grows, and sandwiches remain: artmak links these contexts. Practise its forms and distinguish an increase from causing one.
Read and practiseazalmak: decrease, diminish, run low
Less noise, fewer errors, dwindling supplies: use azalmak to describe a decrease, practise its forms, and distinguish the amount lost from the final value.
Read and practiseyükselmek: rise in height or level
A rising balloon and a higher water level share yükselmek. Practise its forms, describe a change from one value to another, and distinguish rising from raising.
Read and practiseUygulamak: put a method into practice
A plan becomes action with uygulamak: conjugate the verb, apply a method to a problem, and distinguish implementing something from submitting an application.
Read and practiseKurmak: set up, found and make contact
A tent, a company, a connection: kurmak changes meaning with its object. Practise kurarım and kuracağım, then distinguish setting something up from its being established.
Read and practisekurtarmak: rescue, save and free
Rescued children and recovered files both need kurtarmak. Practise its forms, mark what is saved and from what, and distinguish rescuing from escaping.
Read and practisekorumak: protect something, preserve a state
A phone case and a calm response both illustrate korumak. Practise its forms, distinguish what is protected from the threat, and describe what stays unchanged.
Read and practisesaklamak: hide something or keep it
A box of letters and a hidden gift both call for saklamak. Practise its forms, say whom you hide something from, and distinguish keeping from hiding yourself.
Read and practisegizlemek: conceal something from someone
A concealed signature, a detail kept secret: practise gizlemek in four tenses and distinguish what is hidden from the person kept unaware.
Read and practiseChance encounters: people and problems
A neighbour around the corner, a problem at work: describe encounters in Turkish, choose the right complement and distinguish running into someone from welcoming them.
Read and practisekarşılamak: welcome, cover, meet a need
A guest at the door, a bill covered, an expectation met: karşılamak connects these situations. Practise its forms and distinguish it from karşılaşmak.
Read and practiseKarşılaştırmak: compare forms, methods and results
Two drafts side by side: use karşılaştırmak to compare them, name a comparison criterion, and practise active and passive forms without claiming similarity.
Read and practisebenzemek: resemble, look or sound like
A rabbit-shaped cloud or a familiar voice: describe resemblance in Turkish, choose the dative complement, and distinguish resembling from likening.
Read and practiseyaklaşmak: approach a place, a time or an idea
A shrinking gap, an approaching meeting, a doubtful response: practise Turkish approach forms and distinguish getting closer from actually reaching a goal.
Read and practiseuzaklaşmak: move away and drift off topic
A departing ferry illustrates uzaklaşmak: describe growing distance, practise its verb forms, and keep a discussion from drifting off topic.
Read and practiseLeaving, parting and splitting: one Turkish verb
A team departure, a breakup or a fork in the road: practise Turkish verb forms, choose the complement and distinguish leaving from separating something.
Read and practiseSeparating and setting aside in Turkish
Laundry, reading time and a repair budget all call for the same Turkish verb. Practise separating, dividing and setting aside, with forms and case patterns.
Read and practisebirleşmek: to unite and converge
Converging paths and teams with a common goal both use this verb. Practise Turkish forms for coming together, naming a partner and reaching a shared view.
Read and practisebirleştirmek: combine and join things
Two files become one: practise birleştirmek, combine materials or ideas, and distinguish joining things from things coming together.
Read and practisepaylaşmak: share resources, information and opinions
Shared costs and shared opinions use the same Turkish verb. Practise paylaşmak, distinguish agreement from disclosure, and say whom you share with.
Read and practiseİlgilenmek: take an interest and attend to something
Ceramics as an interest, seedlings as a responsibility: ilgilenmek covers both. Practise its forms, its ile complement and the subject you are interested in.
Read and practiseEndure, lean, be based on: one Turkish verb
A wall, unbearable noise, evidence: use one Turkish verb across three contexts, practise its forms and distinguish not enduring from being unable to endure.
Read and practiseÇözmek: solve a problem, untie a knot
A stubborn knot and a difficult problem both take çözmek. Practise çözerim and çözeceğim, and distinguish solving a problem from finding a solution to it.
Read and practisegerçekleşmek: take place or come true
A meeting takes place; a dream comes true. Use gerçekleşmek for both, practise its forms, and keep the event as the subject rather than the object.
Read and practiseGerçekleştirmek: carry out and make happen
From a plan on paper to a finished project: gerçekleştirmek names the action that makes it happen. Practise its forms and contrast it with gerçekleşmek.
Read and practiseOluşmak: arise, take shape, consist of
A crack appears, an idea takes shape, a team consists of four people: practise oluşmak, its verb forms and the contrast with creating something.
Read and practiseoluşturmak: create, form and constitute
A study group, a warm atmosphere or an obstacle: use the Turkish verb for creating a result, practise its forms and distinguish it from forming on its own.
Read and practiseSağlamak: provide resources, ensure results
A workshop offering space and a lid preventing spills both illustrate sağlamak: practise its forms and distinguish a resource from an ensured outcome.
Read and practiseGerektirmek: what a task requires
Patience, extra work or an early start: gerektirmek names what a task calls for. Practise its forms and distinguish requiring something from being necessary.
Read and practisegerekmek: what needs doing, and when
Whose action is necessary? Use gerekmek to place a need in the present, past or future, and distinguish not needing to act from needing not to act.
Read and practiseZorlamak: force an action, put under strain
Pressure to decide and a stretched budget both call for zorlamak. Practise its forms, mark who is affected, and connect the action someone is forced to take.
Read and practisezorlanmak: have difficulty doing something
A steep hill or two similar sounds can cause difficulty: use zorlanmak, practise its forms and distinguish struggling to do something from being forced to do it.
Read and practiseyetmek: having enough, being sufficient
A pot of soup can feed everyone, while a shelf can run out of room: use yetmek to judge sufficiency, name who benefits and say when an action is enough.
Read and practiseBaşarmak: succeed in doing something
A task finally accomplished: use başarmak with a specific object or an action, practise its forms, and distinguish success from simply starting.
Read and practisedüzenlemek: arrange materials and organize events
From archive files to exhibitions, düzenlemek gives things a workable order. Practise its forms, passive uses and the difference between organizing and correcting.
Read and practisedüzeltmek: correct a mistake, straighten something
A typo or a crooked picture calls for düzeltmek. Practise its forms, identify what gets corrected, and distinguish an action from a change of state.
Read and practisekıskanmak: envy and jealousy
Someone else’s courage, patience or success can prompt kıskanmak. Practise its forms, accusative objects and the difference between envy and jealousy in context.
Read and practisebağırmak: shouting and making yourself heard
A raised voice can express excitement or anger. Use bağırmak with a dative recipient, compare bağırırım and bağıracağım, and say “without shouting”.
Read and practiseuğraşmak: spend effort, work on, bother
Pottery, repairs and stubborn knots: use uğraşmak for what takes your time and effort, practise its forms, and recognise when it means bothering someone.
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