Use ayırmak when someone separates things or sets something aside for a purpose. At B2, the useful question is not just which tense to choose, but what is being separated and what the other noun tells you.
The idea
For separation, the thing affected is the object and the thing it is separated from takes the ablative: çamaşırları beyazlardan ayırmak. For allocation, the purpose can take the dative: okumaya zaman ayırmak. In bahçeyi iki bölüme ayırmak, that same case names the resulting parts. The stem stays ayır- in ayırıyorum, ayırdım and ayırırım; in ayıracağım, the future ending softens its k to ğ before the personal ending.
| Form / person | Turkish |
|---|---|
| Infinitive | ayırmak |
| Present continuous: I | ayırıyorum |
| Negative present continuous: I | ayırmıyorum |
| Aorist / habit: I | ayırırım |
| Negative aorist: I | ayırmam |
| Past: I | ayırdım |
| Future: I | ayıracağım |
| Cannot do now: I | ayıramıyorum |
| Imperative: plural / polite | ayırın |
Examples
- Bu kutuları yarın ayıracağız.We will separate these boxes tomorrow.
- Her akşam okumaya zaman ayırırım.I set aside time for reading every evening.
- Renkli çamaşırları beyazlardan ayırın.Separate the coloured laundry from the whites.
- Bu bütçenin bir bölümünü onarıma ayırdık.We allocated part of this budget to repairs.
- Bu çizgi bahçeyi iki bölüme ayırıyor.This line divides the garden into two sections.
- Bu iki kokuyu birbirinden ayıramıyorum.I cannot tell these two smells apart.
- Yarın toplantı için bir saat ayırabilir misiniz?Could you set aside an hour for the meeting tomorrow?
Read-aloud uses a synthetic Turkish voice available on your device. Voice quality and availability vary; it does not assess your pronunciation.
No Turkish device voice is available. You can still read the text.
Watch out
Do not replace ayırmak with ayrılmak when the subject acts on an object. Dosyaları ayırdım says I separated the files; gruptan ayrıldım says I left the group. Losing the stem’s dotless ı in ayırıyorum is not a harmless spelling shortcut.
Try it yourself
Complete with the affirmative present continuous of ayırmak for “I”: Renkli çamaşırları beyazlardan ___.
Show answer or example answer
ayırıyorum
ayırıyorum: the action is presented as in progress, and the requested subject is “I”. Keep ayır- before -ıyor and add -um; ayırırım would be the aorist instead.
Use the future of ayırmak for “I”: Yarın okumaya bir saat ___.
Show answer or example answer
ayıracağım
ayıracağım: this is a plan for tomorrow expressed in the requested future. The combination of -acak and -ım gives -acağım, so the softened consonant is ğ.
Write the ablative of diğerleri (the others): Bu dosyaları ___ ayırın.
Show answer or example answer
diğerlerinden
diğerlerinden: the other files are the group from which these files are separated. Add -nden to diğerleri; diğerlerine would point towards the others instead.
Choose ayırdım or ayrıldım: I sorted the books by topic. Kitapları konularına göre ___.
Show answer or example answer
ayırdım
ayırdım: the speaker sorted the books, so kitapları is the affected object. Ayrıldım would describe the speaker leaving or separating, not sorting those books.
Practice round
Answer questions, then rebuild Turkish sentences and words where available. We keep your score.
Complete with the affirmative present continuous of ayırmak for “I”: Renkli çamaşırları beyazlardan ___.
Use the future of ayırmak for “I”: Yarın okumaya bir saat ___.
Write the ablative of diğerleri (the others): Bu dosyaları ___ ayırın.
Choose ayırdım or ayrıldım: I sorted the books by topic. Kitapları konularına göre ___.
Tap the words in the right order.
Tap the words in the right order.
Tap the words in the right order.
Keep your progress
Sign up for free to save your practice results in your account.
Sign up to saveI already have an accountUse it today
Describe sorting a cupboard, allocating time and dividing a space. Use ayırmak in three different forms, then identify the object and explain the role of each ablative or dative phrase.