You will conjugate beklemek (to wait, to expect) in the present continuous, past and future and say who or what you are waiting for.
The idea
The stem bekle- ends in the vowel e. Before -iyor that vowel drops and the ending takes its front shape: bekliyorum. Before -di and -ecek it stays: bekledim, with a y added in bekleyeceğim. The thing you wait for is the direct object, so it takes the accusative when it is definite: otobüsü bekliyorum, Ali'yi bekliyorum. An unspecified object stays bare: bir arkadaş bekliyorum.
| Person | Present continuous | Past | Future | Negative present |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ben | bekliyorum | bekledim | bekleyeceğim | beklemiyorum |
| sen | bekliyorsun | bekledin | bekleyeceksin | beklemiyorsun |
| o | bekliyor | bekledi | bekleyecek | beklemiyor |
| biz | bekliyoruz | bekledik | bekleyeceğiz | beklemiyoruz |
| siz | bekliyorsunuz | beklediniz | bekleyeceksiniz | beklemiyorsunuz |
| onlar | bekliyorlar | beklediler | bekleyecekler | beklemiyorlar |
Examples
- Ben seni burada bekliyorum.I am waiting for you here.
- Dün akşam otobüsü yarım saat bekledik.Last night we waited half an hour for the bus.
- Yarın sabah Ali'yi kapıda bekleyeceğim.Tomorrow morning I will wait for Ali at the door.A name takes an apostrophe and then the accusative: Ali'yi. The y appears because Ali ends in a vowel, and no separate word for "for" is needed.
- Biz de sizi bekliyoruz.We are waiting for you too.
- Lütfen biraz bekleyin.Please wait a moment.Bekleyin is the polite or plural command: the stem bekle- plus y and -in. It is worth learning as a ready phrase.
- Bu akşam kimseyi beklemiyorum.I am not expecting anyone this evening.The negative -me- sits before -iyor: bekle- + me + iyor gives beklemiyorum, with the e of -me dropping. Kimse as an object takes the accusative: kimseyi.
- Burada bir arkadaş bekliyorum.I am waiting for a friend here.An unspecified object stays bare: bir arkadaş. For a particular friend you would say arkadaşımı bekliyorum.
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Watch out
Do not add a separate word for "for", such as için: senin için bekliyorum means that you wait for your sake or in your place, not that you are the person expected. The person you expect goes in the accusative: seni bekliyorum. Also keep the vowel drop: bekleyorum is not the present continuous of this verb.
Try it yourself
Add the accusative ending: We are waiting for the bus (a particular one).
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otobüsü
otobüsü: a particular bus is a definite object, and after the last vowel ü the accusative is -ü.
Future tense: I will wait for you tomorrow.
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bekleyeceğim
bekleyeceğim: the stem ends in e, so a y joins it to -ecek, and the k softens to ğ before the vowel of -im.
Past tense: Yesterday we waited half an hour for Mert.
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bekledik
bekledik: in the past nothing drops and no y appears; -di has i after e, and -k is the ending for "we".
Present continuous: What are you (all) waiting for?
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bekliyorsunuz
bekliyorsunuz: the e drops before -iyor, which has a front i; -sunuz is the ending for "you (all)".
Practice round
Answer questions, then rebuild Turkish sentences and words where available. We keep your score.
Add the accusative ending: We are waiting for the bus (a particular one).
Future tense: I will wait for you tomorrow.
Past tense: Yesterday we waited half an hour for Mert.
Present continuous: What are you (all) waiting for?
Tap the words in the right order.
Tap the words in the right order.
Tap the words in the right order.
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Write four sentences about waiting: a bus or a train, a friend, a delay yesterday and a plan for tomorrow. For each object, decide whether it takes the accusative or stays unspecified on purpose.