Use savunmak when someone defends a person, proposal or position. You will also report what someone argues is true, without presenting that claim as proven.
The idea
The stem savun- stays intact: savunuyorum, savundum, savunurum. The future gives savunacağım and savunacağız. A definite object takes the accusative: seni savunmak, öneriyi savunmak. A whole claim can be the object: bu yöntemin daha etkili olduğunu savunmak means to argue that this method is more effective. The plural forms in the table are valid; with onlar, a verb without -lar is also possible.
| Person | Present continuous | Past | Future | Aorist | Negative present |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ben | savunuyorum | savundum | savunacağım | savunurum | savunmuyorum |
| sen | savunuyorsun | savundun | savunacaksın | savunursun | savunmuyorsun |
| o | savunuyor | savundu | savunacak | savunur | savunmuyor |
| biz | savunuyoruz | savunduk | savunacağız | savunuruz | savunmuyoruz |
| siz | savunuyorsunuz | savundunuz | savunacaksınız | savunursunuz | savunmuyorsunuz |
| onlar | savunuyorlar | savundular | savunacaklar | savunurlar | savunmuyorlar |
Examples
- Ben seni savunuyorum.I am defending you.
- Biz öneriyi savunduk.We defended the proposal.
- Sen kimi savunuyorsun?Who are you defending?
- Bu yöntemin daha etkili olduğunu savunuyor.They argue that this method is more effective.
- Yarın toplantıda kendi önerimi savunacağım.I will defend my own proposal at the meeting tomorrow.
- Seni savunuyorum ama bu konuda sana katılmıyorum.I am defending you, but I disagree with you on this issue.
- Eleştirilere karşı kendini sakin bir dille savundu.They defended themselves against the criticism in calm language.
- Bu kararı artık savunmuyorum.I no longer defend this decision.
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
Defending someone does not necessarily mean agreeing with them: seni savunuyorum can coexist with sana katılmıyorum. Do not transfer the dative of sana katılmak to the person defended; use seni, not sana, with savunmak.
Try it yourself
Complete “I am defending you.” Use the object form of sen.
Show answer or example answer
seni
seni: the person addressed is the direct object, so sen becomes seni. There is no recipient or destination here to justify sana.
Use the future of savunmak for biz: tomorrow we will defend this proposal.
Show answer or example answer
savunacağız
savunacağız: yarın places the action tomorrow and the prompt specifies the future. Add -acak and the ending for biz; the suffix’s k becomes ğ before the vowel of -ız.
Write the negative present continuous for ben: I no longer defend this decision.
Show answer or example answer
savunmuyorum
savunmuyorum: artık with a negative verb means “no longer”. The rounded u gives -mu- before -yor, and -um identifies the speaker.
Complete “They argue that this method is more effective.” Turn olmak into the embedded clause form.
Show answer or example answer
olduğunu
olduğunu: the clause about the method is the object. The form contains -duk, third-person possessive -u and accusative -nu; k softens to ğ. Here it describes a present claim, not necessarily a past event.
Practice round
Answer questions, then rebuild Turkish sentences and words where available. We keep your score.
Complete “I am defending you.” Use the object form of sen.
Use the future of savunmak for biz: tomorrow we will defend this proposal.
Write the negative present continuous for ben: I no longer defend this decision.
Complete “They argue that this method is more effective.” Turn olmak into the embedded clause form.
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
Write a defence of a proposal with one reason. Then write a sentence defending a person while disagreeing with one of their views. Practise the forms, then continue with eleştirmek.