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Turkish Aorist Tense
Use the Turkish aorist tense for habits, general truths, repeated actions, and things that are usually true.
On this page
Pattern
verb stem + aorist ending + person ending
Example
Ben her gun gelirim.
I come every day.
What this tense means
The aorist is one of the most important Turkish tenses, but it does not match one single English tense perfectly.
It often describes what someone usually does, what generally happens, or what is normally true.
In English, this often looks like a simple present form, but the key meaning is habit, routine, or general truth.
When to use it
Choose the situation first, then build the ending.
1. Habits and routines
- Turkish
- Ben her sabah kahve içerim.
- English
- I drink coffee every morning.
- Turkish
- Sen genelde erken gelirsin.
- English
- You usually come early.
| Turkish | English |
|---|---|
| Ben her sabah kahve içerim. | I drink coffee every morning. |
| Sen genelde erken gelirsin. | You usually come early. |
2. General truths
- Turkish
- Şu kaynar.
- English
- Water boils.
- Turkish
- Çocuklar hızlı öğrenir.
- English
- Children learn quickly.
| Turkish | English |
|---|---|
| Şu kaynar. | Water boils. |
| Çocuklar hızlı öğrenir. | Children learn quickly. |
3. Repeated actions
- Turkish
- Biz hafta sonları yürürüz.
- English
- We walk on weekends.
- Turkish
- Onlar sik sik film izlerler.
- English
- They often watch movies.
| Turkish | English |
|---|---|
| Biz hafta sonları yürürüz. | We walk on weekends. |
| Onlar sik sik film izlerler. | They often watch movies. |
4. Tendencies or normal behavior
- Turkish
- O çok kitap okur.
- English
- He/she reads a lot.
- Turkish
- Bu otobüs merkeze gider.
- English
- This bus goes to the city center.
| Turkish | English |
|---|---|
| O çok kitap okur. | He/she reads a lot. |
| Bu otobüs merkeze gider. | This bus goes to the city center. |
How to form positive statements
verb stem + aorist ending + person ending
Aorist formation depends on the verb. It can use endings like -r, -ar / -er, and -ir-pattern endings.
Because the aorist has more than one pattern, learn it through real verb forms and examples.
- Infinitive
- gelmek
- Verb stem
- gel
- Aorist
- gelirim
- Infinitive
- gitmek
- Verb stem
- git
- Aorist
- giderim
- Infinitive
- okumak
- Verb stem
- oku
- Aorist
- okurum
- Infinitive
- çalışmak
- Verb stem
- çalış
- Aorist
- çalışırım
| Infinitive | Verb stem | Aorist |
|---|---|---|
| gelmek | gel | gelirim |
| gitmek | git | giderim |
| okumak | oku | okurum |
| çalışmak | çalış | çalışırım |
Forms by person
See how this tense looks with the same verb across all persons.
- Person
- Ben
- Turkish
- gelirim
- English
- I come / I usually come
- Person
- Sen
- Turkish
- gelirsin
- English
- You come / you usually come
- Person
- O
- Turkish
- gelir
- English
- He/she/it comes
- Person
- Biz
- Turkish
- geliriz
- English
- We come / we usually come
- Person
- Siz
- Turkish
- gelirsiniz
- English
- You come / you usually come
- Person
- Onlar
- Turkish
- gelirler
- English
- They come / they usually come
| Person | Turkish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Ben | gelirim | I come / I usually come |
| Sen | gelirsin | You come / you usually come |
| O | gelir | He/she/it comes |
| Biz | geliriz | We come / we usually come |
| Siz | gelirsiniz | You come / you usually come |
| Onlar | gelirler | They come / they usually come |
Positive, negative, and question reference
These forms show the pattern; the explanation of a special negative form belongs to the relevant tense.
Compare positive statements, negatives, and questions with the same reference verb.
Positive statements
- Person
- Ben
- Turkish
- gelirim
- English
- I am coming
- Person
- Sen
- Turkish
- gelirsin
- English
- You are coming
- Person
- O
- Turkish
- gelir
- English
- He/she/it is coming
- Person
- Biz
- Turkish
- geliriz
- English
- We are coming
- Person
- Siz
- Turkish
- gelirsiniz
- English
- You are coming
- Person
- Onlar
- Turkish
- gelirler
- English
- They are coming
| Person | Turkish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Ben | gelirim | I am coming |
| Sen | gelirsin | You are coming |
| O | gelir | He/she/it is coming |
| Biz | geliriz | We are coming |
| Siz | gelirsiniz | You are coming |
| Onlar | gelirler | They are coming |
Negative statements
- Person
- Ben
- Turkish
- gelmem
- English
- I am not coming
- Person
- Sen
- Turkish
- gelmezsin
- English
- You are not coming
- Person
- O
- Turkish
- gelmez
- English
- He/she/it is not coming
- Person
- Biz
- Turkish
- gelmeyiz
- English
- We are not coming
- Person
- Siz
- Turkish
- gelmezsiniz
- English
- You are not coming
- Person
- Onlar
- Turkish
- gelmezler
- English
- They are not coming
| Person | Turkish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Ben | gelmem | I am not coming |
| Sen | gelmezsin | You are not coming |
| O | gelmez | He/she/it is not coming |
| Biz | gelmeyiz | We are not coming |
| Siz | gelmezsiniz | You are not coming |
| Onlar | gelmezler | They are not coming |
Questions
- Person
- Ben
- Turkish
- gelir miyim?
- English
- Am I coming?
- Person
- Sen
- Turkish
- gelir misin?
- English
- Are you coming?
- Person
- O
- Turkish
- gelir mi?
- English
- Is he/she/it coming?
- Person
- Biz
- Turkish
- gelir miyiz?
- English
- Are we coming?
- Person
- Siz
- Turkish
- gelir misiniz?
- English
- Are you coming?
- Person
- Onlar
- Turkish
- gelirler mi?
- English
- Are they coming?
| Person | Turkish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Ben | gelir miyim? | Am I coming? |
| Sen | gelir misin? | Are you coming? |
| O | gelir mi? | Is he/she/it coming? |
| Biz | gelir miyiz? | Are we coming? |
| Siz | gelir misiniz? | Are you coming? |
| Onlar | gelirler mi? | Are they coming? |
Examples in real sentences
Read these examples for context. You do not need to memorize every word.
- Turkish
- Genelde kahveyi sütsüz içerim.
- English
- I usually drink coffee without milk.
- Note
- Habit
- Turkish
- Her sabah aynı durakta inerim.
- English
- I get off at the same stop every morning.
- Note
- Routine
- Turkish
- Kardeşim hafta sonları geç kalkar.
- English
- My sibling wakes up late on weekends.
- Note
- Habit
- Turkish
- Biz yazın sık sık sahile gideriz.
- English
- We often go to the coast in summer.
- Note
- Repeated action
- Turkish
- Bu otobüs merkeze gider.
- English
- This bus goes to the city center.
- Note
- General route/fact
- Turkish
- Annem mesajlara hızlı cevap verir.
- English
- My mother replies to messages quickly.
- Note
- Usual behavior
- Turkish
- Bu uygulama çevrimdışı çalışır.
- English
- This app works offline.
- Note
- General feature
- Turkish
- Kediler sıcak yerleri sever.
- English
- Cats like warm places.
- Note
- General truth
- Turkish
- Biz genelde akşam yürürüz.
- English
- We usually walk in the evening.
- Note
- Habit
- Turkish
- Teşekkür ederim.
- English
- Thank you.
- Note
- Common expression using aorist
| Turkish | English | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Genelde kahveyi sütsüz içerim. | I usually drink coffee without milk. | Habit |
| Her sabah aynı durakta inerim. | I get off at the same stop every morning. | Routine |
| Kardeşim hafta sonları geç kalkar. | My sibling wakes up late on weekends. | Habit |
| Biz yazın sık sık sahile gideriz. | We often go to the coast in summer. | Repeated action |
| Bu otobüs merkeze gider. | This bus goes to the city center. | General route/fact |
| Annem mesajlara hızlı cevap verir. | My mother replies to messages quickly. | Usual behavior |
| Bu uygulama çevrimdışı çalışır. | This app works offline. | General feature |
| Kediler sıcak yerleri sever. | Cats like warm places. | General truth |
| Biz genelde akşam yürürüz. | We usually walk in the evening. | Habit |
| Teşekkür ederim. | Thank you. | Common expression using aorist |
Common mistakes
These mistakes show up often during practice.
Mistake 1: Using aorist for right-now actions
For an action happening now, use present continuous.
- Meaning
- Right now
- Turkish
- Ben geliyorum.
- English
- I am coming now.
- Meaning
- Usually
- Turkish
- Ben gelirim.
- English
- I usually come.
| Meaning | Turkish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Right now | Ben geliyorum. | I am coming now. |
| Usually | Ben gelirim. | I usually come. |
Mistake 2: Assuming every verb uses the same aorist ending
Aorist forms vary by verb.
Do not force one suffix pattern onto every verb.
- Infinitive
- gelmek
- Aorist
- gelirim
- Infinitive
- gitmek
- Aorist
- giderim
- Infinitive
- okumak
- Aorist
- okurum
| Infinitive | Aorist |
|---|---|
| gelmek | gelirim |
| gitmek | giderim |
| okumak | okurum |
Mistake 3: Translating it as only simple present
The aorist can look like English simple present, but the useful learner meaning is broader: habits, general truths, repeated actions, and normal behavior.
Mistake 4: Adding -z to every negative aorist form
Most negative aorist forms use -maz/-mez: gelmezsin, gelmez, gelmezler. But ben and biz are different: gelmem and gelmeyiz have no -z.
Learn this as one small pattern, not as two unrelated exceptions.
Incorrect: Ben gelmezim.
Correct: Ben gelmem.
Incorrect: Biz gelmeziz.
Correct: Biz gelmeyiz.
FAQ
What is the Turkish aorist tense used for?
The Turkish aorist is used for habits, routines, general truths, repeated actions, abilities, and typical behavior.
Is the aorist the same as present continuous?
No. Use present continuous for actions happening now. Use the aorist for what usually, generally, or repeatedly happens.
Why are Turkish aorist endings different across verbs?
Aorist formation depends on the verb. Some verbs use -r, some use -ar/-er, and others use an -ir-pattern ending.
Why is I do not come gelmem, but you do not come gelmezsin?
In negative aorist forms, most persons use -maz/-mez. The first-person singular and plural are different: ben gelmem and biz gelmeyiz do not have -z.
Keep going
Related verb examples
Practice
Practice aorist forms
Start with positive statement forms and immediate feedback.