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Turkish Aorist Tense

Use the Turkish aorist tense for habits, general truths, repeated actions, and things that are usually true.

Example

Turkish

Ben her gun gelirim.

English: I come every day.

Meaning

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.

Use

When to use it

Choose the situation first, then build the ending.

1. Habits and routines

Turkish	English
Ben her sabah kahve icerim.	I drink coffee every morning.
Sen genelde erken gelirsin.	You usually come early.

2. General truths

Turkish	English
Su kaynar.	Water boils.
Cocuklar hizli ogrenir.	Children learn quickly.

3. Repeated actions

Turkish	English
Biz hafta sonlari yururuz.	We walk on weekends.
Onlar sik sik film izlerler.	They often watch movies.

4. Tendencies or normal behavior

Turkish	English
O cok kitap okur.	He/she reads a lot.
Bu otobus merkeze gider.	This bus goes to the city center.

Build

How to form positive statements

verb stem + aorist ending + person ending

Pattern

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	Verb stem	Aorist
gelmek	gel	gelirim
gitmek	git	giderim
okumak	oku	okurum
calismak	calis	calisirim

Forms by person

See how this tense looks with the same verb across all persons.

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

Examples

Examples in real sentences

Read these examples for context. You do not need to memorize every word.

Turkish	English
Genelde kahveyi suitsuz icerim.	I usually drink coffee without milk.
Her sabah ayni durakta inerim.	I get off at the same stop every morning.
Kardesim hafta sonlari gec kalkar.	My sibling wakes up late on weekends.
Biz yazin sik sik sahile gideriz.	We often go to the coast in summer.
Bu otobus merkeze gider.	This bus goes to the city center.
Annem mesajlara hizli cevap verir.	My mother replies to messages quickly.
Bu uygulama cevrimdisi calisir.	This app works offline.
Kediler sicak yerleri sever.	Cats like warm places.
Biz genelde aksam yururuz.	We usually walk in the evening.
Tesekkur ederim.	Thank you.

Watch out

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	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	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.

Practice

Mini practice

Try it: choose the correct Turkish form.

Prompt	Correct Turkish
I get off at the same stop every morning.	Her sabah ayni durakta inerim.
This bus goes to the city center.	Bu otobus merkeze gider.
This app works offline.	Bu uygulama cevrimdisi calisir.

Practice aorist forms

Start with positive statement forms and immediate feedback.

Start practice