Şimdiki zaman
Turkish Present Continuous Tense
Use the Turkish present continuous tense for actions happening now, around now, or in the current period. In Turkish, this tense usually uses the ending -(i)yor plus a person ending.
On this page
Pattern
verb stem + -(i)yor + person ending
Example
Ben geliyorum.
I am coming.
What this tense means
The present continuous tense describes an action in progress. It often matches English sentences like I am going, you are reading, or they are working.
Use cues like now, right now, this week, or for now to spot the ongoing meaning.
Use it when the action is active now or belongs to the current situation.
When to use it
Choose the situation first, then build the ending.
1. Something happening right now
- Turkish
- Ben yemek yiyorum.
- English
- I am eating.
- Turkish
- Sen beni dinliyorsun.
- English
- You are listening to me.
| Turkish | English |
|---|---|
| Ben yemek yiyorum. | I am eating. |
| Sen beni dinliyorsun. | You are listening to me. |
2. Something happening around this time
- Turkish
- Bu hafta çok çalışıyorum.
- English
- I am working a lot this week.
- Turkish
- Biz Türkçe öğreniyoruz.
- English
- We are learning Turkish.
| Turkish | English |
|---|---|
| Bu hafta çok çalışıyorum. | I am working a lot this week. |
| Biz Türkçe öğreniyoruz. | We are learning Turkish. |
3. A current plan or movement
- Turkish
- Ben eve gidiyorum.
- English
- I am going home.
- Turkish
- Onlar şimdi geliyorlar.
- English
- They are coming now.
| Turkish | English |
|---|---|
| Ben eve gidiyorum. | I am going home. |
| Onlar şimdi geliyorlar. | They are coming now. |
4. A current habit in progress
This is still about the current period. For general habits, Turkish often uses the aorist instead.
- Turkish
- Son günlerde erken kalkıyorum.
- English
- These days, I am waking up early.
| Turkish | English |
|---|---|
| Son günlerde erken kalkıyorum. | These days, I am waking up early. |
How to form positive statements
verb stem + -(i)yor + person ending
Use this pattern:
- Infinitive
- gelmek
- Verb stem
- gel
- Present continuous
- geliyorum
- Infinitive
- gitmek
- Verb stem
- git
- Present continuous
- gidiyorum
- Infinitive
- okumak
- Verb stem
- oku
- Present continuous
- okuyorum
- Infinitive
- çalışmak
- Verb stem
- çalış
- Present continuous
- çalışıyorum
| Infinitive | Verb stem | Present continuous |
|---|---|---|
| gelmek | gel | geliyorum |
| gitmek | git | gidiyorum |
| okumak | oku | okuyorum |
| çalışmak | çalış | çalışıyorum |
Some verbs change slightly before -iyor. Follow the conjugated form you see here.
Forms by person
See how this tense looks with the same verb across all persons.
- Person
- Ben
- Turkish
- geliyorum
- English
- I am coming
- Person
- Sen
- Turkish
- geliyorsun
- English
- You are coming
- Person
- O
- Turkish
- geliyor
- English
- He/she/it is coming
- Person
- Biz
- Turkish
- geliyoruz
- English
- We are coming
- Person
- Siz
- Turkish
- geliyorsunuz
- English
- You are coming
- Person
- Onlar
- Turkish
- geliyorlar
- English
- They are coming
| Person | Turkish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Ben | geliyorum | I am coming |
| Sen | geliyorsun | You are coming |
| O | geliyor | He/she/it is coming |
| Biz | geliyoruz | We are coming |
| Siz | geliyorsunuz | You are coming |
| Onlar | geliyorlar | They are coming |
Positive, negative, and question reference
Reference forms show the pattern; practice focuses on building the form until it feels automatic.
These tables use gelmek as a reference verb so you can compare positive statements, negatives, and questions side by side.
The practice flow starts with positive statement forms, but these reference forms help you recognize the wider pattern when you meet it in real Turkish.
Positive statements
- Person
- Ben
- Turkish
- geliyorum
- English
- I am coming
- Person
- Sen
- Turkish
- geliyorsun
- English
- You are coming
- Person
- O
- Turkish
- geliyor
- English
- He/she/it is coming
- Person
- Biz
- Turkish
- geliyoruz
- English
- We are coming
- Person
- Siz
- Turkish
- geliyorsunuz
- English
- You are coming
- Person
- Onlar
- Turkish
- geliyorlar
- English
- They are coming
| Person | Turkish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Ben | geliyorum | I am coming |
| Sen | geliyorsun | You are coming |
| O | geliyor | He/she/it is coming |
| Biz | geliyoruz | We are coming |
| Siz | geliyorsunuz | You are coming |
| Onlar | geliyorlar | They are coming |
Negative statements
- Person
- Ben
- Turkish
- gelmiyorum
- English
- I am not coming
- Person
- Sen
- Turkish
- gelmiyorsun
- English
- You are not coming
- Person
- O
- Turkish
- gelmiyor
- English
- He/she/it is not coming
- Person
- Biz
- Turkish
- gelmiyoruz
- English
- We are not coming
- Person
- Siz
- Turkish
- gelmiyorsunuz
- English
- You are not coming
- Person
- Onlar
- Turkish
- gelmiyorlar
- English
- They are not coming
| Person | Turkish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Ben | gelmiyorum | I am not coming |
| Sen | gelmiyorsun | You are not coming |
| O | gelmiyor | He/she/it is not coming |
| Biz | gelmiyoruz | We are not coming |
| Siz | gelmiyorsunuz | You are not coming |
| Onlar | gelmiyorlar | They are not coming |
Questions
- Person
- Ben
- Turkish
- geliyor muyum?
- English
- Am I coming?
- Person
- Sen
- Turkish
- geliyor musun?
- English
- Are you coming?
- Person
- O
- Turkish
- geliyor mu?
- English
- Is he/she/it coming?
- Person
- Biz
- Turkish
- geliyor muyuz?
- English
- Are we coming?
- Person
- Siz
- Turkish
- geliyor musunuz?
- English
- Are you coming?
- Person
- Onlar
- Turkish
- geliyorlar mı?
- English
- Are they coming?
| Person | Turkish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Ben | geliyor muyum? | Am I coming? |
| Sen | geliyor musun? | Are you coming? |
| O | geliyor mu? | Is he/she/it coming? |
| Biz | geliyor muyuz? | Are we coming? |
| Siz | geliyor musunuz? | Are you coming? |
| Onlar | geliyorlar mı? | Are they coming? |
Examples in real sentences
Read these examples for context. You do not need to memorize every word.
- Turkish
- Şu anda toplantıya giriyorum.
- English
- I am joining the meeting right now.
- Note
- Action happening now
- Turkish
- Metroda mesaj yazıyorum.
- English
- I am writing a message on the metro.
- Note
- Current action
- Turkish
- Bugün evden çalışıyoruz.
- English
- We are working from home today.
- Note
- Temporary current situation
- Turkish
- Bu hafta erken kalkıyorum.
- English
- I am waking up early this week.
- Note
- Current period
- Turkish
- Kuryeyi kapıda bekliyorum.
- English
- I am waiting for the courier at the door.
- Note
- Current situation
- Turkish
- Annem akşam yemeği hazırlıyor.
- English
- My mother is preparing dinner.
- Note
- Ongoing action
- Turkish
- Telefonum yavaş şarj oluyor.
- English
- My phone is charging slowly.
- Note
- Process in progress
- Turkish
- Çocuklar bahçede oynuyorlar.
- English
- The children are playing in the yard.
- Note
- Ongoing action
- Turkish
- Şimdilik bu uygulamayı kullanıyorum.
- English
- For now, I am using this app.
- Note
- Temporary current choice
- Turkish
- Biz Türkçe konuşma pratiği yapıyoruz.
- English
- We are practicing Turkish speaking.
- Note
- Current learning activity
| Turkish | English | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Şu anda toplantıya giriyorum. | I am joining the meeting right now. | Action happening now |
| Metroda mesaj yazıyorum. | I am writing a message on the metro. | Current action |
| Bugün evden çalışıyoruz. | We are working from home today. | Temporary current situation |
| Bu hafta erken kalkıyorum. | I am waking up early this week. | Current period |
| Kuryeyi kapıda bekliyorum. | I am waiting for the courier at the door. | Current situation |
| Annem akşam yemeği hazırlıyor. | My mother is preparing dinner. | Ongoing action |
| Telefonum yavaş şarj oluyor. | My phone is charging slowly. | Process in progress |
| Çocuklar bahçede oynuyorlar. | The children are playing in the yard. | Ongoing action |
| Şimdilik bu uygulamayı kullanıyorum. | For now, I am using this app. | Temporary current choice |
| Biz Türkçe konuşma pratiği yapıyoruz. | We are practicing Turkish speaking. | Current learning activity |
Common mistakes
These mistakes show up often during practice.
Mistake 1: Using present continuous for every English present sentence
English uses the present in many ways. Turkish separates ongoing actions from general habits.
Use geliyorum for I am coming now. Use the aorist for many general habits, like I usually come early.
Choose by meaning and time cue: happening now uses the present continuous, while usual behavior uses the aorist.
- Turkish
- Ben şimdi geliyorum.
- English
- I am coming now.
- Turkish
- Ben genelde erken gelirim.
- English
- I usually come early.
| Turkish | English |
|---|---|
| Ben şimdi geliyorum. | I am coming now. |
| Ben genelde erken gelirim. | I usually come early. |
Mistake 2: Forgetting the person ending
Do not stop at geliyor if the subject is ben or sen.
Incorrect: Ben geliyor.
Correct: Ben geliyorum.
Mistake 3: Trying to keep the infinitive ending
Do not attach the tense ending to gelmek.
Incorrect: gelmekiyorum
Correct: geliyorum
Mistake 4: Expecting gelmeyorum
The negative suffix is still -ma/-me, but its a or e drops before -(I)yor. That is why gel + me + iyor becomes gelmiyor, not gelmeyor or gelmeyorum.
The vowel in -(I)yor still follows four-way vowel harmony: yapmıyor, gelmiyor, okumuyor, görmüyor.
Incorrect: Ben gelmeyorum.
Correct: Ben gelmiyorum.
FAQ
What is the Turkish present continuous tense?
The Turkish present continuous tense describes an action that is happening now, around now, or in the current period. It usually uses a verb stem plus -(i)yor and a person ending, as in geliyorum for I am coming.
When should I use -iyor instead of the aorist?
Use -iyor when the action is in progress now or belongs to the current situation. Use the aorist for habits, general truths, and repeated actions.
How do you make negative present continuous forms in Turkish?
For many verbs, the negative present continuous uses -miyor, -mıyor, -muyor, or -müyor before the person ending. For gelmek, ben geliyorum becomes ben gelmiyorum.
Does Turkish present continuous always match English am doing?
It often matches English am doing, is going, or are working, but you should choose by meaning. If the sentence describes a general habit rather than an action in progress, Turkish often uses the aorist instead.
Keep going
Related verb examples
Practice
Practice present continuous forms
Start with positive statement forms and immediate feedback.