---
title: "Turkish Present Continuous Tense"
description: "Learn Turkish present continuous conjugation with -iyor, including when to use it, how to form it, examples, common mistakes, and practice."
canonical_url: "https://turkce-trainer.com/en/grammar/present-continuous-tense"
markdown_url: "https://turkce-trainer.com/en/grammar/present-continuous-tense.md"
locale: en
last_updated: 2026-09-13
---

# Turkish Present Continuous Tense

Learn Turkish present continuous conjugation with -iyor, including when to use it, how to form it, examples, common mistakes, and practice.

## 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.

| Turkish | English |
| --- | --- |
| Ben geliyorum. | I am coming. |

## Plain meaning

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.

## 1. Something happening right now

| Turkish | English |
| --- | --- |
| Ben yemek yiyorum. | I am eating. |
| Sen beni dinliyorsun. | You are listening to me. |

## 2. Something happening around this time

| 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 | 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 | English |
| --- | --- |
| Son günlerde erken kalkıyorum. | These days, I am waking up early. |

## Formation

Use this pattern:

Pattern: verb stem + -(i)yor + person ending

Some verbs change slightly before -iyor. Follow the conjugated form you see here.

| Infinitive | Verb stem | Present continuous |
| --- | --- | --- |
| gelmek | gel | geliyorum |
| gitmek | git | gidiyorum |
| okumak | oku | okuyorum |
| çalışmak | çalış | çalışıyorum |

## Six persons

| 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 |

## Practice

Practice present continuous forms

[Start practice](https://turkce-trainer.com/en/practice/conjugation?verb=gelmek&tense=present-continuous&returnTo=%2Fen%2Fgrammar%2Fpresent-continuous-tense)

## Positive, negative, and question reference

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.

Reference forms show the pattern; practice focuses on building the form until it feels automatic.

## Positive statements

| Person | Turkish form | 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 | Turkish form | 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 | Turkish form | 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

| 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 |

## 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 | 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.

- Ben geliyor. → Ben geliyorum.

## Mistake 3: Trying to keep the infinitive ending

Do not attach the tense ending to gelmek.

- gelmekiyorum → 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.

- Ben gelmeyorum. → Ben gelmiyorum.

## Mini practice

| Prompt | Correct Turkish |
| --- | --- |
| I am joining the meeting right now. | Şu anda toplantıya giriyorum. |
| We are working from home today. | Bugün evden çalışıyoruz. |
| The children are playing in the yard. | Çocuklar bahçede oynuyorlar. |

## 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.

## Related verb examples

| Verb | Form |
| --- | --- |
| [Conjugate yemek in Turkish](https://turkce-trainer.com/en/verbs/yemek) | yiyorum |
| [Conjugate içmek in Turkish](https://turkce-trainer.com/en/verbs/icmek) | içiyorum |
| [Conjugate okumak in Turkish](https://turkce-trainer.com/en/verbs/okumak) | okuyorum |
| [Conjugate görmek in Turkish](https://turkce-trainer.com/en/verbs/gormek) | görüyorum |
| [Conjugate yapmak in Turkish](https://turkce-trainer.com/en/verbs/yapmak) | yapıyorum |

## Keep learning

[Turkish aorist tense](https://turkce-trainer.com/en/grammar/aorist-tense)

[Aorist vs present continuous](https://turkce-trainer.com/en/grammar/aorist-vs-present-continuous)

[Turkish simple past tense](https://turkce-trainer.com/en/grammar/simple-past-tense)

[Verb Endings and Vowel Harmony](https://turkce-trainer.com/en/grammar/verb-endings)