Turkish Present Tense Conjugation

Turkish has two very common “present-ish” forms: present continuous (what's happening now) and the aorist (habits / general statements). This page focuses on the practical build rules.

Two Types of Present Tense

Aorist (Simple Present)

Used for:

  • Habitual actions
  • General truths
  • Abilities / “I can” statements

gelirim

Present Continuous (-yor)

Used for:

  • Actions happening now
  • Temporary situations
  • Ongoing processes

geliyorum

Present Continuous (-yor)

This is the form you use for “right now / these days”. The first vowel (i/ı/u/ü) follows verb endings rules.

Formation pattern

Verb stem + -(i/ı/u/ü)yor +Personal suffix

Step-by-step

  1. Step 1: Take the stem (remove -mak/-mek)

    gelmek → gel

  2. Step 2: Insert harmony vowel if needed
  3. Step 3: Add -yor

    gel → geliyor

  4. Step 4: Add personal suffix

    geliyor → geliyorum

Aorist (Simple Present)

The aorist is used for habits, general truths, and abilities. Roughly it is -r, but some verbs have special patterns.

For the source of truth for a verb, see its verb page: içmek, okumak, yemek.

Common mistakes

  • Forgetting the buffer vowel: If the stem ends in a consonant, you need i/ı/u/ü.

    ✗ gelyorum → ✓ geliyorum

  • Wrong vowel harmony: Always check the last vowel.

    ✗ yapiyorum → ✓ yapıyorum

  • Using -yor for habits: Use aorist for habitual actions.

    ✗ Her gün kahve içiyorum → ✓ Her gün kahve içerim