Negative verbs: -ma/-me
Use -ma/-me inside the verb to make an action negative.
Geliyor. → Gelmiyor.
He/she is coming. → He/she isn't coming.
Yazdı. → Yazmadı.
He/she wrote. → He/she didn't write.
Grammar Guide
Turkish Negation: When to Use -ma/-me, değil and yok
Turkish has three main ways to make something negative. The right one depends on what you are making negative: an action, a description, or whether something exists.
Three patterns
Negative descriptions: değil
Use değil after a noun or adjective when someone or something is not that thing.
Yorgun. → Yorgun değil.
Tired. → Not tired.
Öğrenci. → Öğrenci değil.
A student. → Not a student.
Absence or not having: yok
Use yok when something is not there or someone does not have something.
Su var. → Su yok.
There is water. → There is no water.
Vaktim var. → Vaktim yok.
I have time. → I don't have time.
A quick distinction
Use -ma/-me for an action, değil for what someone or something is, and yok for absence or not having something. Su değil means “It is not water”; Su yok means “There is no water.”
Try the decision before reading on
Which form does Turkish use for “We are not ready”?
Show the answer
Hazır değiliz. Ready is a description or state, so Turkish uses değil, not a negative verb and not yok.
Practice
Make negative forms stick
Build negative verb forms across the supported tenses and get immediate feedback as you practice.