---
title: "Turkish Negation: When to Use -ma/-me, değil and yok"
description: "Learn which Turkish negation pattern to use: -ma/-me for actions, değil for identity and description, and yok for absence and possession."
canonical_url: "https://turkce-trainer.com/en/grammar/turkish-negation"
markdown_url: "https://turkce-trainer.com/en/grammar/turkish-negation.md"
locale: en
last_updated: 2026-09-13
---

# Turkish Negation: When to Use -ma/-me, değil and yok

Learn which Turkish negation pattern to use: -ma/-me for actions, değil for identity and description, and yok for absence and possession.

## Three patterns

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.

| Pattern | Rule | Examples |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 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. |
| 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. |

[Learn the -ma/-me pattern in detail →](https://turkce-trainer.com/en/grammar/turkish-verb-negation)

## 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”?

Hazır değiliz. Ready is a description or state, so Turkish uses değil, not a negative verb and not yok.

## Make negative forms stick

Build negative verb forms across the supported tenses and get immediate feedback as you practice.

[Practise negative verbs](https://turkce-trainer.com/en/practice/negative-verbs?returnTo=%2Fen%2Fgrammar%2Fturkish-negation)