Verb negation
Turkish Verb Negation: How to Use -ma/-me
Turkish makes a verb negative by placing -ma or -me after the verb stem. The tense and person endings still follow, but some tenses change the surface form.
The core rule
Put -ma/-me after the verb stem
Vowel harmony determines whether you use -ma or -me: choose from the verb stem's last vowel, then add the tense and person endings.
stem + -ma/-me + tense + person
The negative suffix sits directly after the stem.
gel + me + di + m → gelmedim
I did not come.
Across the tenses
The position stays the same; the ending can change
Use this as a map. Each row points to the tense page with the full conjugation table, examples, and exceptions.
Simple Past
gel + me + di + m → gelmedim
Keep -ma/-me before the past ending.
See Simple Past forms →Present Continuous
gel + me + iyor → gelmiyor
The final a/e drops before -(I)yor.
See Present Continuous forms →Future
gel + me + y + ecek → gelmeyecek
Use buffer y before the future ending.
See Future forms →Aorist
gel + me + z → gelmez
Most persons use -maz/-mez; ben and biz are special.
See Aorist forms →Reported Past
gel + me + miş → gelmemiş
Keep -ma/-me before the reported-past ending.
See Reported Past forms →Practice
Make negative forms stick
Build negative verbs across all five tenses and get immediate feedback as you practice.