---
title: "Turkish Verb Negation: How to Use -ma/-me"
description: "Learn how Turkish makes verbs negative with -ma/-me, then follow links to tense-specific conjugation tables and practice."
canonical_url: "https://turkce-trainer.com/en/grammar/turkish-verb-negation"
markdown_url: "https://turkce-trainer.com/en/grammar/turkish-verb-negation.md"
locale: en
last_updated: 2026-09-13
---

# Turkish Verb Negation: How to Use -ma/-me

Learn how Turkish makes verbs negative with -ma/-me, then follow links to tense-specific conjugation tables and practice.

## Put -ma/-me after the verb stem

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.

Vowel harmony determines whether you use -ma or -me: choose from the verb stem's last vowel, then add the tense and person endings.

Pattern: stem + -ma/-me + tense + person

gel + me + di + m → gelmedim — I did not come.

## 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.

| Tense | Pattern | Note | Page |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Simple Past | gel + me + di + m → gelmedim | Keep -ma/-me before the past ending. | [See Simple Past forms →](https://turkce-trainer.com/en/grammar/simple-past-tense) |
| Present Continuous | gel + me + iyor → gelmiyor | The final a/e drops before -(I)yor. | [See Present Continuous forms →](https://turkce-trainer.com/en/grammar/present-continuous-tense) |
| Future | gel + me + y + ecek → gelmeyecek | Use buffer y before the future ending. | [See Future forms →](https://turkce-trainer.com/en/grammar/future-tense) |
| Aorist | gel + me + z → gelmez | Most persons use -maz/-mez; ben and biz are special. | [See Aorist forms →](https://turkce-trainer.com/en/grammar/aorist-tense) |
| Reported Past | gel + me + miş → gelmemiş | Keep -ma/-me before the reported-past ending. | [See Reported Past forms →](https://turkce-trainer.com/en/grammar/reported-past-tense) |

## Make negative forms stick

Build negative verbs across all five tenses and get immediate feedback as you practice.

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