Grammar Guide
Turkish Verb Endings and Vowel Harmony
Turkish verb endings change because of vowel harmony. Learn how verbs are built from a stem, tense marker, and personal ending.
How Turkish Verbs Are Built
A Turkish verb = stem (root) + tense marker + person ending
içiyorum = I am drinking
Stem (Root)
The base form of the verb. It carries the core meaning.
Tense Marker
Shows when the action takes place.
Person Ending
Shows who does the action.
Who Does the Action? Understand the Person Ending.
Turkish verbs show who does the action with person endings.
EXAMPLE with "iç-" (to drink)
TIP: Pick the person → add the ending → the verb shows WHO does the action.
Why Turkish Endings Change: Vowel Harmony
The practical rule:
Look at the last vowel before the ending. That vowel chooses the suffix family.
Turkish endings often change their vowel to match the last vowel before the ending.
All four are past tense and first person singular. The grammar stayed the same. Only the vowel changed.
geldim
I came
kaldım
I stayed
buldum
I found
gördüm
I saw
Choose the last vowel before the ending:
Selected rule
Last vowel: e
Use the e/i family.
This family uses i in endings like:
Technical name: front unrounded vowels.
Real forms
gel has last vowel e, so the past ending uses i.
gel + di + m → geldim
I came
gel + di + n → geldin
you came
gel + di → geldi
he/she/it came
gel + di + k → geldik
we came
gel + di + niz → geldiniz
you (pl.) came
gel + di + ler → geldiler
they came
See all vowel families
Turkish groups vowels by how they are pronounced. Front/back describes tongue position: front vowels are made with the tongue farther forward, as in e, i, ö, and ü; back vowels are made farther back, as in a, ı, o, and u. Rounded means the lips round while saying the vowel, as in o, u, ö, and ü. This is why endings often come in matching forms.
Back unrounded
Back rounded
Front unrounded
Front rounded
See the Same Verb Across Tenses
| Tense | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Present Continuous -iyor | içiyorum | içiyorsun | içiyor∅ | içiyoruz | içiyorsunuz | içiyorlar |
Past Tense (definite) -di | içtim | içtin | içti∅ | içtik | içtiniz | içtiler |
Future Tense -ecek | içeceğim | içeceksin | içecek∅ | içeceğiz | içeceksiniz | içecekler |
Aorist (general/habitual) -er/-ir/-ar/-ır | içerim | içersin | içer∅ | içeriz | içersiniz | içerler |
Past Tense (reported) -miş | içmişim | içmişsin | içmiş∅ | içmişiz | içmişsiniz | içmişler |
Practice
Practice Building Turkish Verbs
Test whether you can identify the stem, tense marker, and personal ending.