--- title: "Conjugate demek (to say / to mean) in Turkish" description: "Conjugate demek (to say / to mean) in Turkish: diyorum, dedim, diyeceğim, derim, demişim. All tenses with examples and practice." canonical_url: "https://turkce-trainer.com/en/verbs/demek" markdown_url: "https://turkce-trainer.com/en/verbs/demek.md" locale: en last_updated: 2026-09-13 --- # Conjugate demek (to say / to mean) in Turkish Conjugate demek (to say / to mean) in Turkish: diyorum, dedim, diyeceğim, derim, demişim. All tenses with examples and practice. ## demek meaning and key forms Conjugate demek in Turkish across present continuous, simple past, future, aorist, and reported past forms - including negatives and questions. After each table, you can practice the forms interactively. I-forms: diyorum, dedim, diyeceğim, derim, demişim ## Examples - Ben böyle derim. — I say it like this. - Ne diyorsun? — What are you saying? ## Common uses demek means ‘to say’ and also ‘to mean’. Like yemek, it changes de- to di- before -yor: diyorum. - ne demek? (what does it mean?) - demek istiyorum (I mean) - böyle demek (to say this) - diyorum (I say / I am saying) ## Present Continuous (Şimdiki zaman) Ne diyorsun? — What are you saying? | Person | Affirmative | Negative | Question | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Ben | diyorum | demiyorum | diyor muyum? | | Sen | diyorsun | demiyorsun | diyor musun? | | O | diyor | demiyor | diyor mu? | | Biz | diyoruz | demiyoruz | diyor muyuz? | | Siz | diyorsunuz | demiyorsunuz | diyor musunuz? | | Onlar | diyorlar | demiyorlar | diyorlar mı? | [Practice demek in present continuous](https://turkce-trainer.com/en/practice/conjugation?verb=demek&tense=present-continuous&returnTo=%2Fen%2Fverbs%2Fdemek) ## Simple Past (Görülen geçmiş zaman) Ben dün bunu dedim. — I said this yesterday. | Person | Affirmative | Negative | Question | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Ben | dedim | demedim | dedim mi? | | Sen | dedin | demedin | dedin mi? | | O | dedi | demedi | dedi mi? | | Biz | dedik | demedik | dedik mi? | | Siz | dediniz | demediniz | dediniz mi? | | Onlar | dediler | demediler | dediler mi? | [Practice demek in simple past](https://turkce-trainer.com/en/practice/conjugation?verb=demek&tense=simple-past&returnTo=%2Fen%2Fverbs%2Fdemek) ## Future (Gelecek zaman) Ben yarın aynı şeyi diyeceğim. — I will say the same thing tomorrow. | Person | Affirmative | Negative | Question | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Ben | diyeceğim | demeyeceğim | diyecek miyim? | | Sen | diyeceksin | demeyeceksin | diyecek misin? | | O | diyecek | demeyecek | diyecek mi? | | Biz | diyeceğiz | demeyeceğiz | diyecek miyiz? | | Siz | diyeceksiniz | demeyeceksiniz | diyecek misiniz? | | Onlar | diyecekler | demeyecekler | diyecekler mi? | [Practice demek in future tense](https://turkce-trainer.com/en/practice/conjugation?verb=demek&tense=future&returnTo=%2Fen%2Fverbs%2Fdemek) ## Aorist (Geniş zaman) Ben genelde böyle derim. — I usually say it like this. | Person | Affirmative | Negative | Question | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Ben | derim | demem | der miyim? | | Sen | dersin | demezsin | der misin? | | O | der | demez | der mi? | | Biz | deriz | demeyiz | der miyiz? | | Siz | dersiniz | demezsiniz | der misiniz? | | Onlar | derler | demezler | derler mi? | [Practice demek in aorist](https://turkce-trainer.com/en/practice/conjugation?verb=demek&tense=aorist&returnTo=%2Fen%2Fverbs%2Fdemek) ## Reported Past (Duyulan geçmiş zaman) O galiba bunu demiş. — Apparently, he/she said this. | Person | Affirmative | Negative | Question | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Ben | demişim | dememişim | demiş miyim? | | Sen | demişsin | dememişsin | demiş misin? | | O | demiş | dememiş | demiş mi? | | Biz | demişiz | dememişiz | demiş miyiz? | | Siz | demişsiniz | dememişsiniz | demiş misiniz? | | Onlar | demişler | dememişler | demişler mi? | [Practice demek in reported past](https://turkce-trainer.com/en/practice/conjugation?verb=demek&tense=reported-past&returnTo=%2Fen%2Fverbs%2Fdemek) ## Other finite forms These forms still behave like verb forms in clauses: commands, condition, necessity, wish, ability, and inability. | Form type | Form | Example sentence | Meaning | Use | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Informal | de | De. | Say de when speaking directly to one person. | Direct command form. | | Polite / plural | deyin | Deyin. | Say deyin when being polite or speaking to more than one person. | Direct command form. | | Negative | deme | Deme. | deme means "do not say." | Direct command form. | | Conditional | dersem | Dersem, haber veririm. | If I say, I will let you know. | Finite if-form; changes by person. | | Necessitative | demeliyim | Demeliyim. | I should say. | Obligation or strong advice. | | Optative | diyeyim | Diyeyim. | Let me say. | Wish, suggestion, or let-me form. | | Ability | diyebilirim | Diyebilirim. | I can say. | Can do the action. | | Inability | diyemem | Diyemem. | I cannot say. | Cannot do the action. | ## Derived verb forms Derived forms extend the base action, for example through negation, ability, or inability. | Form type | Form | Example sentence | Meaning | Use | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Negative infinitive | dememek | Bugün dememek daha iyi. | It is better not to say today. | Negates the action as an infinitive. | | Ability infinitive | diyebilmek | Diyebilmek istiyorum. | I want to be able to say. | Ability form as a dictionary/infinitive form. | | Inability infinitive | diyememek | Diyememek zor. | Being unable to say is hard. | Inability form as an infinitive. | ## Non-finite forms These forms act more like nouns, adjectives, or modifiers than full tense forms. | Form type | Form | Example sentence | Meaning | Use | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Infinitive | demek | Demek istiyorum. | I want to say. | Dictionary form of the verb. | | Verbal noun | deme | Deme kolay değil. | saying is not easy. | Noun-like action form. | | Agent participle | diyen | Diyen kişi bekledi. | The person who says waited. | Adjective-like form: the person who does the action. | | Future participle | diyecek | Diyecek zamanım var. | I have time to say. | Adjective/noun-like future form. | | Past participle | demiş | Demiş gibi görünüyor. | It looks as if someone has sayed. | Adjective-like completed form. | ## FAQ ### What does demek mean in Turkish? demek means "to say / to mean". demek means ‘to say’ and also ‘to mean’. Like yemek, it changes de- to di- before -yor: diyorum. ### How do you say "I am saying" with demek in Turkish? "I am saying" with demek is usually diyorum. ### What is the past tense of demek? The first-person simple past form is dedim. The table also shows negative forms and questions. ### What demek forms should I learn first? Start with the first-person forms: diyorum, dedim, diyeceğim, derim, demişim. Then practice affirmative, negative, and question forms for all persons. ### How do you say "say!" in Turkish? The direct command is de. The polite or plural command is deyin. ### Where can I practice demek conjugations? Open demek practice to actively build the forms and get instant feedback. ## Practice [Practice demek](https://turkce-trainer.com/en/practice/conjugation?verb=demek&returnTo=%2Fen%2Fverbs%2Fdemek) ## Related verbs [söylemek](https://turkce-trainer.com/en/verbs/soylemek) [vermek](https://turkce-trainer.com/en/verbs/vermek) [almak](https://turkce-trainer.com/en/verbs/almak) [anlamak](https://turkce-trainer.com/en/verbs/anlamak) [anlatmak](https://turkce-trainer.com/en/verbs/anlatmak) [beklemek](https://turkce-trainer.com/en/verbs/beklemek)