The Simple Present Tense - Positive
Also known as the Aorist Tense
This tense is known as the Wide Tense (Geniş Zaman) Tense in Grammatical Terms it signifies an unbounded time situation. In Turkish it is called Geniş Zaman - The Wide Tense
It is also considered as a Gentle Tense and is used as a Polite Imperative or Polite Request
The Three uses of the Simple Present (Wide Tense (Geniş Zaman)) are as follows:
(1) Habitual Action
This tense is used where verbs are required to signify a timeless situation in meaning:
- Her gun denizde yüzerim. - I swim in the sea every day.
- Ayşe hanım dondurmayı cok sever. - Miss Ayshe likes ice cream a lot.
- Her gece eve dönerim. - I come back home every night.
- Her gün düzenli olarak traş olur. - He shaves regularly each day.
- Genelikle et yeriz. - Generally we eat meat.
- Her hafta sonunda futbol oynarlar. - They play football every weekend.
In the sentences above there is no indication of future, past or present time. The tense then is used to denote action that is habitual or ongoing.
Thanks to Nurcan Akaltun Çiftçi for corrections to the above section - JG - May 2008.
(2) Consent or Willingness
The tense also shows consent or willingness.
- Kapıyı açar mısınız? - Would you open the door please? - a polite request.
- Buna bakar mısınız?Would you look at this please - a polite command.
- Evet, onu yaparım. - Yes, I will do the job - a willing consent.
In Turkish - would you..? and please.. - are not translated as it is inherent within the tense itself. This tense is a polite tense.
Some Examples - The Polite Tense
The Polite Command
- Bakar mısınız? - Would you look, please?
This is the polite way to get attention of a waiter or any person. It is similar to the Welsh - Look you? - in that it is not rude.
The Polite Request
- Bir çay rica ederim - A tea, please - Lit: I request a tea.
- Pencereyi kapatır mısınız? - Would you close the window, please?
The Polite Consent
- Ben onu yaparım - I'll do it.
This is a nice way of accepting the responsibility of something.
(3) Uncertain - Timeless - Future
The Simple Present is also used for future events which are not timed.
- Saatin altında seni beklerim - I'll be waiting under the clock for you.
- İki gecelik bir oda tutarız (alırız) - We will take a room for two nights.
- Parkın yanındaki bankayı tabii ki bulursunuz - You'll find the bank all right, next to the Park.
- Yarın ofiste buluşuruz - We'll see each other in the office tomorrow.
Formation of the Simple Present - Positive
The Tense Sign is -r
Single Syllable Verbs
For verbs of one syllable which end in a consonant - the positive tense sign is -ar or -er. There are some exceptions to this general rule. This tense is the only one which shows some irregularity in its formation.
Exceptons to Single Syllable Verbs
Some 13 single syllable verbs take the tense sign as -ir -ır -ür -ur these verbs are listed below.
Multi Syllable Verbs
For verbs consisting of more than one syllable the tense sign is -ir -ır -ür -ur - according to Vowel harmony.
Verb Stems Which end in a vowel
For all verbs ending in a vowel the tense sign is -r-
The Personal suffixes are added to the tense sign to complete the verb in number..
Single Syllable Verb Root ending in a consonant
In this case -ar or -er is added after dropping -mak or -mek
| yapmak |
to do, to make |
kesmek |
to cut |
| yaparım |
I do |
keserim |
I cut |
| yaparsın |
you do |
kesersin |
you cut |
| yapar |
he does |
keser |
he cuts |
| yaparız |
we do |
keseriz |
we cut |
| yaparsınız |
you do |
kesersiniz |
you cut |
| yaparlar |
they do |
keserler |
they cut |
The Five Verbs which Show Consonant Mutation
Remember also that the five verbs that soften their final -t to -d when a vowel is added in the suffix:
| Verb |
Infinitive |
Wide Tense
(Geniş Zaman) |
Tense |
| gitmek |
to go |
gider |
he goes |
| etmek |
to do |
ederim |
I do |
| tatmak |
to taste of |
tadarlar |
they taste of |
| ditmek |
to shred |
didersin |
you shred |
| gütmek |
to nourish |
güderim |
I nourish... |
Exceptions to Single Syllable Verbs
The following 13 single syllable verbs are exceptions in that they form the tense with -ir or -ır or -ur or -ür
| Verb |
Meaning |
Wide Tense
(Geniş Zaman) |
Meaning |
| almak |
to take |
alırım |
I take |
| bilmek |
to know |
bilir |
he knows |
| bulmak |
to find |
bulur |
he finds |
| durmak |
to stop, halt |
dururuz |
we stop |
| gelmek |
to come |
gelirsiniz |
you come |
| görmek |
to see |
görürler |
they see |
| kalmak |
to stay |
kalırım |
I stay |
| olmak |
to become |
olursun |
you become |
| ölmek |
to die |
ölür |
it dies |
| sanmak |
to suppose |
sanırız |
we suppose |
| vermek |
to give |
verirsiniz |
you give |
| varmak |
to arrive |
varırlar |
they arrive |
| vurmak |
to hit |
vururum |
I hit |
Aide Memoir: all the above verb stems - except one - sanmak end in -r or -l.
Verb Stems which end in a Vowel
In this case the Tense sign -r is added after dropping -mak or -mek
Verb
demek |
Conjugation
to say, mean |
Verb
anlamak |
Conjugation
to understand |
| derim |
I say |
anlarım |
I understand |
| dersin |
you say |
anlarsın |
you understand |
| der |
he says |
anlar |
he understands |
| deriz |
we say |
anlarız |
we understand |
| dersiniz |
you say |
anlarsınız |
you understand |
| derler |
they say |
anlarlar |
they understand |
Some examples - the tense sign is -r
- demek - der - to say
- Dünya yuvarlaktır derler - They say the world is round.
- yemek - yer - to eat
- Her gün ekmek yeriz - We eat bread every day.
- beklemek - bekler - to wait
- Her gün köşede beklersiniz, değil mi? - Every day you wait at the corner , don't you?
- söylemek - söyler to speak
- Her zaman "hayır" derler - They say "No" every time.
Multi Syllable Vowels Which end in a Consonant
Verbs consisting of more than one syllable in the verb stem take tense sign -ir -ır -ür -ur according to vowel harmony.
Verb
göndermek |
Conjugation
to send |
Verb
kazanmak |
Conjugation
to win |
| gönderirim |
I send |
kazanırım |
I win |
| gönderirsin |
you send |
kazanırsın |
you win |
| gönderir |
he sends |
kazanır |
he wins |
| göndeririz |
we send |
kazanırız |
we win |
| gönderirsiniz |
you send |
kazanırsınız |
you win |
| gönderirler |
they send |
kazanırlar |
they win |
Some examples - the tense sign is -ir
- kazanabilmek - kazanabilir - to be able to win
- Her hafta Milli Piyango'yu kazanabilirsin - You can win the lottery every week.
- -a tırmanmak - to climb (to, upto)
- Her yıl Nemrut Dağı'na tırmanırız - We climb (to)Mount Nemrut every year.
tırmanmak - to climb (to, upto) - takes a Dative Object in -a or -e as this verb shows "movement towards..."
- götürmek - götürür - to bring
- Mehmet, yemeğini her gün evden götürür - Mehmet, brings his lunch from home every day.
- beğenmek - beğenir - to like, approve
- Türk kahvesini beğenirler - They like Turkish coffee.
Some Turkish Proverbs - Atasözler
Turkish Proverbs are usually written in the Wide Tense (Geniş Zaman) (habitual) Tense. These translations are not literal showing the difficulty of such interpretation from Turkish to English.
- Acele işe, şeytan karışır.
- If you hurry, the devil intervenes.
- Boş çuval ayakta durmaz.
- An empty sack does stand up.
- Çabuk parlayan çabuk söner.
- A flash is quickly extinguished.
- Damlaya damlaya göl olur.
- Lakes form drop by drop.
- Emek ver,kulak ver,bilgi ver, ama hiçbir zaman boş verme.
- Give labour, ear and knowledge, but never give nothing at all.
- Fakirlik ayıp değil tembellik ayıp.
- Poverty is no shame but idleness is.
- Güzel gören güzel düşünür. Güzel düşünen hayattan lezzet alır.
- An observer of beauty thinks of beauty. Those who think beauty taste life.
- Havlayan köpek ısırmaz.
- A barking dog does not bite.
- İyilik eden iyilik bulur.
- Those who do good find goodness themselves.
- Küçük suda büyük balık olmaz.
- There are no big fish in small pools.
- Mum dibine ışık vermez.
- The bottom of a candle sheds no light.
- Ne ekersen onu biçersin.
- You reap what you sow.
- Önce düşün sonra söyle.
- Think first, speak later.
- Sağlam kafa sağlam vücutta bulunur.
- A healthy mind is found in a healthy body.
- Tok iken yemek yiyen, mezarını kendi kazar.
- Those who eat when they are full dig their own grave.
- Yuvarlanan taş yosun tutmaz.
- A rolling stone gathers no moss.
Translation of - used to..
If the past tense endings are added to the Wide Tense (Geniş Zaman) Positive -r verb stem then the meaning is habitual in the past. This translated by - used to ... - in English.
However in Turkish the Simple Present Tense is used with the past tense personal endings habitual in the past :
Some examples
- Sık sık buraya gelirdim.
I used to come here very often
- * Gençken çok gülerdin
You used to laugh a lot when [Lit: while..] you were young.
This is another way of saying:
** Genç olduğun zaman çok gülerdin.
When you were young you used to laugh a lot.
- Kuşadada (Kuşadasında) kalırken her zaman denizde yüzerdi
He always used to swim in the sea when staying at Kuşadası.
Note: Locally people say Kuşadada - in Kuşadası - but gramatically it should be - Kuşadasında - in Kuşadası
- 1950 yılından önce - OR - [1950'den önce] Türkiyede kola içilirdi.
Cocoa-cola used to be drunk in Turkey before 1950.
- Dersler bittikten sonra uzun zaman/süre beni beklerdin.
You always used to wait for me a long time after school finished.
- Tatilde kamp yaparken hep/daima iyi uyurlardı
They always used to sleep very well while on holiday while camping.
We should note that although iken translates as while.. in English, it is very often better to translate it as - "when..", although this is not literally correct [see * and ** above]
