In this lesson we will focus on the construction of the present continuous in Turkish. This tense is widely used also to express the simple present tense which has however a different pattern.It will be the subject of a specific lesson.
In this conversation between a doctor and a patient you can practice on more common used expressions.
- Buyurun efendim. Hoş geldiniz. : Welcome.Please come in.
- Hoş bulduk doktor bey.: Thanks doctor.
- Neyiniz var? hasta mısınız? : Are you sick?
- Biraz hastayım.: I am not very well.
- Mesleğiniz ne?: What ıs your profession/job?
- Sekreterim.: I am a secretary
- Çok mu çalışıyorsunuz? Çok yoruluyor musunuz?: Do you work hard? Do you get tired a lot? -
- Evet çok çalışıyorum ama çok yorulmuyorum,çünkü işimi seviyorum.: Yes I work hard but I don't get tired very much as I love my job.
- Yorgun gorünüyorsunuz. Size bır tablet veriyorum. Günde üç tane alın. Bir kahvaltıdan önce, bir öğlen yemeğinden önce ve bir tane akşam yemeğinden önce: You look tired.I will prescribe you pills.Take one three times a day.Take one befor breakfast, one before lunch and ine before dinner.
- Buralarda eczane var mı? : Is there a pharmacy nearby?
- Evet,biraz ileride sağ tarafta köşede büyük bir eczane var.: Yes there is a big one few steps away, in the corner on the right side.
- Çok teşekkür ederim.Borcum ne kadar?: Thanks a lot. How much do I owe?
- Yirmi milyon lira: Twenty million Turkish Lira.
- Buyurun. Hoşçakalın.: Here they are. Goodbye.
- Teşekkür ederim, güle güle.: Thank you. Bye
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~GRAMMATICAL NOTES - ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In Turkish there are two different forms of present tense.The " actual present" known also as " Şimdiki zaman" and the general present known as " Geniş zaman" We are going to focus now on the " Şimdiki zaman", wich corresponds to the english " present continuous" and expresses actions still ongoing while talking about it, or accomplished as an habitude.
The " Şimdiki zaman" is obtained by taking the root of the infinitive and adding appropriate suffixes as follows:
Example: ALMAK - TO TAKE
AFFIRMATIVE FORM:
(personal suffixes)
BASE (infinitive root) + ( İ - Ü - U - I) + YOR + UM (1st person sing)
SUN ( 2nd person sing)
----- ( 3rd person sing)
UZ ( 1st person plur)
SUNUZ ( 2nd person plur)
LAR ( 3rd person plur)
In the case of the verb ALMAK the present continuous tense is conjugated as follow
(Remeber that the infinitive root is obtained by removing the suffix MEK- MAK from the tense.)
BASE: AL
I AM TAKING : AL + I + YOR + UM ALIYORUM
YOU ARE TAKING : AL + I + YOR + SUN ALIYORSUN
HE/SHE IS TAKING: AL + I + YOR ALIYOR
WE ARE TAKING: AL + I + YOR + UZ ALIYORUZ
YOU ARE TAKING: AL + I + YOR + SUNUZ ALIYORSUNUZ
THEY ARE TAKING: AL + I + YOR + LAR ALIYORLAR
Note: The choose of the second suffix ( ( İ - Ü - U - I) is not casual but goes by the rule of the vocal harmony. If the infinitive ends in -MAK the second suffix is one between I or U, depending on the dominant vowel of the root.
In this case ALMAK has AL as root and its dominant vowel is A. The second suffix to add will therefore be I.
Let's consider a new exemple: OLMAK (TO BECOME)
The infinitive ends in -MAK but the root OL has " o " as dominant vowel.In this case the second suffix to add will be U
Hence in the case of OLMAK the present continuous tense will be conjugated as follow:
OLUYORUM - OLUYORSUN - OLUYOR - OLUYORUZ - OLUYORSUNUZ - OLUYORLAR
NEGATIVE FORM
The negative form is obtaine by adding the suffix " M " between the root and the suffixes - IYOR, İYOR, UYOR, ÜYOR
BASE (infinitive root) + M + ( İ - Ü - U - I) + YOR +UM (1st person sing)
SUN ( 2nd person sing)
----- ( 3rd person sing)
UZ ( 1st person plur)
SUNUZ ( 2nd person plur)
LAR/LER ( 3rd person plur)
Examples:
I AM NOT TAKING : ALMIYORUM
YOU ARE NOT TAKING : ALMIYORSUN
...........
INTERROGATIVE FORM.
Is obtained by adding the suffix MU, MI, Mİ before the personal suffix as follows:
BASE (infinitive root) + ( İ - Ü - U - I) + YOR + ( MU) YUM (1st person sing)
( MU ) SUN ( 2nd person sing)
( MU) ----- ( 3rd person sing)
(MU ) YUZ ( 1st person plur)
( MU ) SUNUZ ( 2nd person plur)
LAR/LER + (MI -Mİ) ? ( 3rd person plur)
Example: GİRMEK ( TO ENTER)
BASE: GİR
PRESENT CONTINUOUS -AFFIRMATIVE FORM - 3rd PERSON : GİRİYOR
I AM ENTERING : GİRİYORUM
AM I ENTERING? GİRİYOR MUYUM? (dominant/final vovel: O - Suffix to add: MU)
NEGATIVE INTERROGATIVE FORM
Likewise the negative form.
BASE (infinitive root) + M + ( İ - Ü - U - I) + YOR + ( MU) YUM(1st person sing)
SUN ( 2nd person sing)
----- ( 3rd person sing)
YUZ ( 1st person plur)
SUNUZ ( 2nd person plur)
LAR/LER + (MI - Mİ) ? ( 3rd person plur)
Example: I am not going?
GİT+M+İYOR+MUYUM? GİTMİYORMUYUM?
However there is a way to express the present continuous by using the suffixes -mekte -
-makta attaching them to the infinitive stems.
This pattern is used in more formal context.
Let's make the concept clear with a couple of examples:
He is coming: O gelmekte(dir)
We are speaking: Konuşmaktayız.
As you may note the suffixes -mekte -makta depends on the infinitive ends (-mek or -mak) and are chosen accordingly.
The personal suffixes have to be attached to -mekte -makta to conjugate the tense.
The negative form is obtained by using the negative particles -me -ma attached to the infinitive stem and preceding the suffiffixes -mekte -makta respectively.
Examples:
I am not coming: gelmemekteyim
DRILL: CONJUGATE THE FOLLOWING VERBS IN PRESENT CONTINUOUS IN ALL THE FORMS WE HAVE APPROACHED IN THIS LESSON:
ÖLMEK : TO DIE
YAZMAK: TO WRITE
GÜLMEK: TO LAUGH
Hey ! Nice effort. but i am so confused. this is present continuous tense right??? but sometimes i see this suffix used for simple present tense . why is that so???
ReplyDeleteYe, you are quite right but keep in mind that in Turkish there is another form of simple present (genis zaman) that corresponds to the English simple present in terms of meaning. Altough the Turks use this form as "simple present", it would be more correct to say that this tense expresses an action in progress. Simple present tense in English normally uses adverbs such as usually,always etc. In Turkish this tense corresponds to "Genis zaman".
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