Turkish is a unique and logical language. It is "agglutinative," meaning it adds suffixes to word roots to change their meaning. Here is the fundamental guide to building sentences in Turkish.
1. The Word Order (SOV)
In Turkish, the most important rule is that the verb always goes at the end of the sentence.
The Formula: Subject + Object + Verb.
Example: Ali çay içiyor (Ali is drinking tea).
2. Personal Pronouns
Ben: I
Sen: You (singular)
O: He / She / It
Biz: We
Siz: You (plural or formal)
Onlar: They
3. Negation and Questions
Negation: Add the suffix -ma or -me before the tense marker. (Example: Gitmiyorum - I am not going).
Questions: Use the question particles mı, mi, mu, or mü at the end. (Example: Geliyor musun? - Are you coming?).
4. Essential Question Words
Ne?: What?
Kim?: Who?
Neden?: Why?
Nerede?: Where?
Nasıl?: How?
Ne zaman?: When?
5. Adjectives and Possession
Adjectives: Always placed before the noun. (Example: Büyük bir ev - A big house).
Possession: Suffixes are added to both the owner and the object. (Example: Ali’nin kitabı - Ali’s book).
6. Practical Summary Table
Type | Turkish Sentence | English Meaning |
Positive | Ben çalışıyorum | I am working |
Negative | Ben çalışmıyorum | I am not working |
Question | Çalışıyor musun? | Are you working? |