In Turkish, verbs in their dictionary form end with -mak or -mek. To conjugate them, you drop this ending and use the Stem.
Infinitive | Verb Stem | English Meaning | Usage Example |
Olmak | Ol | To be / To become | Mutlu ol (Be happy) |
Yapmak | Yap | To do / To make | Ödev yap (Do homework) |
Gitmek | Git | To go | Okula git (Go to school) |
Gelmek | Gel | To come | Buraya gel (Come here) |
Söylemek | Söyle | To say / To tell | Yalan söyleme (Don't tell lies) |
Demek | De | To say | Ne dedi? (What did he say?) |
Görmek | Gör | To see | Seni gördüm (I saw you) |
Bakmak | Bak | To look | Bana bak (Look at me) |
Bilmek | Bil | To know | Biliyorum (I know) |
Düşünmek | Düşün | To think | Çok düşünme (Don't think too much) |
Almak | Al | To take / To buy | Elma al (Buy apples) |
Vermek | Ver | To give | Cevap ver (Give an answer) |
Yazmak | Yaz | To write | Kitap yaz (Write a book) |
Okumak | Oku | To read | Gazete oku (Read the newspaper) |
Çalışmak | Çalış | To work / To study | Ders çalış (Study lessons) |
Anlamak | Anla | To understand | Anladım (I understood) |
İstemek | İste | To want | Çay istiyorum (I want tea) |
Başlamak | Başla | To start | Derse başla (Start the lesson) |
Bitmek | Bit | To end / To finish | Film bitti (The movie finished) |
Yemek | Ye | To eat | Yemek ye (Eat food) |
İçmek | İç | To drink | Su iç (Drink water) |
Quick Tips for English Speakers:
The "To be" Verb: Unlike English, where "am/is/are" are separate words, in Turkish, Olmak is mostly used for "to become" or in complex tenses. For "I am," we usually use personal suffixes (e.g., Öğrenciyim = I am a student).
The Power of "Yapmak": Just like "Do" in English, you can combine Yapmak with many nouns to create actions:
Spor yapmak (To do sports).
Makyaj yapmak (To do makeup).
Hata yapmak (To make a mistake).
Vowel Harmony: Remember to check the last vowel of the stem before adding suffixes (like -iyor, -ecek, or -di).