Lesson 13-Section1 (negative suffix)
Negative Suffixes in the Turkish Present Continuous Tense
In Turkish, the negative suffixes for the present continuous tense are -mı-, -mi-, -mu-, -mü-. These suffixes are added to the verb root, and their form changes according to the last vowel of the verb root, following the rules of major vowel harmony:
- For back vowels (a, ı, o, u): use -mı- or -mu-.
- For front vowels (e, i, ö, ü): use -mi- or -mü-.
Usage
The negative suffix comes before the present continuous tense suffix -yor. After adding the suffix, the auxiliary word “not” (like “değil”) is not needed because negation is expressed directly through the suffix.
Table of Examples
| Verb (Root) | Positive | Negative | English Translation |
|---|---|---|---|
| sev (to love) | seviyor (he/she is loving) | sevmiyor (he/she is not loving) | Positive: He is loving. Negative: He is not loving. |
| bak (to look) | bakıyor (he/she is looking) | bakmıyor (he/she is not looking) | Positive: He is looking. Negative: He is not looking. |
| iç (to drink) | içiyor (he/she is drinking) | içmiyor (he/she is not drinking) | Positive: He is drinking. Negative: He is not drinking. |
| gör (to see) | görüyor (he/she is seeing) | görmüyor (he/she is not seeing) | Positive: He is seeing. Negative: He is not seeing. |
| gül (to smile) | gülüyor (he/she is smiling) | gülmüyor (he/she is not smiling) | Positive: He is smiling. Negative: He is not smiling. |
In Turkish, “Ben seviyorum” and “Seviyorum” mean the same thing. However, in daily use, people rarely say “ben” unless they want to emphasize or contrast the subject. Instead, the conjugated verb alone is enough to convey the message.
| Fiil (Verb) | Ben (Positive) | Ben (Negative) | Sen (Positive) | Sen (Negative) | English Translation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| sev (love) | seviyorum (I am loving) | sevmiyorum (I am not loving) | seviyorsun (You are loving) | sevmiyorsun (You are not loving) | Positive: I/You am/are loving. Negative: I/You am/are not loving. |
| bak (look) | bakıyorum (I am looking) | bakmıyorum (I am not looking) | bakıyorsun (You are looking) | bakmıyorsun (You are not looking) | Positive: I/You am/are looking. Negative: I/You am/are not looking. |
| iç (drink) | içiyorum (I am drinking) | içmiyorum (I am not drinking) | içiyorsun (You are drinking) | içmiyorsun (You are not drinking) | Positive: I/You am/are drinking. Negative: I/You am/are not drinking. |
| gör (see) | görüyorum (I am seeing) | görmüyorum (I am not seeing) | görüyorsun (You are seeing) | görmüyorsun (You are not seeing) | Positive: I/You am/are seeing. Negative: I/You am/are not seeing. |
| gül (smile) | gülüyorum (I am smiling) | gülmüyorum (I am not smiling) | gülüyorsun (You are smiling) | gülmüyorsun (You are not smiling) | Positive: I/You am/are smiling. Negative: I/You am/are not smiling. |