To be in the present: the predicate suffixes
Turkish has no separate word for “am / is / are” in the present. Instead, a personal suffix goes on the noun or adjective: yorgunum (I am tired), öğrencisin (you are a student).
| Person | Suffix | Example (yorgun = tired) | Example (öğrenci = student) |
|---|---|---|---|
| ben (I) | -(y)ım / -(y)im | yorgunum (I am tired) | öğrenciyim (I am a student) |
| sen (you) | -sın / -sin | yorgunsun (you are tired) | öğrencisin |
| o (he / she / it) | — | yorgun (he is tired) | öğrenci (she is a student) |
| biz (we) | -(y)ız / -(y)iz | yorgunuz | öğrenciyiz |
| siz (you, plural / formal) | -sınız / -siniz | yorgunsunuz | öğrencisiniz |
| onlar (they) | (-lar / -ler) | yorgun(lar) | öğrenci(ler) |
What is different from English?
- There is no word for “am / is / are”; the suffix does the job, and the pronoun is often dropped: *Yorgunum* (I'm tired).
- There is no article: *Öğretmenim* (I am a teacher).
- After a vowel, *ben* and *biz* need a buffer -y-: *hastayım*, *iyiyiz*.
- For he / she / it there is usually no ending at all: *Ali doktor* (Ali is a doctor); *-ler* for “they” is optional.
Examples
- Ben bugün çok yorgunum.I am very tired today.
- Sen çok iyisin.You are very kind.
- Biz şimdi hazırız.We are ready now.
- Onlar bugün evdeler.They are at home today.
- Siz öğretmen misiniz?Are you a teacher? (formal)
Common mistakes
- ✗ Sen hasta.✓ Sen hastasın.English needs “are” in “you are ill”; Turkish needs the suffix instead: hastasın.
- ✗ Ben Amerikalıyim.✓ Ben Amerikalıyım.The suffix follows vowel harmony: after the ı of Amerikalı it is -yım, not -yim.
- ✗ Biz hastaız.✓ Biz hastayız.After a vowel the suffix needs a buffer -y-: hasta-y-ız.
- ✗ Siz çok naziksin.✓ Siz çok naziksiniz.English uses “you” for one or many people; Turkish siz (plural or polite) needs its own ending -siniz.
- ✗ O soğuk. (= it is cold, the weather)✓ Hava soğuk. (= it is cold, the weather)English needs the dummy subject “it”; Turkish names the weather (hava) or uses no subject, since o means “he / she / that”.