Present Tense
Info
Chapter 3d:
Modal Verbs
Intro
Turkish has different ways of expressing verbs, just like English. Turkish uses aglutinnation to add moods to verbs. These moods are used to describe hypothetical situations, such as wanting to do something, being able to do something, or being allowed to do something. There are two main modal affixes, as most other modal situations can be described by verbs in the normal infinitive.
Ability
Being able to do something can be indicated by the affix -bilir-. In english, this can refer to the modal verbs 'can' and 'could'. It may also refer to the modal "may"
| Person: | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | -bilirim | -biliriz |
| 2nd | -bilirsin | -bilirsiniz |
| 3rd | -bilir | -bilir |
Here are some examples:
| Language: | Root: | First Person | Second Person | Third Person | Plural |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Turkish | gitmek | gidebilirim | gidebilirsin | gidebilir | gidebiliriz |
| English | to go | I can go | you can go | can go | we can go |
| Language: | Root: | First Person | Second Person | Third Person | Plural |
| Turkish | dinlenmek | dinlenebilirim | dinlenebilirsin | dinlenebilir | dinlenebiliriz |
| English | to rest | I can rest | you can rest | can rest | we can rest |
Note the vowel harmony AND consonant assimilation which occurs within each of the examples.
Şimdi eve
You all can go
Cumartesi günü
I can sleep
Pratik
They can
Combining the ability modal with past tense yields a combined result. See this table for examples.
| Language: | Root: | First Person | Second Person | Third Person | Plural |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Turkish | söylemek | söyleyebilirdim | söyleyebilirdin | söyleyebilirdi | söyleyebilirdik |
| English | to say | I could have said | you could have said | could have said | we could have said |
Obligation
Being obligated to do something can be indicated by the affix -meli-/-malı-. In english, this can refer to the modal verbs 'shall' and 'should'. It may also refer to the modal "must"
| Person: | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | -meliyim | -meliyiz |
| 2nd | -melisin | -melisiniz |
| 3rd | -meli | -meli |
Here are some examples:
| Language: | Root: | First Person | Second Person | Third Person | Plural |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Turkish | almak | almalıyım | almalısın | almalı | almalıyız |
| English | to buy | I should buy | you should buy | should buy | we should buy |
| Language: | Root: | First Person | Second Person | Third Person | Plural |
| Turkish | vermek | vermeliyim | vermelisin | vermeli | vermeliyiz |
| English | to give | I should give | you should give | should give | we should give |
Note the vowel harmony AND consonant assimilation which occurs within each of the examples.
Okula
I should go
Bu dizi
You should watch
Meyve
You all should eat