Negatives in Turkish
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Sign up for freeA negative sentence defines that something is incorrect. Different words are used to express the negative in Turkish.
Lesson outline
Hide1. Değil 'not'
The word 'değil' is used to make a noun or adjective negative. A different suffix is added to the word 'değil' for each personal pronoun.
| 'değil' | 'not' | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Ben ... değilim. | I am not... | Ben hasta değilim. (I am not ill.) |
| Sen ... değilsin. | You are not... | Sen hasta değilsin. (You are not ill.) |
| O ...değil. | He/she/it is not... | O hasta değil. (He/she/it is not ill.) |
| Biz ... değiliz. | We are not... | Biz hasta değiliz. (We are not ill.) |
| Siz ... değilsiniz. | You are not... | Siz hasta değilsiniz. (You are not ill.) |
| Onlar ... değiller. | They are not... | Onlar hasta değiller. (They are not ill.) |
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Gul O. 
Cagla B.
Sinan Ç.
Samet T.
Elena A. 
Yakup Cumhur C.
Gizem B.
Damla Deniz T.
Ayça K.
Begüm B.
2. Var/yok 'there is/ there is not'
The words 'var' and 'yok' are used to explain the presence and absence of things.
Example table
| Var (there is/are) | Yok (there isn't/aren't) |
|---|---|
| İçeride bir kedi var. (There is a cat inside.) | İçeride bir kedi yok. (There isn't a cat inside.) |
| Burada kitaplar var. (There are books here.) | Burada kitaplar yok. (There aren't books here.) |
The words 'var/yok' are also used to express the verb 'have/not have'.
| Var (have/has) | Yok (not have/ not has) |
|---|---|
| İki kedim var. (I have two cats.) | İki kedim yok. (I don't have two cats.) |
| Onun evi var. (She has a house.) | Onun evi yok. (She doesn't have a house.) |
The word 'değil' can be used as 'yok' in the sentences that the subject is definite.
- Ayşe içeride değil. = Ayşe içeride yok. (Ayşe is not inside.)
- Ahmet okulda değil. = Ahmet okulda yok. (Ahmet is not in school.)
3. -me/-ma (negatives of verbs)
The negative form of verbs are formed by adding the suffix -me or -ma after the verb root according to the last vowel of the verb root.
| Last vowel of the verb root -> | -a, -ı, -o, -u | -e, -i, -ö, -ü |
|---|---|---|
| Add the suffix -> | -ma | -me |
Examples
- okumak (to read): Ben kitap okumadım. -> I didn't read the book.
- yüzmek (to swim): Biz denizde yüzmedik. -> We didn't swim in the sea.
Exercises
- Multiple choice exercise on the negatives in Turkish
- Fill in the blanks exercise about the negatives in Turkish
Multiple choice exercise on the negatives in Turkish
Fill in the blanks exercise about the negatives in Turkish
Exercises
- Multiple choice exercise on the negatives in Turkish
- Fill in the blanks exercise about the negatives in Turkish