Turkish word order
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Sign up for freeThe word order in Turkish is flexible. One sentence can be written in different word orders.
Lesson outline
Hide- 1.Flexible word order
- 1.1. Example: ‘Melis eve geldi'. (Melis came home):
- 2.Neutral word order
- 2.1.Example table
- 3.Omission of personal pronouns
- 3.1.Examples
- 4.The position of adverbs
- 4.1.Adverbs of manner
- 4.1.1.Examples
- 4.2.Adverbs of place
- 4.2.1.Examples
- 4.3.Adverbs of time
- 4.3.1.Examples
- 5.Exercises
- 5.1.Fill in the blanks exercise on the Turkish word order
Flexible word order
In Turkish, one sentence can be written in different word orders. All of the sentences below have the same meaning but the placement of the stress is different. The first sentence shows the neutral word order (subject-object-verb) and the stress is on ‘eve’.
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ERSEL B. 
Abdullah O.
Samet B.
Su G.
Serkan K.
Asya B.
Özlem V.
Gül P.
Hilal K.
Melisa I. 
Example: ‘Melis eve geldi'. (Melis came home):
- Melis eve geldi. (Melis- home -came)
- Melis geldi eve. (Melis -came -home)
- Eve Melis geldi. (Home – Melis – came)
- Eve geldi Melis. (Home – came -Melis)
- Geldi Melis eve. (Came- Melis – home)
- Geldi eve Melis. (Came – home -Melis)
Neutral word order
The most common word order that is used in the Turkish sentences is: 'Subject - Object - Verb' Generally, the verb takes a place at the end, but it can be anywhere in the sentence.
Subject + Object + Verb
- Subject: who performs the action
- Object: words that show a place, time etc.
- Verb: with the personal and tense suffixes
Example table
| Subject | Object | Verb | Turkish sentence with neutral word order | Translation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ben (I am) | kitap (a book) | okuyorum (reading) | Ben kitap okuyorum. | I am reading a book. |
| Sen (You) | bugün (today)kahve (coffee) | içmedin (didn't drink) | Sen bugün kahve içmedin. | You didn't drink coffee today. |
Omission of personal pronouns
The Turkish personal pronouns are generally omitted because the person is mentioned in the adjective declension or the verb conjugation.
Examples
- Biz mutluyuz. = Mutluyuz. (We are happy.)
- Sen beni arıyorsun. = Beni arıyorsun. (You are calling me.)
The position of adverbs
1. Adverbs of manner
Adverbs of manner are the words that show how the act is done and usually placed before the verb.
Examples
- Sen hızlı koşuyorsun. (You are running fast.)
- Soruları zekice cevapladı. (He answered the questions cleverly.)
2. Adverbs of place
Adverbs of place are generally placed before the verb. Unlike adverbs of manner, adverbs of place can take place in different parts of a sentence.
Examples
- Annem içeride bekliyor. (My mother is waiting inside.)
- İçeride annem bekliyor. (My mother is waiting inside.)
3.Adverbs of time
Adverbs of time usually placed at the beginning if the subject does not used in the sentence.
Examples
- (Ben) Her sabah süt içiyorum. (I am drinking milk every morning.)
- (O) Yarın İzmir'e gidecek. (She will go to İzmir tomorrow.)