Turkish sentence structure and phrases

The word order in Turkish is flexible. The most common word order that is used in the Turkish sentences is: 'Subject - Object - Verb' . So, the subject is generally used at the beginning and the verb at the end.

Turkish word order

In Turkish, one sentence can be written in different word orders. The most common word order that is used in the Turkish sentences is: 'Subject - Object - Verb' .

Subject + Object + Verb

Examples

• Onlar eve geldi. (They came home.)
• Annem seni arıyor. (My mother is calling you.)

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Irada I.

Rukiye Y.

BILAL Y.

Ahmet G.

Merve A.

GULAY I.

Pelin C.

Hakan Y.

Ercan S.

ERSEL B.

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Negatives in Turkish

A negative sentence defines that something is incorrect. Different words are used to express the negative in Turkish: 'değil' (not), yok (there is/are not) and the suffix -me or -ma

Examples

• Okulda değilim. ( I am not at school.)
• Kitaplar burada yok. (There aren't books here.)
• Biz İspanya'ya gitmedik.(We didn't go to Spain.)

Conditionals in Turkish

Conditional sentences are formed by adding the word 'eğer' (if) to the beginning of the sentence and the suffixes -(y)se/-(y)sa to the verb root. The word 'eğer' can be omitted because the suffix -(y)se gives the same meaning.

Verb root + tense + 'if+personal suffix'

Examples

• (Eğer) gelirsem sana haber vereceğim. (If I come, I will let you know.)
• (Eğer) öğrenirsen, bana da öğreteceksin. ( If you learn, you will teach me.)

Conjunctions in Turkish

Conjunctions are the linking words that are used to connect words, phrases or sentences. The main Turkish conjunctions are : ve/ile (and), çünkü (because), de (and/too/but), veya (or), bu yüzden (so)...

Examples

• Cumartesi ve pazar boşum. (I am free on Saturday and Sunday.)
• Erken gelemedi çünkü trafik vardı. (She could't come early because there was traffic.)