Turkish grammar: olumsuz cümleler

What this grammar point covers

Negative sentences in Turkish are sentences where you say that something does not happen or is not true. To make a sentence negative, you usually add a special suffix or word.

When to use it

Use negative sentences in Turkish when you want to say that something does not happen, does not exist, or is not true. For example, when refusing, denying, or correcting information.

Key forms

• Verb + -me/-ma (for present and past tense): Yemek yemiyorum.
• Verb + -miyor/-mıyor/-muyor/-müyor (present continuous): Gelmiyor.
• Verb + -medi/-madı (past tense): Gitmedi.
• 'değil' after nouns and adjectives: Öğrenci değilim.

Examples

Tips

• Remember to use the correct negative suffix (-me/-ma) with the verb stem.
• For nouns and adjectives, use 'değil' to make the sentence negative.
• The negative suffix comes before the tense/person ending.

Exceptions and edge cases

• Some verbs have irregular negative forms, like 'var' (there is) becomes 'yok' (there isn't).