Understanding Türkçe Verbs - Infinitive Form
In Türkçe, verbs in their basic form are called infinitives. These are like the root or the main form of the verb before we change them to show who is doing the action or when it happens.
Important Points
- Infinitives are used to express actions in a general sense.
- They are like saying 'to eat' or 'to play' in English.
- Infinitives do not show tense or who is doing the action.
- They are often used after certain verbs, nouns, and adjectives.
To understand infinitives better, think of them as the name of the action. For example, 'yemek' means 'to eat' and 'koşmak' means 'to run'.
Examples
- Ben yemek istiyorum. (I want to eat.)
- O koşmak için hazır. (He is ready to run.)
- Biz oynamak istiyoruz. (We want to play.)
When you see a Türkçe verb ending in '-mek' or '-mak', you are looking at its infinitive form. This form is important because it's the starting point for making other forms of the verb.
Important Points
- Use '-mek' or '-mak' based on vowel harmony rules.
- If the last vowel in the verb root is 'e' or 'i', use '-mek'.
- If the last vowel in the verb root is 'a' or 'ı', use '-mak'.
Vowel harmony is an important rule in Türkçe. It helps decide whether to use '-mek' or '-mak'. This makes speaking and understanding Türkçe easier and more natural.
Examples
- Gitmek (to go) - The last vowel 'i' takes '-mek'.
- Yazmak (to write) - The last vowel 'a' takes '-mak'.
- Görmek (to see) - The last vowel 'ö' takes '-mek'.