What is happening now

What you will practice

• Choose iyor, ıyor, uyor, or üyor from the last vowel.
• Soften t to d in gidiyorum, and drop a stem-final vowel.
• Form the negative without that softening.

Explanation

The ending

What is happening now uses -iyor, -ıyor, -uyor, or -üyor. The vowel before yor follows the last vowel of the stem. gelmek has e, so “I am coming” is geliyorum. A back unrounded vowel gives -ıyor: bakıyorum, “I am looking.” The k of bak- stays. Rounded vowels give -uyor and -üyor: okuyorum, “I am reading,” and görüyorum, “I am seeing.” “I” after yor is -um, because that syllable has o.

Two changes

Two changes are easy to miss. gitmek ends in t, and -iyor begins with a vowel, so t becomes d: gidiyorum, “I am going.” Keeping the t is the wrong spelling. A stem that ends in a vowel drops that vowel, and the dropped vowel still chooses the harmony. yemek drops e and becomes yiyorum, “I am eating.” istemek drops e as well: istiyorum, “I want.” Both keep i.

The negative

Negation inserts -me or -ma before -yor, and that vowel is dropped. A front stem takes -me: gelmiyorum, “I am not coming.” A back stem takes -ma: bakmıyorum, “I am not looking.” The negative begins with a consonant, so it blocks the softening in gitmek. “I am not going” is gitmiyorum, with t. The question particle follows yor, so it is mu: Geliyor musun?, “Are you coming?”

Examples

1. Geliyorum.I am coming.
2. Gidiyorum.I am going.
3. Yiyorum.I am eating.
4. İstiyorum.I want.
5. Gelmiyorum.I am not coming.

Common mistakes

• demek follows yemek. “I am saying” is diyorum.
• Save gidiyorum for the positive. The negative is gitmiyorum.