Imperative Mood in Turkish

In Brief

For an informal command to one person, Turkish normally uses the bare verb stem: gelmek “to come” becomes Gel! “Come!” Use -(y)in with its vowel-harmony variants for formal or plural “you”: Lütfen oturun. “Please sit down.” Put -me/-ma before the ending to make a command negative, and use -sin/-sın/-sun/-sün for “let him/her/it…”: Gitmesin! “Don’t let him/her go!”

Overview

The imperative mood (emir kipi) is the set of verb forms used to tell or ask someone to act. A “mood” is simply a verb pattern that presents an action in a particular way; the imperative presents it as a command, request, warning, direction, or instruction. You meet it in everyday phrases, recipes, signs, software, classrooms, and conversations: Bekle! “Wait!”, Karıştırın. “Stir,” and Buraya tıklayın. “Click here.”

At A2, the beginner rule is compact: remove the dictionary ending -mek/-mak, then use the stem by itself for informal singular “you,” or add a formal/plural ending for siz. Unlike English, Turkish marks in the verb whether the command is aimed at informal singular sen, formal or plural siz, or a third person such as “he,” “she,” or “they.” The subject pronoun is usually omitted because the ending already supplies that information.

Forming the verb is only half of the skill. English can use the same “Sit down” with one friend, several people, or a customer, while Turkish requires a choice between Otur! and Oturun! The bare stem can sound warm and natural among people who use sen, but abrupt in the wrong relationship. Politeness words and softer question forms therefore matter as much as the endings.

How It Works

Find the verb stem

Turkish dictionary forms end in -mek or -mak. Remove that infinitive ending to find the stem (the basic part of the verb that carries its meaning).

Infinitive	Stem	Meaning
gelmek	gel	to come
gitmek	git	to go
oturmak	otur	to sit
beklemek	bekle	to wait
okumak	oku	to read
yazmak	yaz	to write
söylemek	söyle	to say; to tell
dinlemek	dinle	to listen

The basic imperative forms

Turkish has no ordinary first-person imperative. Instead of commanding “I” or “we,” speakers use optative forms meaning “let me…” and “let’s…,” discussed later.

Addressee	Positive pattern	gelmek	Basic meaning
sen — one person, informal	stem	gel	come
o — he, she, it	stem + -sin/-sın/-sun/-sün	gelsin	let him/her/it come
siz — plural or formal	stem + -(y)in/-(y)ın/-(y)un/-(y)ün	gelin	come
onlar — they	stem + -sinler/-sınlar/-sunlar/-sünler	gelsinler	let them come

The ending vowel follows four-way vowel harmony: its vowel matches the last vowel of the stem.

Last vowel in the stem	Ending vowel	Second-person plural/formal	Third-person singular
e, i	i	gelin	gelsin
a, ı	ı	bakın	baksın
o, u	u	oturun	otursun
ö, ü	ü	görün	görsün

Informal singular: use the bare stem

For one person addressed as sen, the positive imperative has no ending:

• Gel! — Come!
• Bak! — Look!
• Dinle! — Listen!
• Oku! — Read!
• Buraya otur. — Sit here.

Because this form is short, intonation and context strongly affect its tone. Gel! can be a sharp order, an urgent warning, or an affectionate “Come on,” depending on how it is said. Adding lütfen “please” helps, but a formal/plural ending is still needed when the relationship calls for siz.

Formal or plural “you”: add -(y)in

Use the same form when speaking to several people or politely to one person. After a consonant, add the appropriate form of -in/-ın/-un/-ün:

• gel + in → gelin — come
• bak + ın → bakın — look
• otur + un → oturun — sit down
• gör + ün → görün — see

After a vowel, insert the buffer consonant y (a linking sound that prevents two vowels from meeting):

• bekle + y + in → bekleyin — wait
• oku + y + un → okuyun — read
• söyle + y + in → söyleyin — say; tell
• yürü + y + ün → yürüyün — walk

A longer form in -(y)iniz/-(y)ınız/-(y)unuz/-(y)ünüz is also possible: geliniz, bekleyiniz, okuyunuz. It sounds more formal, official, or emphatic than the everyday gelin, bekleyin, okuyun, and is common in written instructions and public notices.

Negative commands: add -me/-ma

Put the negative suffix -me/-ma directly after the stem. It follows two-way vowel harmony: use -me after a front vowel (e, i, ö, ü) and -ma after a back vowel (a, ı, o, u).

Addressee	Pattern	gelmek “come”	bakmak “look”
informal singular sen	stem + me/ma	gelme	bakma
third-person singular o	stem + me/ma + sin/sın	gelmesin	bakmasın
formal/plural siz	stem + me/ma + y + in/ın	gelmeyin	bakmayın
third-person plural onlar	stem + me/ma + sinler/sınlar	gelmesinler	bakmasınlar

The y in gelmeyin and bakmayın is required because the negative suffix ends in a vowel. Notice that the imperative does not use a separate word corresponding to English “do not”: the negative meaning is inside the Turkish verb.

• Kapıyı açma. — Don’t open the door.
• Lütfen geç kalmayın. — Please don’t be late.
• O buraya gelmesin. — Don’t let him/her come here.
• Çocuklar dışarı çıkmasınlar. — Let the children not go outside.

Third-person commands: “let…” or “have…”

The third-person ending -sin/-sın/-sun/-sün does not address the person who will act directly in the same way as Gel! does. It tells someone that another person or thing should perform the action, gives permission, or states the speaker’s wish or decision.

• Ali içeri gelsin. — Let Ali come in.
• Biraz dinlensin. — Let him/her rest a little.
• Kapı açık kalsın. — Let the door stay open.
• Kimse dokunmasın. — Nobody should touch it.

English translations vary. Depending on context, Müdür beni arasın can mean “Have the manager call me,” “Tell the manager to call me,” or “Let the manager call me.” The Turkish form itself stays the same.

No ordinary imperative for “I” and “we”

To say “let me…” or “let’s…,” Turkish normally uses the optative (a form expressing a wish, suggestion, or proposed action), not the imperative paradigm.

Meaning	Turkish	Example
let me…	-(y)eyim/-(y)ayım	Ben yapayım. — Let me do it.
let’s…	-(y)elim/-(y)alım	Gidelim. — Let’s go.

Do not build these from the second-person command. Gidelim is not “we + git”; it is its own regular mood form.

A few very common stems

Most imperatives follow the ordinary stem exactly. Two essential verbs have short stems that learners should memorize:

• demek “to say” → de!, deyin!, desin!
• yemek “to eat” → ye!, yiyin!, yesin!

The y in yiyin is part of the form produced before the vowel-initial ending. Common verbs such as etmek and gitmek simply give et! and git! in the bare imperative.

Examples in Context

Turkish	English	Note
Gel!	Come!	Informal, one person
Lütfen oturun.	Please sit down.	Polite to one person or addressed to several
Bir dakika bekleyin.	Please wait a minute.	Formal/plural; vowel-final stem
Kapıyı kapat.	Close the door.	Informal everyday instruction
Buraya adınızı yazın.	Write your name here.	Instruction on a form
Bu düğmeye basmayın.	Do not press this button.	Formal/plural negative warning
Merak etme.	Don’t worry.	Informal reassurance, not necessarily an order
Sakın geç kalma!	Don’t you dare be late!	sakın strengthens a negative warning
Çorbayı beş dakika kaynatın.	Boil the soup for five minutes.	Recipe style
Çocuklar sessiz olsunlar.	Let the children be quiet.	Third-person plural instruction
Ayşe önce konuşsun.	Let Ayşe speak first.	Third-person singular
Kimse içeri girmesin.	Nobody is to come in.	Negative third-person command
Kapı açık kalsın.	Leave the door open.	Literally, “Let the door remain open”
Hadi başlayalım.	Come on, let’s begin.	Optative “let’s,” not a second-person imperative
Buyurun, içeri girin.	Please, come in.	Courteous invitation with formal/plural forms

Common Mistakes

Adding a present-tense ending to a command

• Wrong: Geliyorsun! for “Come!”
• Right: Gel!
• Why: Geliyorsun means “You are coming.” An informal singular imperative is the bare stem, with no tense or personal ending.

Using the bare stem with a stranger

• Risky: Otur! to a customer or an older stranger
• Better: Lütfen oturun.
• Why: Otur addresses informal singular sen and may sound too blunt outside a close relationship. Oturun matches formal siz. The choice depends on relationship and setting, not simply on whether “please” is present.

Forgetting the buffer y

• Wrong: beklein, okun for “wait” and “read”
• Right: bekleyin, okuyun
• Why: A stem ending in a vowel takes y before the formal/plural ending: bekle-y-in, oku-y-un.

Putting negation after the person ending

• Wrong: gelinme, bakınma for “don’t come/look”
• Right: gelmeyin, bakmayın
• Why: The order is stem + negative -me/-ma + buffer y + formal/plural ending. Be careful: bakınmak is also a separate verb meaning “to look around,” so bakınma can have a different analysis altogether.

Translating third-person forms as direct “you” commands

• Wrong interpretation: Gelsin! = “Come!” to the listener
• Right interpretation: Gelsin! = “Let him/her come!” or “Have him/her come!”
• Why: -sin marks a third-person subject. To tell the listener to come, use gel or gelin.

Inventing first-person imperatives

• Wrong: Biz gelin for “Let’s come/go”
• Right: Gelelim “Let’s come” or Gidelim “Let’s go”
• Why: Suggestions involving “we” use the optative ending -(y)elim/-(y)alım. Gelin addresses siz: “You come.”

Usage Notes

A grammatical imperative is not always an angry command

Turkish imperative forms cover more than orders. Merak etme is the normal friendly “Don’t worry,” Kendine iyi bak is “Take care,” and Buyurun, oturun is a courteous invitation. Tone, relationship, facial expression, and words such as lütfen all shape how the sentence feels.

In English, adding “please” often makes one unchanged verb form suitable for many audiences. Turkish lütfen does not erase the sen/siz distinction. Say Lütfen bekle to one person with whom you use sen, but Lütfen bekleyin to someone addressed as siz or to a group.

Making a request softer

Even lütfen + imperative can sound firm, which is appropriate for instructions but not always for a favor. A question with an ability form is often softer:

• Kapıyı kapatın. — Close the door. (polite-form command, but direct)
• Lütfen kapıyı kapatın. — Please close the door.
• Kapıyı kapatabilir misiniz? — Could you close the door?

At A2, it is enough to recognize the last pattern as a gentler request. You can learn its full formation with ability and question structures later.

Signs, recipes, and interfaces

Public instructions commonly use the siz form because it addresses the reader politely: Girmeyin “Do not enter,” Tıklayın “Click,” Şifrenizi girin “Enter your password.” Recipes also often use -(y)in: Ekleyin, karıştırın, pişirin “Add, stir, cook.” Short labels may instead use verbal nouns or impersonal forms, so not every English instruction will appear as an imperative in Turkish.

The longer -(y)iniz form is especially visible in official notices: Lütfen sıranızı bekleyiniz. “Please wait your turn.” In ordinary speech, bekleyin is usually more natural.

Pronouns are normally unnecessary

Because gel, gelin, and gelsin identify the intended grammatical person, sen, siz, and o are usually left out. A pronoun may be added for contrast:

• Sen bekle, siz benimle gelin. — You wait; you others come with me.
• O konuşsun, diğerleri dinlesin. — Let him/her speak; let the others listen.

Beyond the Basics / Advanced Use

You do not need to master all of these points at A2, but they explain forms you will often hear.

Repeated and paired commands

Turkish can repeat an imperative for encouragement, impatience, or reassurance: Gel, gel! “Come on in,” Anlat, anlat. “Go on, tell me,” or Ye, ye! “Go ahead and eat.” The effect depends heavily on tone; repetition is not automatically rude.

Two commands can create a compact sequence: Git, sor. “Go and ask,” Al, götür. “Take it away.” In informal speech, these can feel more immediate than a sentence with conjunctions.

Fixed expressions and discourse uses

Some imperative forms have developed conversational functions beyond literal commands:

• Bak… literally “Look…,” often introduces an explanation or warning.
• Düşün… “Think…” can invite the listener to imagine a situation.
• Diyelim ki… “Let’s say that…” introduces a hypothetical example; diyelim is a first-person plural optative.
• Boş ver. “Never mind; let it go” is a fixed informal expression.
• Buyurun is a highly frequent courteous form used for “Here you are,” “Go ahead,” “Come in,” or “How can I help you?” Its best English translation depends on the situation.

Strong prohibitions with sakın

Sakın normally accompanies a negative command and makes the warning forceful: Sakın dokunma! “Whatever you do, don’t touch it!” or Sakın unutmayın. “Be sure not to forget.” It is stronger than a neutral dokunma or unutmayın, so use it when there is real warning, urgency, or emotional emphasis.

Third-person imperatives as decisions and wishes

A third-person imperative can sound less like passing an order through another person and more like declaring what is to happen:

• Toplantı saat üçte başlasın. — Let the meeting begin at three.
• Öyle olsun. — So be it; let it be that way.
• Ne olursa olsun. — Whatever happens; no matter what.

This use overlaps in meaning with wishes and formal decisions. Context determines whether English prefers “let,” “should,” “is to,” or another expression.

Commands reported inside larger sentences

At higher levels, Turkish can quote an imperative with diye: “Bekle” diye bağırdı. “He/she shouted, ‘Wait!’” Commands can also be reported through noun-clause structures, as in Beklememi söyledi “He/she told me to wait.” These are not new imperative endings; they show how a command becomes part of a larger sentence.

Practice Tips

1. Build four-form sets. Choose five useful verbs and say the informal, formal/plural, informal negative, and formal/plural negative forms: gel, gelin, gelme, gelmeyin; oku, okuyun, okuma, okumayın. This makes suffix order automatic.
2. Sort commands by situation. Imagine speaking to a close friend, one customer, and a group. Turn the same message into Bekle, Lütfen bekleyin, and Lütfen bekleyin again, noticing that formal singular and plural share a form.
3. Collect real instructions. Look at Turkish recipes, app buttons, and public signs. Underline stems and circle -(y)in, -me/-ma, or -sin. Then identify who is expected to act and whether the tone is an instruction, warning, invitation, or request.

Related Concepts

• Prerequisite: Present Continuous Tense — reinforces Turkish verb stems and personal reference before you learn command forms.
• Closely related: Optative Mood (Wishes) — supplies yapayım “let me do it” and gidelim “let’s go,” where the imperative has no ordinary first-person forms.
• Useful support: Negation — develops the broader use of -me/-ma in Turkish verbs.
• Useful support: Personal Pronouns — explains the sen/siz relationship behind informal and formal commands.
• Next step: Ability/Possibility (-ebilmek) — helps form softer requests such as Yardım edebilir misiniz? “Could you help?”