Turkish Language - Negative Potential Verb

TOPIC QUESTIONS

VOWEL HARMONY REFERENCE
For -a or -e suffixes
a, ı, o, u	add	-a
e, i, ö, ü	add	-e
For -ı or -u suffixes
a or ı	add	-ı
o or u	add	-u
For -i or -ü suffixes
e or i	add	-i
ö or ü	add	-ü

CONSONANT MUTATION REFERENCE
The Unvoiced Consonants
ç	f	h	k	p	s	ş	t

Consonant Equivalents
k < ğ	t < d	ç < c	p < b

Suffix Equivalents
-de/-da < -te/-ta
-den/-dan < -ten/-tan
-dı/-di < -tı/-ti
-du/dü < -tu/tü
-cı/-ci < -çı/-çi
-cu/cü < -çu/çü

POSSESSIVE ADJECTIVE REFERENCE
my -ım -im -um -üm and after vowels -m
your -ın -in -un -ün and after vowels -n
his/her/its -ı -i -u -ü and after vowels -sı -si -su- -sü
our -ımız -imiz -umuz -ümüz and after vowels -mız- miz -muz -müz
your -ınız -iniz -unuz -ünüz and after vowels -nız -niz -nuz -nüz
their -ları -leri and after vowels -ları -leri (no change)

Double Click anywhere to return to Top of Page.

Formation of the Negative Potential Verb

This mood is easily formed in all tenses just by inserting an -e- or -a- before the negative suffix of any negative verb whether it be active, passive, reflexive, re-ciprocal,or caustive - (in effect we form a completely new verb - with its own infinitive):

Verbs of the A-UnDotted Vowel Group

bakmamak - to not look becomes - bakamamak - not to be able to look

bakamıyorum - I can't look
bakamadın or bakamıyordun - you could not look
bakamıyordu - he was not able to look
bakamazsak - if we cannot look (Conditional form)
bakamayacaksınız - you will not be able to look
bakamadılar or bakamıyorlardı - they could not look

It can be seen above that the tens and personal endings are added to make the full verb form - this includes the "if.." forms of the Conditional Mood.

Verbs of the E-Dotted Vowel Group

çekmemek - to not pull becomes - çekememek - not to be able to pull

çekemem - I can't come
çekemiyorsun - you cannot pull
çekilemedi - it could not be pulled (Passive form)
çekemeyeceğiz - we will not be able to pull
çekememiştiniz - you had not been able to pull

Verbs whose stem end in a Vowel

The A-UnDotted Group

The buffer letter -y- is used to keep the last vowel of the verb stem seperate from the -e- negative potential particle that has been added to the normal negative infinitive.

anlamamak - to understand becomes anlayamamak (anla-y-a-ma-mak) - not to be able to understand

anlayamadım - I could not understand
anlamasaydın - if you did not understand
anlayamasaydın - if you could not understand - (adding the Negative Potential)
anlayamamış - it seems he could not understand (Inferential Tense)
anlaşılamayacaksak - if we will not be able to understood (Passive form)
anlayamazsınız - you cannot understand
anlaşamadılar - they could not agree lit: understand each other (Reciprocal form)

The E-Dotted Group

beklemek - to wait, expect - becomes bekleyememek (bekle-ye-memek) - not to be able to wait

bekleyemesem - if I cannot wait (Conditional tense)
bekletemeyeceksin - you will not be able to let (it/him) wait (Causative form)
beklenemedi - it could not have been expected lit: awaited (Passive form)
bekleyemeyeceğiz - we will not be able to wait
bekleyemezdiniz - you couldn't have waited
bekleyememişler - it seems that they cannot wait (Inferential tense)

In speech this negative potential particle -a- (-ya-) or -e- (-ye-) is heavily accented in order to draw the attention of the listener.