# Simple present



## vatrahos

Could someone help me with the simple present tense in Turkish? I haven't been studying Turkish very long, but it seems like it usually uses the continuous present, not the simple, even in cases where English uses the simple present.

For example we say "seni seviyorum," not "seni severim" (right?) but in English we would use the simple present. Likewise, we say "hoşuma gidiyor," (or do we also say "gider"?), though in English we would use the simple present.

For another example, if we want to say "Our oven doesn't work well" would we say "fırınımız iyi işlemiyor," or "fırınımız iyi işlemez"?


I guess my question is, _when *do* we use the simple present in Turkish_? How are its uses different from continuous?


size teşekkür ederim (not "ediyorum")!


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## veronica55

In Turkish simple present tense refers to "geniş zaman" which can be translated as "large time, general/usual time"  So we use it for the actions that we do often, sometimes, rarely, always, never, ever...etc Geniş zaman is used for expressing the habits at the time being and for the general facts, natural truths.
But also we use it for near future actions or for asking a favour like you use "will" in english.

Here are a few examples:

Her haftasonu ailemi ziyaret ederim. : I visit my family every weekend.
-Su 100C derecede kaynar : Water boils at 100C degree.
-Yazı her zaman İzmir'de geçiririm: I always spend the summer in İzmir.
-Yüzmeyi sevmem : I don't like swimming (here if you say "yüzmeyi sevmiyorum" it is not wrong, often used in daily speech)
_-"the door bell rings"_ and I say "Tamam, ben açarım" : Ok, I'll open.
-Şu anda telefonla konuşuyorum, lütfen bekler misin? : I'm talking on the phone right now, will you wait please?.

But for to like, to love, to hate, to be proud and that kind of emotion expressing verbs, we use present continuous tense.

-seni seviyorum - I love you
-senden hoşlanıyorum - I like you (be careful about this sentence: in english you can say "i like you" to a friend but in Turkish when you say "senden hoşlanıyorum" it means "I have a crush on you") (in turkish there's no actual difference between "to like" and "to love" "sevmek" is used for both. But if you clearly want to mention "romantic love" you can say "sana aşığım" which exactly means "I'm in love with you" )
-senden nefret ediyorum - I hate you
-seninle gurur duyuyorum - I'm proud of you

Hope this helps


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## vatrahos

Evet, teşekkür ederim! 

If I can summarize, just to make sure I understand, we use simple present for

1 - habitual actions (Pazar günleri geç uyurum)

2 - general truths (fırınımız iyi işlemez)

3 - near future (bekle, birazdan gideriz)

Thanks for the explanation, and if I have further questions I'll post them later in this thread.


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## Volcano

vatrahos said:


> Could someone help me with the simple present tense in Turkish? I haven't been studying Turkish very long, but it seems like it usually uses the continuous present, not the simple, even in cases where English uses the simple present.
> 
> For example we say "seni seviyorum," not "seni severim" (right?) but in English we would use the simple present. Likewise, we say "hoşuma gidiyor," (or do we also say "gider"?), though in English we would use the simple present.
> 
> For another example, if we want to say "Our oven doesn't work well" would we say "fırınımız iyi işlemiyor," or "fırınımız iyi işlemez"?
> 
> 
> I guess my question is, _when *do* we use the simple present in Turkish_? How are its uses different from continuous?
> 
> 
> size teşekkür ederim (not "ediyorum")!



*We sometimes use present continuous instead of present tense.Like seni seviyorum instead of seni severim.Because it is sometimes more usable than present tense.*


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## Volcano

vatrahos said:


> Evet, teşekkür ederim!
> 
> If I can summarize, just to make sure I understand, we use simple present for
> 
> 1 - habitual actions (Pazar günleri geç uyurum)
> 
> 2 - general truths (fırınımız iyi işlemez)
> 
> 3 - near future (bekle, birazdan gideriz)
> 
> Thanks for the explanation, and if I have further questions I'll post them later in this thread.


 
*Yes, you have right with your summary.Feel free to ask anything about Turkish *


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## vatrahos

Okay, what about the verb "to speak" (konuşmak)?

do we say 

*"Bulgarca iyi konuşmuyorum" *

or 

*"Bulgarca iyi konuşmam"*

or do we add the potential suffix, in which case it becomes 

*"Bulgarca iyi konuşamam"*

?

Which is used most frequently?


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## Adam S.

Bulgarca iyi konuşmuyorum
Bulgarca konuşamıyorum


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## vatrahos

So, you mean to say that we use the present continuous for *to speak*, rather than simple present, yes?

What about for verbs like *write*, *read*,* know*? Do these also assume continuous present forms? Do we say "yunanca biliyorum" or "yunanca bilirim"? Do we say "ingilizce okuyabiliyorum" or "ingilizce okuyabilirim"? Do we say "biraz bulgarca yazabiliyorum" or "biraz bulgarca yazabilirim"?

İf indeed these verbs use the contintuous present, then perhaps we can make some general rules for continuous present:

1 - used with emotions (Giota'yı çok seviyorum)

2 - used with skills, knowledge, thought (İspanyol okuyabiliyorum ama yazamıyorum) (piyano çalmayı bilmiyorum)

3 - anything else?

Thanks


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## veronica55

And for the 3rd one, we use present contunious tense (şimdiki zaman) simply as you use it in english:
-for the actions we are doing at that moment
Şu anda senin sorunu cevaplıyorum. : I'm answering your question at the moment.
-For the future plans
Yarın arkadaşlarımla buluşuyorum : I'm meeting my friends tomorrow.


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## veronica55

And plus we don't have any tense that refers to "present perfect continuous tense" for expressing it we simply use "present continuous tense" (we actually don't have any "perfect tense") 
-3 yıldır newyork'da yaşıyorum. : I have been living in newyork for 3 years.
-Annem geldiğinde 2 saattir uyuyor*dum* : I had been sleeping for 2 hours when my mother came. (here we combine present cont. with simple past)

and for present perfect and past perfect we just use simple past tense.
-Jack went to school yesterday : jack dün okula gitti.
-Jack has gone to school, he's at school now : jack okula gitti, şimdi okulda.
-John told me that Jack had gone to school : John bana jack'in okula *gitti*ğini söyledi.


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## Volcano

vatrahos said:


> Okay, what about the verb "to speak" (konuşmak)?
> 
> do we say
> 
> *"Bulgarca iyi konuşmuyorum" *
> 
> or
> 
> *"Bulgarca iyi konuşmam"*
> 
> or do we add the potential suffix, in which case it becomes
> 
> *"Bulgarca iyi konuşamam"*
> 
> ?
> 
> Which is used most frequently?


*
Bulgarcayı iyi konuşmuyorum

Bulgarcayı iyi konuşmam

Bulgarcayı iyi konuşamam

Bulgarcayı iyi konuşamıyorum*

*I would choose the last one, which means I can't speak Bulgarian well*


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## Volcano

vatrahos said:


> So, you mean to say that we use the present continuous for *to speak*, rather than simple present, yes?
> 
> What about for verbs like *write*, *read*,* know*? Do these also assume continuous present forms? Do we say "yunanca biliyorum" or "yunanca bilirim"? Do we say "ingilizce okuyabiliyorum" or "ingilizce okuyabilirim"? Do we say "biraz bulgarca yazabiliyorum" or "biraz bulgarca yazabilirim"?
> 
> İf indeed these verbs use the contintuous present, then perhaps we can make some general rules for continuous present:
> 
> 1 - used with emotions (Giota'yı çok seviyorum)
> 
> 2 - used with skills, knowledge, thought (İspanyol okuyabiliyorum ama yazamıyorum) (piyano çalmayı bilmiyorum)
> 
> 3 - anything else?
> 
> Thanks


*
3 - For future tense

Akşam sinemaya gidiyorum - I am going to cinema in the evening

4 - For present perfect **continous tense*
*
Üç aydan beri Türkçe çalışıyorum - I have been studying Turkish for three months*


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## vatrahos

Okay, let me claify something: for the near future, do we use geniş or şimdiki zaman?

Volcano has told me we use şimdiki:

*3 - For future tense
Akşam sinemaya gidiyorum - I am going to cinema in the evening*

But Veronica 55 has told me we also use geniş:

*"the door bell rings" and I say "Tamam, ben açarım"* 


Could we also say "açıyorum"?


And let me just show you a few last examples to make sure I understand the use of geniş zaman -- please tell me if any othem are incorrect usage:

çocuklarınız çok çikolata yer mi? (not yiyor)

her sabah Giota'ya kahvaltı yaparım (not yapıyorum)

O kuruyemiş yiyemez maalesef (not yiyemiyor)

Musakka pişirebilirim (not pişirebiliyorum)


Thanks again, guys. I appreciate the help.


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## Volcano

vatrahos said:


> Okay, let me claify something: for the near future, do we use geniş or şimdiki zaman?
> 
> Volcano has told me we use şimdiki:
> 
> *3 - For future tense
> Akşam sinemaya gidiyorum - I am going to cinema in the evening*
> 
> But Veronica 55 has told me we also use geniş:
> 
> *"the door bell rings" and I say "Tamam, ben açarım"*
> 
> 
> Could we also say "açıyorum"?



*Both açarım and açıyorum are ok.*



vatrahos said:


> And let me just show you a few last examples to make sure I understand the use of geniş zaman -- please tell me if any othem are incorrect usage:
> 
> çocuklarınız çok çikolata yer mi? (not yiyor)
> 
> her sabah Giota'ya kahvaltı yaparım (not yapıyorum)
> 
> O kuruyemiş yiyemez maalesef (not yiyemiyor)
> 
> Musakka pişirebilirim (not pişirebiliyorum)
> 
> 
> Thanks again, guys. I appreciate the help.



*Your examples are all correct as to geniş zaman.But, for example: 

If you said 'çocuklarınız çok çikolata yiyor mu?' , it wouldn't be wrong if you mentioned the general situation.You can also say it for now, continuous as you know*


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## vatrahos

Ah, teşekkürler ederim!

Also, I found this explanation elsewhere:

"even if 'geniş zaman' is ... possible, we prefer to use “şimdiki zaman” for things that are done by a person
* * *
(subject is a thing=>geniş zaman/ subject is a person =>şimdiki zaman)"

That would seem to explain why we can also say "Çocuklarınız çok çikolata yiyor mu?", seeing as the subject is a person. Does that seem right to you?

Thanks, Volcano.


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## veronica55

vatrahos said:


> But Veronica 55 has told me we also use geniş:
> 
> *"the door bell rings" and I say "Tamam, ben açarım"*
> 
> 
> Could we also say "açıyorum"?



Yes, in this case "açıyorum" is ok also. But for example:

- a:evde hiç çikolata kalmamış. : there's no chocolate left at home.
   b: sorun değil, ben birazdan gidip *alırım* : don't worry, I'll go and buy some. (here "alıyorum" is not ok) - (action in near future-an offer)
- yarın çocukları okula sen *bırakır* mısın lütfen? : will you please take the kids to school tomorrow? (here also "bırakıyor musun" is not ok) -(asking a favour)

another example with "if" cases (-se, -sa)
-Böyle *davranır*san, başın derde *girer*. - if you behave like this, you'll be in trouble.

ben - gidersem (if I go)
sen - gidersen (if you go)
o - giderse (if she/he goes)
biz - gidersek (if we go)
siz - giderseniz  (if you go)plural
onlar - giderlerse (if they go)


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## Volcano

vatrahos said:


> Ah, teşekkürler ederim!
> 
> Also, I found this explanation elsewhere:
> 
> "even if 'geniş zaman' is ... possible, we prefer to use “şimdiki zaman” for things that are done by a person
> * * *
> (subject is a thing=>geniş zaman/ subject is a person =>şimdiki zaman)"
> 
> That would seem to explain why we can also say "Çocuklarınız çok çikolata yiyor mu?", seeing as the subject is a person. Does that seem right to you?
> 
> Thanks, Volcano.



*No, I don't think so.'Çocuklarınız çok çikolata yer mi?' is also ok.When the time is present, you could also use present continuous to make emphasis on what is said.Like,

Bulgarca konuşamıyorum

Seni seviyorum*


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## vatrahos

teşekkürler, Veronica. So for the near future, we use geniş zaman for 1) requests, 2) offers, and 3) threats.

Would it also be okay for me just to use the future tense? To use your example, could we say,

"Sorun değil, birazdan gidip *alıcığım*"?

or

"Yarın çocukları okula sen* götürecek *misin lütfen?"?


p.s.

What form is "gidip"?

I assume this is from the verb "gitmek" and is first person singular, but what mood / tense is it? Is it perhaps a participle?


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## veronica55

You're welcome vatrahos, I'll try to explain, 

"Sorun değil, birazdan gidip *alıcığım*"? (*alacağım*)

This is ok grammaticaly but changes the meaning a little bit.
when you say, "Sorun değil, birazdan gidip *alırım*" you offer a favour so the meaning is "don't worry, I'll do it for you"
and when you say "sorun değil, birazdan gidip *alacağım*" you have planned that action before or at that moment so it means "don't worry, I am going to go and get some"


"Yarın çocukları okula sen* götürecek *misin lütfen?" 
This is also ok grammaticaly. But "lütfen" becomes unnecessary, sounds nonsense here, because you are just asking a question not asking a favour. Also "sen" is unnecessary because "götürecek misin" already means "are you going take"

"Yarın çocukları okula* götürecek *misin?" Are you going to take the kids to school tomorrow? - this means "are you planning that?"/"have you decided to do like that?"

When you say "Yarın çocukları okula sen* götürür *müsün lütfen?" here you are asking a favour and that's why you use "lütfen" and "sen" to put the emphasis on "you" so it means: Will YOU please take the kids to school tomorrow? (instead of me)

--------------------------------------------------------------
And, what is "gidip"...

It is the suffix of the gerunds of junction. 
The gerunds of junction -ip is formed by adding -ip to the affirmative verb base:gid-ip, oku-y-up, iç-ip, al-ıp, kapat-ıp," 
The gerunds of junction -ip is used to avoid repetition when expressing two actions, one immediately following the other.   

Instead of saying "Ali kapıyı açtı ve sınıfa girdi", we say "Ali kapıyı açıp sınıfa girdi." Both means "Ali opened the door and entered the classroom"
So it gives the meaning of:
"After Ali opened the door, he entered the class." But if we translate this sentence exactly, it will be "Ali kapıyı açtıktan sonra, sınıfa girdi"

Pijamalarımı giyip yattım. (instead of "Pijamalarımı giydim ve yattım.") 
Bakkala gidip süt alacak. (instead of "Bakkala gidecek ve süt alacak.")
Birazdan gidip alırım. (instead of "birazdan giderim ve alırım")

So it is neither plural nor singular and has no tense. Used in same form for all tenses and persons.

Kısa sürede gidip gelirler : (instead of "Kısa sürede giderler ve gelirler")
 "They'll go and come back in a short while"/"they go and come back in a short while" depends on the context, what you mean.


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## Rallino

Hello everyone, I'm new ^^

I wanted to add one more situation where *-ip junction* is used. 

The *whether* clause in english.

Gelip gelmeyeceğini bilmiyorum - I don't know whether she'll come.

It seems like we use the positive and the negative consecutively, but it's just the formula:

Verb root+ip  + negative of the same verb Verb  + main clause.

I don't know whether he did it: --> yapıp yapmadığını bilmiyorum.

I have no idea whether he spoke with her or not: --> Onunla konuşup konuşmadığını bilmiyorum.



Do these phrases seem hard to you?

There is one more method, less formal, and is used more when speaking, but could serve you:

I don't know whether he'll go.

main clause: I don't know = bilmiyorum
if clause : he'll go = gidecek

Formula:  Make the if clause a question, and add the main clause.

*gidecek *--> making a question --> *gidecek mi?*

I don't know whether he'll go. = Gidecek mi bilmiyorum. 

Or as we did above with the first method: Gidip gitmeyeceğini bilmiyorum.


Another example:

I have no idea whether he died.

main clause: I have no idea = bir fikrim yok
If clause: he died =(o) öldü.

*(o) öldü* --> making a question --> *(o) öldü mü?

*(o) öldü mü, bir fikrim yok.


I tried to clarify as much as I could, please ask if you have any questions


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