-ır/-ir/-ur/-ür (indiki zaman)

Present Tense After Consonant Stems

Level 1

The -ır, -ir, -ur, -ür suffix is the most common way to say 'I am doing' or 'I do' in Azerbaijani. It follows 4-way vowel harmony and attaches to verb stems ending in a consonant.

How It Works

To form the present tense for verbs ending in a consonant, you add the suffix based on vowel harmony:

  • -ır: after a, ı (e.g., yazır - he/she writes)
  • -ir: after e, i, ə (e.g., gəlir - he/she comes)
  • -ur: after o, u (e.g., qurur - he/she builds)
  • -ür: after ö, ü (e.g., görür - he/she sees)

Important Rules:
1. Consonant vs. Vowel Stems: This suffix is only for stems ending in a consonant. If a verb stem ends in a vowel (like oxu-), you must use the -yır/-yir/-yur/-yür pattern instead.
2. Voicing: If a verb stem has multiple syllables and ends in -t, it changes to -d (e.g., yaratmaq becomes yaradır). For single-syllable verbs, the -t usually stays (e.g., satır, atır), except for three specific verbs: getmək (gedir), etmək (edir), and gütmək (güdür).
3. Personal Endings: To conjugate the verb, add the following endings after the tense suffix:

4. Negation: To make it negative, use the negative present suffix.

Examples (5)

  1. Mən indi məktub yazıram.

    I am writing a letter now.

    Word by Word: I now letter write-present-I

    The verb stem 'yaz-' (to write) ends in a consonant and has the vowel 'a', so it takes '-ır'.

  2. O, hər gün parkda gəzir.

    He/she walks in the park every day.

    Word by Word: He/she every day park-in walk-present

    The verb 'gəzmək' (to walk) takes '-ir' because of the vowel 'ə'. This shows a habitual action.

  3. Biz Azərbaycan dilini öyrənirik.

    We are learning the Azerbaijani language.

    Word by Word: We Azerbaijan language-its-acc learn-present-we

    The stem 'öyrən-' takes '-ir' and the first person plural ending '-ik'.

  4. Sən hara gedirsən?

    Where are you going?

    Word by Word: You where-to go-present-you

    In the verb 'getmək', the 't' changes to 'd' (gedir) when the suffix is added. This is a specific exception for this verb.

  5. Onlar televizora baxırlar.

    They are watching television.

    Word by Word: They television-to look-present-they

    The stem 'bax-' ends in a consonant and takes the suffix '-ır' followed by the third person plural ending '-lar'.

Common Mistakes

  • Using the Turkish '-yor' suffix.

    Mən gəliyoram.
    Mən gəlirəm.

    Azerbaijani does not use '-yor'. Always use the 4-way harmony suffix -ır/-ir/-ur/-ür.

  • Forgetting the t-to-d consonant shift.

    O, evə getir.
    O, evə gedir.

    'Getir' is an incorrect form of 'gedir' (he/she goes). Note that 'to bring' is 'gətirmək' (present: gətirir), so changing the 't' to 'd' is essential for the verb 'getmək'.

  • Ignoring vowel harmony.

    Mən yazirim.
    Mən yazıram.

    The suffix must match the stem vowel. 'Yaz-' has 'a', so it must be 'yazır-', not 'yazir-'.

How It Connects

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-ır/-ir/-ur/-ür (indiki zaman)Level 1Present Tense After Consonant Stems

Learn This First

To understand the present tense suffix -ır/-ir/-ur/-ür, you need to know how to attach personal endings (like -am/-əm) to complete the conjugation. You also need to be familiar with 4-way vowel harmony, as this suffix changes based on the preceding vowel in the verb stem.

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