-er misin?
Aorist Questions and Polite Requests
The Aorist question (-er misin?) is the standard way to say 'Would you...?' or 'Will you...?' in Turkish. It is used for polite requests, offers, and asking about general habits.
How It Works
The Aorist question is one of the most frequent patterns in daily Turkish because it softens commands into polite requests.
1. Formation:
The pattern generally follows: [Verb Stem] + [Aorist Suffix] + [Question Particle] + [Personal Ending].
- -r: For stems ending in a vowel (e.g., oku-r).
- -ar / -er: For most one-syllable stems (e.g., yap-ar).
- -ır / -ir / -ur / -ür: For multi-syllable stems (e.g., kapat-ır).
- Consonant Mutation: A few stems ending in 't' change to 'd' when the Aorist suffix is added, as seen in gitmek and etmek (e.g., gider misin?, eder misin?). Most other stems ending in 't' keep it (e.g., kapat-ır).
Remember the 13 exceptions like gel-ir and ver-ir.
2. Important Rules:
- Vowel Harmony: The question particle follows 4-way vowel harmony based on the Aorist suffix (e.g., yapar mı?, bilir mi?, okur mu?, görür mü?).
- Buffer Consonant: A buffer -y- is required for 1st person endings: yapar mıyım? (singular) and yapar mıyız? (plural).
- 3rd Person Plural: For 'onlar', the plural suffix attaches to the verb: yaparlar mı?
- Orthography: The question particle is always written as a separate word.
3. Usage and Nuance:
- Polite Requests: Instead of an imperative, use Kapıyı açar mısın? ('Would you open the door?').
- Offers: Çay içer misin? ('Would you like tea?').
- Negative Questions: The negative Aorist form -maz mısın? is also used for persuasive requests or invitations (e.g., Bize katılmaz mısın? - 'Won't you join us?').
- Word Stress: In these questions, the word stress falls on the syllable immediately preceding the question particle (e.g., kapaTIR mısın?, geLİR misin?).
While -(y)ebilir misin? asks about capability, -er misin? asks about willingness.
Examples (5)
- Bana yardım eder misin?
Would you help me?
Word by Word: To me help do-Aorist [?] you?
This is a standard polite request using the compound verb 'yardım etmek'.
- Pencereyi kapatır mısın?
Would you close the window?
Word by Word: Window-[acc] close-Aorist [?] you?
Since 'kapatmak' has two syllables, it takes the -ır suffix.
- Biraz daha kahve içer misin?
Would you like some more coffee?
Word by Word: A bit more coffee drink-Aorist [?] you?
Here the Aorist is used to make a polite offer.
- Tuz uzatır mısın?
Would you pass the salt?
Word by Word: Salt extend-Aorist [?] you?
A common table request using the Aorist for politeness.
- Benimle gelir misin?
Will you come with me?
Word by Word: With me come-Aorist [?] you?
'Gelmek' is one of the 13 exceptions that takes -ir instead of -er.
Common Mistakes
Using the Present Continuous (-iyor) for requests.
Bana yardım ediyor musun?Bana yardım eder misin?In Turkish, '-iyor musun?' asks if you are currently doing the action. To ask for a favor or help, '-er misin?' is the most common polite choice.
Attaching the personal ending to the verb instead of the question particle (except for 'onlar').
Kapıyı açarsın mı?Kapıyı açar mısın?In Turkish aorist questions, the personal endings (like -sin) attach to the question particle 'mi', not the verb stem. The only exception is the 3rd person plural (onlar), where the plural suffix stays on the verb: 'açarlar mı?'.
Writing the question particle attached to the verb.
Çay içermisin?Çay içer misin?The question particle 'mi' (and its variants) must always be written as a separate word, even though it carries the personal endings.
How It Connects
Learn This First
To form aorist questions and polite requests, you first need to understand how to form the Aorist tense (Geniş Zaman) and how to attach personal endings to the question particle 'mi'.
- -ir/-er/-r (geniş zaman)The Aorist Tense
The aorist suffix (-er) is the core component of this pattern, providing the base for the question.
Level 3 - mısın / mıyım / mısınızQuestion Word with Person Endings
This pattern uses the interrogative particle combined with personal endings to form the question 'do you?' or 'would you?'.
Level 1
Related Patterns
- The Thirteen Exceptions
These exceptions (like 'gelir', 'alır') apply to the question form as well.
Level 3 - -(y)ebilmekBeing Able to
Often confused with the Aorist; this form asks about ability ('Can you?') rather than willingness ('Would you?').
Level 2 - Simple Commands
The Aorist question is the polite alternative to using direct commands.
Level 1 - -sinizYou Are (Plural or Polite)
Used in the plural form '-er misiniz?' for even higher levels of politeness or formal address.
Level 1
Words in This Pattern
Practice -er misin? in Bubblegum
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