Choosing the Aorist Ending

Level 3

The Aorist suffix (-r, -ar/-er, or -ır/-ir/-ur/-ür) is determined by the verb stem's structure: vowel-ending stems take -r, single-syllable consonant stems usually take -ar/-er, and multi-syllable consonant stems take -ır/-ir/-ur/-ür.

How It Works

The Aorist (-ir/-er/-r) is unique because its suffix shape isn't just about vowel harmony; it also depends on the number of syllables in the verb stem.

1. Vowel-Ending Stems
If a verb stem ends in any vowel, simply add -r. The syllable count does not matter.

  • Oku- (to read) → Okur
  • Bekle- (to wait) → Bekler

2. Multi-Syllable Consonant-Ending Stems
If the stem has two or more syllables and ends in a consonant, use the 4-way harmony suffix: -ır, -ir, -ur, -ür. This rule applies to the entire stem, including any suffixes added to the root.

  • Çalış- (to work) → Çalışır
  • Öğren- (to learn) → Öğrenir
  • Yaptır- (to have done - causative) → Yaptırır

3. One-Syllable Consonant-Ending Stems
If the stem has only one syllable and ends in a consonant, use the 2-way harmony suffix: -ar, -er.

  • Yaz- (to write) → Yazar
  • Yap- (to do) → Yapar

Note on Softening: In the verbs git-, et-, tat-, and güt-, the 't' softens to 'd' when adding the aorist: gider, eder, tadar, güder. Compound verbs follow the rules of the final auxiliary verb (e.g., teşekkür eder).

4. The Thirteen Exceptions
There are 13 common one-syllable verbs that break Rule 3. Instead of -ar/-er, they take the multi-syllable ending (-ır/-ir/-ur/-ür). These include: al-, bil-, bul-, dur-, gel-, gör-, kal-, ol-, öl-, san-, var-, ver-, vur-.

5. The Negative Form
Crucially, the positive aorist suffixes (-r, -ar, -ir) are not used in the negative. Instead, they are replaced by the negative aorist suffixes -maz/-mez (or -mam/-meyiz for the first person).

  • Yapar (He does) → Yapmaz (He does not)
  • Gelir (He comes) → Gelmez (He does not come)

Examples (5)

  1. Her sabah gazete okur.

    He reads the newspaper every morning.

    Word by Word: Every morning newspaper read-Aorist.

    The stem 'oku-' ends in a vowel, so we simply add '-r'.

  2. Babam çok güzel yemek yapar.

    My father cooks very well.

    Word by Word: My father very beautiful food do-Aorist.

    'Yap-' is a one-syllable stem ending in a consonant, so it takes '-ar'.

  3. O, her gün kütüphanede çalışır.

    She works at the library every day.

    Word by Word: She every day library-at work-Aorist.

    'Çalış-' has two syllables, so it takes the 4-way harmony suffix '-ır'.

  4. Misafirler birazdan gelir.

    The guests will arrive in a moment.

    Word by Word: Guests in a moment come-Aorist.

    'Gel-' is one of the 13 exceptions; even though it is one syllable, it takes '-ir' instead of '-er'.

  5. Dünya döner.

    The Earth rotates.

    Word by Word: Earth rotate-Aorist.

    'Dön-' is a standard one-syllable verb, so it takes '-er'.

Common Mistakes

  • Using -ar/-er for the 13 exception verbs.

    O buraya her gün geler.
    O buraya her gün gelir.

    'Gel-' is one of the thirteen exceptions. You must use '-ir' even though it is a single syllable.

  • Using -ar/-er for multi-syllable verbs.

    Kardeşim çok konuşar.
    Kardeşim çok konuşur.

    Because 'konuş-' has two syllables, it must follow the 4-way harmony rule (-ur) rather than the 2-way rule (-ar).

  • Forgetting consonant softening in 'gitmek' and 'etmek'.

    O her sabah işe giter.
    O her sabah işe gider.

    When the aorist suffix is added to 'git-' or 'et-', the 't' changes to 'd' due to consonant softening.

How It Connects

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Choosing the Aorist EndingLevel 3

Learn This First

To choose the correct aorist ending, a learner must understand Turkish vowel harmony (both two-way and four-way) to match the suffix to the verb stem, and be familiar with the basic concept of the aorist tense.

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Patterns that build on this one.

Words in This Pattern

-r-ar-er