-sene / -senize

Friendly Urging

Level 5

The persuasive imperative (-sene/-senize) is used in informal speech to urge, suggest, or express impatience. It translates to 'Why don't you...?' or 'Come on, ...!'

How It Works

The persuasive imperative (descriptively called İstekli Emir) is a hybrid form combining the conditional mood with an interjection to urge a listener toward an action. It is strictly limited to the 2nd person (you/you all).

1. Formation:
It is built on the verb stem and follows two-way vowel harmony:

  • Singular (Informal): Verb Stem + -se/-sa + -ne/-na
  • Plural / Friendly: Verb Stem + -se/-sa + -nize/-nıza
  • Negative: Verb Stem + -me/-ma + -se/-sa + -ne/-nize

2. Nuance and Tone:
The meaning changes significantly based on intonation:

  • Encouragement: Used with friends to invite them to join an activity (e.g., 'Hadi, gelsene!' - 'Come on, why don't you come!').
  • Suggestion: A softer way to tell guests to do something obvious (e.g., 'Otursanıza' - 'Why don't you all sit down?').
  • Impatience: Used when someone is slow to act (e.g., 'Baksana!' - 'Look here!').

3. Register:
This pattern is strictly informal. Even the plural form -senize is used for social closeness and does not make the expression formal or suitable for superiors. Using this with a boss or a stranger can sound pushy or rude. For formal politeness, you must use polite commands.

Examples (6)

  1. Hadi, sen de gelsene!

    Come on, why don't you come too!

    Word by Word: Come-on, you also come-if-you-now!

    A friendly urging for a friend to join an activity.

  2. Ayakta kalmayın, otursanıza.

    Don't stay on your feet, why don't you all sit down.

    Word by Word: On-foot stay-not, sit-if-you-all-now.

    A polite but informal suggestion to guests using the plural form.

  3. Baksana buraya, sana söylüyorum!

    Look here, I'm talking to you!

    Word by Word: Look-if-you-now here-to, to-you I-am-telling!

    Used here to express impatience or to grab someone's attention sharply.

  4. Şu filmi izlesene, çok güzel.

    Why don't you watch this movie? It's very good.

    Word by Word: That movie watch-if-you-now, very beautiful.

    A casual recommendation to a friend.

  5. Söylesene, ne oldu?

    Come on, tell me, what happened?

    Word by Word: Tell-if-you-now, what happened?

    Urging someone to speak or reveal information.

  6. Yapmasana! Rahatsız oluyorum.

    Don't do that, will you! I'm getting uncomfortable.

    Word by Word: Do-not-if-you-now! Uncomfortable I-am-becoming.

    The negative form used to urge someone to stop an annoying action.

Common Mistakes

  • Using it in formal or professional situations.

    Müdür Bey, buraya baksanıza!
    Müdür Bey, buraya bakar mısınız?

    Even with the plural suffix, this pattern is too informal for a boss. Use the Aorist question for professional politeness.

  • Confusing it with the standard conditional 'if'.

    Eğer gelsene, mutlu olurum.
    Eğer gelsen, mutlu olurum.

    The suffix -sene is an imperative (command). For a conditional 'if' clause, use the standard personal ending -sen.

  • Adding the question particle 'mi'.

    Gelsene mi?
    Gelsene!

    Although it translates to 'Why don't you...?', it is not a grammatical question and does not take the question particle.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

-sene / -senizeLevel 5Friendly Urging

Learn This First

The '-sene / -senize' pattern is a colloquial way to urge someone to do something. It is constructed by adding the conditional suffix (-se/-sa) to a verb stem, followed by personal endings. To understand it, you need to know how the conditional works, how vowel harmony affects suffixes, and the basic concept of giving commands in Turkish.

Words in This Pattern

-sene