keşke

I Wish (Keşke)

Level 4

Use keşke at the start of a sentence to say "I wish" or "If only." It is almost always paired with a verb in the conditional mood.

How It Works

The particle keşke is used to express volitional modality—desires for things that are currently not true or regrets about the past.

1. Present/Future Wishes:
To express a wish about the present or future, use: keşke + [Verb Stem] + -sa/-se + [Personal Ending].
Example: Keşke burada olsan. (I wish you were here.)

2. Past Regrets:
To express a regret about something that already happened, use the past conditional: keşke + [Verb Stem] + -saydı/-seydi + [Personal Ending].
Example: Keşke o kitabı okusaydım. (I wish I had read that book.)

3. Key Rules:

  • Keşke is invariable; it never takes suffixes itself.
  • It uses Type-2 Personal Endings (the same ones used in the simple past): -m, -n, -, -k, -nız, -lar.
  • Negation is formed by adding -me/-ma directly to the verb stem before the conditional suffix.

Examples (5)

  1. Keşke şimdi tatilde olsak.

    I wish we were on holiday right now.

    Word by Word: I-wish now holiday-at be-if-we.

    A present unreal wish using the conditional suffix -sa and the first-person plural ending -k.

  2. Keşke o son dilim pastayı yemeseydim.

    I wish I hadn't eaten that last slice of cake.

    Word by Word: I-wish that last slice cake-acc eat-not-if-past-I.

    A past regret. The suffix -seydi indicates a counterfactual past situation.

  3. Keşke daha çok param olsa.

    If only I had more money.

    Word by Word: I-wish more much money-my be-if.

    Expresses a desire for a situation that is currently not true.

  4. Keşke yarın yağmur yağmasa.

    I wish it wouldn't rain tomorrow.

    Word by Word: I-wish tomorrow rain rain-not-if.

    A future wish using the negative conditional form.

  5. Keşke seni dinleseydim.

    I wish I had listened to you.

    Word by Word: I-wish you-acc listen-if-past-I.

    A common expression of regret regarding past advice.

Common Mistakes

  • Using the indicative present or future tense instead of the conditional mood.

    Keşke geliyorsun.
    Keşke gelsen.

    Keşke is almost always paired with the conditional mood (-sA). The present continuous (-iyor) or future (-ecek) tenses do not work with it.

  • Confusing 'keşke' (unreal wish) with 'umarım' (real hope).

    Keşke sınavı geçersin.
    Umarım sınavı geçersin.

    Use 'umarım' for things that are possible and you hope will happen. Use 'keşke' for things that are unlikely, impossible, or already passed.

  • Placing the negation suffix after the conditional suffix.

    Keşke gitse-me-m.
    Keşke git-me-se-m.

    The negative marker -mA must always come immediately after the verb stem, before any mood or tense suffixes.

How It Connects

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

keşkeLevel 4I Wish (Keşke)

Learn This First

To use 'keşke' (I wish), you need to understand how to form the conditional mood using the -se/-sa suffix, as this provides the grammatical structure for the wish. Additionally, you must be familiar with the specific set of person endings used for the conditional (which are identical to the past tense endings) and basic vowel harmony to attach these suffixes correctly.

Words in This Pattern

keşke