-(y)ebilir (izin ve olasılık)

Permission and Possibility

Level 3

The suffix -(y)ebilir is the 'Swiss Army Knife' of Turkish modals. It is used to ask for permission, state that something is possible, or describe a skill. It is formed by adding -(y)a/e to a verb stem, followed by the fixed element bilir.

How It Works

To form this mood, follow these steps:

  • Statement: Verb Stem + (y) + a/e + bilir + Personal Ending
  • Question: Verb Stem + (y) + a/e + bilir + mi + Personal Ending

1. Vowel Harmony: The first vowel (a or e) follows two-way vowel harmony based on the verb stem.
2. Consonant Changes: If the verb stem ends in a vowel, use the buffer consonant -y- (e.g., oku-y-abilir). For a few specific verbs ending in 't' like gitmek and etmek, the 't' changes to 'd' (e.g., gidebilir) as per consonant softening, though most verbs like satmak (satabilir) do not change.
3. The Fixed Element: The part -bilir is fixed. Because it ends in 'i', the question word will always be mi.
4. Personal Endings: This mood uses the aorist tense person endings (Type 1).

Usage Nuances:

  • Permission: Used in questions to be polite (Girebilir miyim? - May I enter?).
  • Possibility: Used to express uncertainty (Yağmur yağabilir. - It might rain.).
  • Ability: Used to describe a skill or physical capability (Yüzebilirim. - I can swim.).

Negation (Two Types):

  • Cannot (Inability): Use -(y)eme-. The negative aorist suffix -z is used for the 2nd and 3rd persons, but is dropped for the 1st person singular (yap-ama-m) and plural (yap-ama-yız). Note that the word stress falls on the potential marker (-a/-e) immediately preceding the negative suffix (e.g., yap-A-mam).
  • Might Not (Negative Possibility): Negate the verb stem first with -me/-ma and then add the potential suffix (e.g., gel-me-yebilir).

Examples (6)

  1. İçeri girebilir miyim?

    May I come in?

    Word by Word: Inside enter-can [question] I?

    This is a standard polite way to ask for permission using the aorist question form. Note that the question particle is always 'mi' because it follows the fixed '-bilir' suffix.

  2. Hava çok bulutlu, yağmur yağabilir.

    The weather is very cloudy, it might rain.

    Word by Word: Weather very cloudy, rain fall-can.

    Here, the suffix expresses possibility rather than physical ability.

  3. Bu ağır kutuyu tek başıma kaldıramam.

    I cannot lift this heavy box by myself.

    Word by Word: This heavy box-acc single head-my-dat lift-cannot-I.

    This uses the 'cannot' form (-(y)eme-) to show a lack of physical ability. In the first person singular, the -z suffix is dropped.

  4. Yarın toplantıya gelmeyebilirim.

    I might not come to the meeting tomorrow.

    Word by Word: Tomorrow meeting-dat come-not-can-I.

    This uses the 'might not' form (-meyebilir) to express a negative possibility.

  5. Pencereyi açabilir misiniz?

    Could you open the window?

    Word by Word: Window-acc open-can [question] you?

    A polite request using the potential mood in a question format.

  6. Oraya otobüsle gidebilirsin.

    You can go there by bus.

    Word by Word: There-dat bus-with go-can-you.

    Notice how the 't' in 'gitmek' changes to 'd' when the suffix is added.

Common Mistakes

  • Applying vowel harmony to the 'i' in -bilir.

    Bakabılırım.
    Bakabilirim.

    The 'bilir' part comes from the verb 'bilmek' and is a fixed aorist form. It never changes to 'bılır', 'bulur', or 'bülür' regardless of the preceding vowels.

  • Confusing 'cannot' with 'might not'.

    Gelebilmem.
    Gelemem veya gelmeyebilirim.

    Turkish distinguishes between inability (gelemem - I cannot come) and negative possibility (gelmeyebilirim - I might not come). The form 'gelebilmem' is grammatically incorrect for these meanings.

  • Worrying that 'belki' and -(y)ebilir cannot go together.

    Belki gelebilirim.
    Gelebilirim.

    'Belki gelebilirim' is correct Turkish. 'Belki' and -(y)ebilir both show doubt, so together they sound a little more unsure. 'Gelebilirim' alone is also fine.

How It Connects

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

-(y)ebilir (izin ve olasılık)Level 3Permission and Possibility

Learn This First

To understand permission and possibility in Turkish, you must first be familiar with the ability suffix -(y)ebilmek and how the Aorist tense (-ir/-er) is applied to it. Additionally, knowledge of the buffer consonant -y- is necessary for correct spelling and pronunciation when verb stems end in vowels.

Words in This Pattern

-ebilir