-iyorum / -iyorsun

Present Continuous Person Endings

Level 1

The -iyorum and -iyorsun endings attach to verb stems to indicate that an action is currently happening. They correspond to 'I am ...ing' and 'You are ...ing' in English.

How It Works

To conjugate a verb in the present continuous for 'I' or 'you', follow these steps:

1. Find the Stem: Take the infinitive (like gelmek) and remove the -mek/-mak ending to get the stem (gel-).
2. Add the Connecting Vowel: If the stem ends in a consonant, add a vowel (ı, i, u, or ü) based on four-way vowel harmony.
3. Add -yor: This is the tense marker.
4. Add the Person Ending:

  • -um for 'I' (Ben)
  • -sun for 'you' (Sen)

Important Note: Because the -yor suffix never changes its vowel, the person endings -um and -sun are also fixed. They do not change regardless of the original verb stem.

Special Cases:

  • Vowel Stems: If a verb stem ends in a high vowel (ı, i, u, ü), like oku- or uyu-, the -yor suffix is added directly (okuyorum, uyuyorsun). However, if the stem ends in a low vowel (a, e), that vowel is dropped and replaced by a high vowel (narrowing). For example, başla- becomes başlıyor. This also happens with the -me/-ma negative suffix, which becomes -mı/-mi/-mu/-mü before -yor.
  • demek and yemek: For the verbs demek and yemek, the 'e' changes to 'i': diyorum (I am saying) and yiyorum (I am eating).
  • Consonant Mutation: For the verbs gitmek, etmek, tatmak (to taste), and gütmek (to herd), the 't' changes to 'd' when the vowel-starting suffix is added. So, gidiyorum (I am going) and tadıyorsun (you are tasting).

Examples (5)

  1. Geliyorum.

    I am coming.

    Word by Word: Coming-am.

    From 'gelmek' (to come). The stem is 'gel-', we add 'i' for harmony, then '-yor', then '-um' for 'I'.

  2. Ne yapıyorsun?

    What are you doing?

    Word by Word: What doing-are-you?

    From 'yapmak' (to do). The stem is 'yap-', we add 'ı' for harmony, then '-yor', then '-sun' for 'you'.

  3. Kitap okuyorum.

    I am reading a book.

    Word by Word: Book reading-am.

    From 'okumak'. Since 'oku-' ends in a vowel, we just add '-yor' and '-um'.

  4. Şimdi gidiyorsun.

    You are going now.

    Word by Word: Now going-are-you.

    From 'gitmek'. Note how the 't' changes to 'd' before the vowel.

  5. Seni seviyorum.

    I love you.

    Word by Word: You (acc.) loving-am.

    In Turkish, stative verbs like 'love' often use the continuous tense even if English uses the simple present.

Common Mistakes

  • Using the wrong vowel harmony for the person ending.

    Geliyorsın.
    Geliyorsun.

    Because the tense marker is always '-yor', the person ending must always harmonize with 'o'. Therefore, it is always '-sun', never '-sın' or '-sin'.

  • Forgetting to change 't' to 'd' in specific verbs.

    Gitiyorum.
    Gidiyorum.

    The verb 'gitmek' (to go) undergoes consonant softening when followed by a vowel.

How It Connects

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

-iyorum / -iyorsunLevel 1Present Continuous Person Endings

Learn This First

To conjugate verbs in the present continuous, you first need to understand the base tense marker '-iyor'. Since these endings represent different people (I, you, etc.), you must be familiar with Turkish personal pronouns. Additionally, the vowels in these endings are governed by four-way vowel harmony.

Learn Next

Patterns that build on this one.

Words in This Pattern

-iyor-um-sun