-iyor mu

Present Continuous Questions

Level 1

Verb Stem + -iyor + [Space] + mu + Person Ending?

How It Works

To form a question in the present continuous tense, follow these steps:

1. The Verb Stem: Take the verb and remove the -mak/-mek ending (e.g., gelmek → gel-).
2. The Tense Suffix: Add -iyor (following 4-way vowel harmony). If the stem already ends in a narrow vowel (ı, i, u, ü), simply add -yor (e.g., oku- → okuyor).
3. The Question Particle: Add the word mu separately. Because the tense suffix always ends in 'o', the question particle will always be mu (except for the 3rd person plural).
4. The Person Ending: Attach the personal suffix to mu. For 1st person endings (-um and -uz), you must use the buffer consonant -y- (e.g., mu-y-um, mu-y-uz).

Key Rules:

  • Vowel Narrowing: If a verb stem ends in a wide vowel (a, e), that vowel narrows to a corresponding narrow vowel (ı, i, u, ü) before adding -iyor (e.g., bekle- becomes bekliyor). This includes demek and yemek, which become diyor and yiyor.
  • Consonant Change: For verbs like gitmek, etmek, and tatmak, the 't' changes to 'd' (e.g., gidiyor mu?).
  • 3rd Person Plural: For 'they', the plural suffix usually stays with the verb: Öğreniyorlar mı? However, if you use the pronoun onlar, you can also say Onlar öğreniyor mu?

Examples (6)

  1. Beni duyuyor musun?

    Do you hear me? / Are you hearing me?

    Word by Word: Me hearing [question] you?

    A standard question asking about the present moment using the 2nd person singular ending.

  2. O şimdi kitap okuyor mu?

    Is he/she reading a book now?

    Word by Word: He/she now book reading [question]?

    In the 3rd person singular (he/she/it), there is no personal suffix after 'mu'. Note that 'okumak' ends in a narrow vowel, so we just add -yor.

  3. Yarın sinemaya gidiyor musunuz?

    Are you (plural/formal) going to the cinema tomorrow?

    Word by Word: Tomorrow to-cinema going [question] you-all?

    This shows the present continuous being used for a planned near-future action. The 't' in 'gitmek' changes to 'd'.

  4. Televizyon izlemiyor musun?

    Aren't you watching television?

    Word by Word: Television not-watching [question] you?

    This uses the negative form -miyor to ask a negative question.

  5. Şu an geliyor muyum?

    Am I coming right now?

    Word by Word: That moment coming [question]-buffer-I?

    For the 1st person singular, a buffer 'y' is required between 'mu' and the personal ending: mu-y-um.

  6. Onlar Türkçe öğreniyorlar mı?

    Are they learning Turkish?

    Word by Word: They Turkish learning-plural [question]?

    Note that for 'they', the plural suffix -lar is attached to the verb, and the question particle changes to 'mı' to match it.

Common Mistakes

  • Writing the question particle as part of the verb.

    Geliyormusun?
    Geliyor musun?

    In Turkish, the question particle 'mu' and its attached person endings must be written as a separate word.

  • Using the question particle when a question word (who, what, where) is already present.

    Kim geliyor mu?
    Kim geliyor?

    If a sentence contains a question word like 'kim' (who) or 'ne' (what), you usually do not add the 'mu' particle.

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

    Gitiyor mu?
    Gidiyor mu?

    The verbs 'gitmek' and 'etmek' undergo consonant softening when the suffix starts with a vowel.

How It Connects

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

-iyor muLevel 1Present Continuous Questions

Learn This First

To form Present Continuous questions, you must first understand how to conjugate verbs in the Present Continuous tense (-iyor). You also need to be familiar with the Turkish question particle (mu) and how personal endings attach to that particle instead of the verb stem.

Words in This Pattern

-iyor