-mek/-mak

The Infinitive

Level 1

The infinitive -mek / -mak is the 'to [verb]' form in Turkish. It turns a verb into a noun so you can talk about the activity itself (e.g., 'to swim' or 'swimming').

How It Works

The infinitive is a verbal noun. It allows a verb to act as the subject or object of a sentence without specifying a person.

1. Formation:

  • Verb Stem + -mek/-mak
  • Gel- (come) → Gelmek (to come)
  • Yap- (do) → Yapmak (to do)

2. Full vs. Short Infinitive:
Turkish has two types of infinitives. The choice depends on the suffix that follows:

3. Suffix Constraints:
Unlike regular nouns, the full infinitive (-mek) cannot take possessive endings or the accusative/dative cases. To add these, you must switch to the short infinitive (-me). For example, 'my eating' is yemem, not yemeğim (which means 'my food').

4. Usage with istemek:
The full infinitive is the standard form used with istemek when the subject of both verbs is the same: Bu suyu içmek istiyorum (I want to drink this water).

5. Different Subjects:
If you want someone else to do something (e.g., 'I want you to go'), you cannot use the full infinitive. Instead, use the short infinitive with a possessive suffix and the accusative case: Gitmeni istiyorum (I want [your going] you to go). This is covered in more detail in wanting someone else to do something.

Examples (5)

  1. Türkçe öğrenmek çok eğlenceli.

    Learning Turkish is very fun.

    Word by Word: Turkish to-learn very fun.

    Here, 'öğrenmek' acts as the subject of the sentence in its full infinitive form.

  2. Dışarı çıkmak istiyorum.

    I want to go out.

    Word by Word: Outside to-go-out I-want.

    The full infinitive is used as the object of the verb istemek.

  3. Kitap okumayı çok seviyorum.

    I love reading books very much.

    Word by Word: Book to-read-(acc) very I-love.

    When adding the accusative case, the verb switches to the short infinitive (-me) with a buffer -y-.

  4. Seni görmek için geldim.

    I came in order to see you.

    Word by Word: You to-see for I-came.

    The full infinitive is used with için to express purpose.

  5. Yüzmekten korkuyorum.

    I am afraid of swimming.

    Word by Word: To-swim-from I-am-fearing.

    The full infinitive is used with the ablative case.

Common Mistakes

  • Trying to add vowel-starting case endings directly to -mek/-mak.

    Yüzmeki seviyorum.
    Yüzmeyi seviyorum.

    You cannot add the accusative, dative, or genitive cases to the full infinitive. You must switch to the short infinitive form (-me/-ma) first.

  • Adding personal endings to the full infinitive.

    Gelmekim istiyorsun.
    Gelmemi istiyorsun.

    The -mek/-mak form is general and subject-neutral. To specify a person (like 'my coming'), you must use the short infinitive form -me/-ma.

How It Connects

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-mek/-makLevel 1The Infinitive

Learn This First

To understand the Turkish infinitive (-mek/-mak), you primarily need to understand Two-Way Vowel Harmony, as this determines which version of the suffix is attached to a verb stem. Since this is a foundational verb form, it requires very few grammatical prerequisites beyond basic phonology.

Learn Next

Patterns that build on this one.

And 8 more in the full list.

Words in This Pattern

-mek