-(y)e (istek kipi)

The Optative (Let Me, Let Us)

Level 5

The optative mood (-(y)e) is the primary way to make suggestions or volunteer for actions in Turkish. While it exists for all persons, it is most frequently used in the 1st person singular ('let me') and 1st person plural ('let's').

How It Works

The Optative Mood (İstek Kipi) is used to express the speaker's will, desire, or a collaborative suggestion.

1. Formation:
The suffix is -(y)e / -(y)a. If the verb stem ends in a vowel, you must use the buffer consonant -y-.

2. Irregular Verbs (Narrowing):
The high-frequency verbs demek and yemek undergo vowel narrowing in the optative. The 'e' in the stem changes to 'i': ye-y-elim becomes yiyelim (let's eat) and de-y-eyim becomes diyeyim (let me say).

3. Negative Form:
To make the optative negative, use the -me/-ma suffix. Because this suffix ends in a vowel, you must always use the buffer -y- before the optative suffix: Verb Stem + -me/-ma + -y- + -e/-a + Personal Ending (e.g., gitmeyelim).

4. Common Conjugations:

  • 1st Person Singular (-(y)eyim/-(y)ayim): Used to volunteer or ask for permission. Gideyim (Let me go). In informal speech, this is often shortened (e.g., yapayım becomes yapim).
  • 1st Person Plural (-(y)elim/-(y)alım): Used for suggestions. Gidelim (Let's go).

5. Word Stress:
In the 1st person singular and plural optative, the word stress falls on the mood suffix: gi-DE-yim. In the negative form, the stress shifts to the syllable before the negative suffix: GİT-meyelim.

6. Rare/Archaic Forms:
The 2nd and 3rd person forms are rarely used today. For 'Let him/her', modern Turkish uses the 3rd person imperative. However, the 3rd person optative survives in fixed expressions like Kolay gele! (May it come easy) or Rast gele! (May you meet success). For the 2nd person, speakers use the simple command or the conditional (e.g., gitsen) for suggestions.

7. Interrogative Form:
When used with the question word, it functions as 'Should I...?' or 'Shall we...?'. For example: Pencereyi açayım mı? (Shall I open the window?).

Examples (6)

  1. Hadi, biraz dinlenelim; çok yorulduk.

    Come on, let's rest a little; we've gotten very tired.

    Word by Word: Come-on, a-little let-us-rest; very we-got-tired.

    The 1st person plural '-elim' is the standard way to say 'let's' in Turkish.

  2. Yardım edeyim mi? Bu çantalar çok ağır görünüyor.

    Shall I help? These bags look very heavy.

    Word by Word: Help let-me-do [question]? These bags very heavy they-appear.

    The 1st person singular '-eyim' combined with the question particle asks for advice or offers help.

  3. Bugün dışarı çıkmayalım, hava çok soğuk.

    Let's not go out today, the weather is very cold.

    Word by Word: Today outside let-us-not-go-out, weather very cold.

    To form the negative, add the negative suffix '-ma' followed by the buffer '-y-' before the optative ending.

  4. Dur, ben bakayım.

    Wait, let me look.

    Word by Word: Wait, I let-me-look.

    The speaker is volunteering to perform the action using the 1st person singular optative.

  5. Bu hatayı bir daha yapmayayım.

    Let me not make this mistake again.

    Word by Word: This mistake-acc one more let-me-not-do.

    The negative optative for 'I' (yapmayayım) expresses a personal intention or wish not to do something.

  6. Yolun açık ola.

    May your path be open.

    Word by Word: Your-path open may-it-be.

    This uses the rare 3rd person singular optative 'ola' (from olmak) in a traditional blessing.

Common Mistakes

  • Dropping the buffer -y- after a vowel.

    Bekleeyim.
    Bekleyeyim.

    If a verb stem ends in a vowel (like bekle-), you must use the buffer consonant -y- before adding the optative suffix.

  • Using the 2nd person optative for direct commands.

    Buraya gelesin!
    Buraya gel!

    While 'gelesin' is grammatically possible, it sounds archaic or like a poetic wish. Use the simple command for standard requests.

  • Confusing the optative with the future tense.

    Yarın sinemaya gidelim.
    Yarın sinemaya gideceğiz.

    Both sentences are correct but mean different things. Use the optative (gidelim) for a proposal ('Let's go'), and use the future tense (gideceğiz) for a statement of fact or plan ('We will go').

How It Connects

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-(y)e (istek kipi)Level 5The Optative (Let Me, Let Us)

Learn This First

To learn the optative mood, you need to understand how to apply two-way vowel harmony to the suffix -(y)e and how to use the buffer consonant -y- when a verb stem ends in a vowel. Familiarity with personal pronouns is also essential for correct conjugation.

Words in This Pattern

-a