The Thirteen Exceptions

Level 3

In the Aorist Tense, one-syllable verbs usually take -ar or -er. However, 13 very common verbs break this rule and take the 4-way vowel harmony suffix (-ır, -ir, -ur, -ür) instead.

How It Works

To use the Aorist (Geniş Zaman), you must first look at the verb stem.

The Standard Rules:

  • Stems ending in a vowel take -r (e.g., oku-r).
  • Stems with one syllable ending in a consonant take -ar/-er (e.g., bak-ar, yap-ar).
  • Stems with two or more syllables take -ır/-ir/-ur/-ür (e.g., konuş-ur).

The 13 Exceptions:
These verbs are one-syllable, but they take the -ır/-ir/-ur/-ür suffix. Because these verbs are extremely high-frequency, it is essential to memorize them:
1. Almak (to take/buy) → alır
2. Bilmek (to know) → bilir
3. Bulmak (to find) → bulur
4. Durmak (to stop/stand) → durur
5. Gelmek (to come) → gelir
6. Görmek (to see) → görür
7. Kalmak (to stay) → kalır
8. Olmak (to be/become) → olur
9. Ölmek (to die) → ölür
10. Sanmak (to think/suppose) → sanır
11. Varmak (to arrive) → varır
12. Vermek (to give) → verir
13. Vurmak (to hit) → vurur

Note: The verbs demek and yemek are NOT exceptions to this rule; they end in vowels and follow the standard vowel-ending rule (der, yer).

Examples (5)

  1. Her sabah buraya gelir.

    He/she comes here every morning.

    Word by Word: Every morning here-to he-comes.

    Gelmek is an exception. Instead of 'geler', we use 'gelir'.

  2. Zamanla her şey olur.

    Everything happens with time.

    Word by Word: Time-with every thing happens.

    Olmak is an exception. Instead of 'olar', we use 'olur'.

  3. Bunu sen de bilirsin.

    You know this too.

    Word by Word: This-acc you also know-you.

    Bilmek is an exception. Instead of 'bilersin', we use 'bilirsin'.

  4. Sanırım bugün yağmur yağacak.

    I think it will rain today.

    Word by Word: I-suppose today rain will-fall.

    Sanmak is the only exception not ending in -l or -r. 'Sanırım' (I suppose) is a very common Aorist usage.

  5. Babam her gün gazete alır.

    My father buys a newspaper every day.

    Word by Word: Father-my every day newspaper buys.

    Almak is an exception. Instead of 'alar', we use 'alır'.

Common Mistakes

  • Applying the standard one-syllable rule (-ar/-er) to these exceptions.

    O her gün buraya geler.
    O her gün buraya gelir.

    Learners often assume 'gelmek' follows the rule for one-syllable verbs (gel + er), but it is one of the 13 exceptions that requires -ir.

  • Confusing 'sanmak' with regular verbs because it doesn't end in -l or -r.

    Ben öyle sanarım.
    Ben öyle sanırım.

    While 12 of the exceptions end in -l or -r, 'sanmak' ends in -n but still takes the -ır suffix.

How It Connects

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The Thirteen ExceptionsLevel 3

Learn This First

To understand the 'Thirteen Exceptions', you must first be familiar with the standard Aorist (Geniş Zaman) tense and how its suffixes are typically selected based on the number of syllables in a verb stem. These exceptions specifically involve one-syllable verbs that take the high-vowel suffix (-ir) instead of the expected low-vowel suffix (-ar).

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