Negation (-ma / -me)
A2
Verbs
1. Function
The suffix -ma / -me expresses negation of the verb.
It indicates that the action does not occur.
2. Forms
The suffix follows two-way vowel harmony:
back vowels (a, ı, o, u) → -ma
front vowels (e, i, ö, ü) → -me
Examples:
yap → yapma
gel → gelme
bak → bakma
sev → sevme
3. Position in Structure
The negative marker appears directly after the verb stem.
verb stem → negative → tense → person
Examples:
gel-me-di-m
yap-ma-dı
sev-mi-yor-um
bak-ma-y-acak-sın
4. Negation with Tense
The negative marker combines with all tense forms.
Present Continuous
Gelmiyorum. (I am not coming.)
Yapmıyorsun. (You are not doing.)
Past
Gelmedim. (I did not come.)
Yapmadık. (We did not do.)
Future
Gelmeyeceğim. (I will not come.)
Yapmayacaklar. (They will not do.)
5. Negation with Ability (-(y)Abil)
The negative marker appears before the ability suffix.
verb stem → negative → -(y)Abil → tense → person
Examples:
Gelemiyorum. (I cannot come.)
Yapamayabilirim. (I may not be able to do.)
Okuyamayabilirdi. (He/She might not have been able to read.)
6. Negation with Necessity (-meli / -malı)
The negative marker appears before the necessity suffix.
verb stem → negative → -meli / -malı → person
Examples:
Gelmemeliyim. (I should not come.)
Yapmamalısın. (You should not do it.)
Gitmemeliyiz. (We should not go.)
7. Nominal Negation (değil)
Nominal and adjectival negation is formed with değil.
Examples:
Bu güzel değil. (This is not beautiful.)
O hazır değil. (He/She is not ready.)
Ev büyük değil. (The house is not big.)
Examples
Gelmiyorum. (I am not coming.)
Yapmadım. (I did not do it.)
Bilmiyoruz. (We do not know.)
Gelmeyeceğim. (I will not come.)
Gelemiyorum. (I cannot come.)
Gelmemeliyim. (I should not come.)
Bu doğru değil. (This is not correct.)
Notes
The negative marker appears directly after the verb stem.
It precedes tense and personal endings.
It follows vowel harmony: -ma / -me.
With -(y)Abil and -meli/-malı, negation comes before the suffix.
Nominal negation uses “değil.”
Word order does not change.
In present continuous, vowel narrowing occurs:
“gelmeyorum” → “gelmiyorum”
“yapmayorum” → “yapmıyorum”
“sevmeyorum” → “sevmiyorum”
Negation – FAQ (A2)
Q: What does the suffix -ma / -me express in Turkish?
A: It expresses negation of the verb.
Q: Where does the negative marker appear in the verb structure?
A: After the verb stem and before tense and person.
Q: How is the correct form -ma or -me chosen?
A: It follows vowel harmony.
Q: Does negation affect word order?
A: No. Turkish remains verb-final.
Q: How is negation formed with -(y)Abil?
A: The negative marker appears before -(y)Abil.
Q: How is negation formed with -meli / -malı?
A: The negative marker appears before -meli / -malı.
Q: What is the difference between “yapamam” and “yapmayabilirim”?
A: “Yapamam” = inability. “Yapmayabilirim” = possibility.
Q: How is nominal negation formed?
A: With “değil.”
Q: Does -ma / -me change form before vowels?
A: No. It remains the same.