Saying Can or Cannot in Turkish: A Simple Guide

Welcome to this simple guide on expressing ability or the lack of it in Turkish. If you’ve ever wondered how to say “can” or “cannot” in Turkish, you’re in the right place.

Turkish usually expresses “can” and “cannot” through verb suffixes rather than separate words. If you’re used to putting “can” before an English verb, this takes some getting used to.

The negative form changes the suffix as well as adding negation. It is worth learning alongside the positive form.

So, let’s go over a quick explanation plus some examples.

Can or Cannot in Turkish: An Overview

In Turkish, expressing the ability or inability to perform an action is achieved through verb suffixes. These suffixes are attached to the verb stem to convey the idea of “can” or “cannot”.

The primary ability suffix is -(y)abil/-(y)ebil. Its first vowel follows two-way vowel harmony; the bil part is fixed. The y appears after a vowel-final stem.

• If the last vowel of the verb stem is one of the following: a, ı, o, or u, then “-abil” is used.
• If the last vowel of the verb stem is one of the following: e, i, ö, or ü, then “-ebil” is used.

See here for a more comprehensive guide to Turkish vowel harmony.

The stem yap- has a as its last vowel, so it takes -abil: yapabilirim. The stem gör- has ö as its last vowel, so it takes -ebil: görebilirim. After a vowel-final stem, add the buffer y: bekle-y-ebilirim, “I can wait”.

For inability, use -(y)ama/-(y)eme, then the tense and person ending: Göremem, “I can’t see”; Bekleyemem, “I can’t wait”.

Here’s a summary table of the rules:

In addition, bear in mind the following two things:

1. The “can” or “cannot” stems are often expressed in the present tense. For example, to say “I can’t eat”, you might be talking about not being able to eat right now, “yiyemiyorum”, or not being able to eat an item at all, generally (e.g. due to an allergy), “yiyemem”.
2. In the negative aorist, first-person forms have no z: yapamam (I cannot do it), yapamayız (we cannot do it). The other persons use -maz/-mez: yapamazsın, yapamaz, yapamazsınız, yapamazlar.

The Turkish Textbook ability lesson gives the full positive and negative patterns. These forms can also express permission or possibility, depending on context.

Can in Turkish

To say “can” in the aorist, use -(y)abil/-(y)ebil, followed by the aorist -ir and the personal ending.

Here’s a table showcasing how to use “can” with some common verbs:

Cannot in Turkish

Now, let’s look at how to express “cannot” with the same verbs.

For the first-person aorist “I cannot”, add -(y)ama/-(y)eme and the final -m. For an ongoing inability, use the progressive form, as in Göremiyorum.

Question Form in Turkish with “Can”

For permission or polite requests, use an ability form with the separate question particle: Yapabilir miyim?, “May I do it?”; Yapabilir misin?, “Can/could you do it?”. English “could” here is a polite request, not necessarily a past tense.

Here’s a table of examples to help you out:

Negative Question Form

Negative questions use the negative ability form plus the question particle. Yapamaz mısın? means “Can’t you do it?”; it can sound surprised or challenging. For a neutral question about a current inability, use Yapamıyor musun?.

Here’s how you can form these questions:

Wrap Up / Conclusion

And there you have it! A straightforward guide to expressing “can” and “cannot” in Turkish.

I wish it were a little simpler, but hopefully the above should get you started.

The next step would be to add some past tense or future tense conjugations to the verbs, but that’ll be for another day.

With these tables and explanations, you’re well on your way to figuring out this aspect of the Turkish language.