A polite request: -ebilmek and a question instead of an order
There is no separate word for can. There is an insert, -abil- / -ebil-, placed inside the verb: almak (to take) → alabilirim, I can take. It comes apart like everything else: al-abil-ir-im, take-can-usually-I. Its negative is short and its own, -ama- / -eme-: Açamıyorum, I cannot open it. For example: “Bir bardak su alabilir miyim?” — May I have a glass of water?. A rule from the Turkish course: worked out on…
How it works
There is no separate word for can. There is an insert, -abil- / -ebil-, placed inside the verb: almak (to take) → alabilirim, I can take. It comes apart like everything else: al-abil-ir-im, take-can-usually-I. Its negative is short and its own, -ama- / -eme-: Açamıyorum, I cannot open it.
Now the main thing. A Turkish request is a question, not a command. Want something yourself, ask aloud whether you may: Alabilir miyim? Want it from someone else, ask whether they will: Yapar mısınız?
The command on -ın/-in (Formu doldurun) is polite too, but it instructs, and that is how doctors, clerks and repairmen talk. In a shop or somebody's home the question sounds softer, just as could you tell me is softer than tell me.
Table
| what you need | how to say it | literally |
|---|---|---|
| permission for yourself | Alabilir miyim? | may I take |
| a request to another | Yapar mısınız? | would you do it |
| a polite instruction | Formu doldurun | fill in the form |
| "I cannot" | Açamıyorum | I cannot open |
By example
- Bir bardak su alabilir miyim?May I have a glass of water?
- Pencereyi açar mısınız?Could you open the window?
- Yarın gelebilirimI can come tomorrow
How the rule settles in your head
A rule is not memorized from an explanation. It is memorized from an attempt to use it and a mistake — that is why the app delivers it mixed in with words, not as a separate lesson: it resurfaces exactly where you forgot it.
Frequently asked
A polite request: how does it work in Turkish?
There is no separate word for can. There is an insert, -abil- / -ebil-, placed inside the verb: almak (to take) → alabilirim, I can take. It comes apart like everything else: al-abil-ir-im, take-can-usually-I. Its negative is short and its own, -ama- / -eme-: Açamıyorum, I cannot open it.
What does it look like in an example sentence Turkish?
“Bir bardak su alabilir miyim?” — May I have a glass of water?. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.