English

The broad present on -ir: not "now" but "in general"

Between -yor (right now) and -acak (will) sits a third tense, and speech without it sounds foreign. It is not about a moment but about how the world is: what always happens, and what a person promises. For example: “Kışın burada çok kar yağar” — It snows a lot here in winter. A rule from the Turkish course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.

Updated September 1, 2026 · Lingofly

How it works

Between -yor (right now) and -acak (will) sits a third tense, and speech without it sounds foreign. It is not about a moment but about how the world is: what always happens, and what a person promises.

The pair shows it. Kışın kar yağıyor is it is snowing this winter. Kışın burada çok kar yağar is there is a lot of snow here in winter.

The vowel goes like this. One-syllable stems usually take -ar/-er: yazar. Longer ones take -ir by the last vowel: öğrenir. The negative breaks the pattern outright: istemem, gelmez.

The second job of this tense is promising and politeness. çabuk öğrenirim weighs more than the future: it says this is how I am. The trap is refusal: istemem sounds mild, istemiyorum sounds sharp.

Table

The broad present on -ir: not "now" but "in general"
the formwhenexampletranslation
-ar / -era one-syllable stemyazarwrites (in general)
-ir / -ır / -ur / -üra multisyllabic stemöğrenirlearns, takes in
-ra stem ending in a vowelbekler, anlarwaits, understands
-mem / -mezsin / -mezthe negativeistememI (in general) do not want
-r mısınıza polite requestgösterir misinizwould you show
-ardı / -irdithe same in the pastkalırdıkwe used to stay

By example

  • Kışın burada çok kar yağar
    It snows a lot here in winter
  • Merak etmeyin, çabuk öğrenirim
    Do not worry, I am a quick learner
  • Bu saatte otobüs gelmez
    Buses do not run at this hour

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

-yor vs -ir in Turkish?

Between -yor (right now) and -acak (will) sits a third tense, and speech without it sounds foreign. It is not about a moment but about how the world is: what always happens, and what a person promises.

What the Turkish broad present is?

The pair shows it. Kışın kar yağıyor is it is snowing this winter. Kışın burada çok kar yağar is there is a lot of snow here in winter.

Why istemiyorum and istemem differ?

The vowel goes like this. One-syllable stems usually take -ar/-er: yazar. Longer ones take -ir by the last vowel: öğrenir. The negative breaks the pattern outright: istemem, gelmez.

How to ask politely with r mısınız?

The second job of this tense is promising and politeness. çabuk öğrenirim weighs more than the future: it says this is how I am. The trap is refusal: istemem sounds mild, istemiyorum sounds sharp.

What does it look like in an example sentence Turkish?

“Kışın burada çok kar yağar” — It snows a lot here in winter. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.

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