The wish as its own mood: -sın, -eyim and formulas like Kolay gelsin
An English wish leans on service words: let him, may you, so that. Turkish takes tails instead. For example: “Herkes bir dilek tutsun” — Let everyone make a wish. A rule from the Turkish course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
An English wish leans on service words: let him, may you, so that. Turkish takes tails instead.
About a third person it is -sın: gelsin, let him come; Herkes bir dilek tutsun, let everyone make a wish. This is not an order to the listener but a job passed on, or a wish sent into the air.
About yourself it is -eyim for I and -elim for we. ben bakayım is let me have a look; Yarın erken çıkalım is let us leave early tomorrow. That is how a Turk proposes something, not with the future.
Half of everyday politeness is frozen -sın: geçmiş olsun, kolay gelsin. The trap is taking them apart: they work as single words, with no room for your own content.
Table
| the tail | who acts | example | translation |
|---|---|---|---|
| -sın / -sin | let him/her | gelsin | let him come |
| -sın, a formula | a wish | geçmiş olsun | get well soon |
| -sın, a formula | a wish | kolay gelsin | may the work come easy |
| -eyim / -ayım | let me | ben bakayım | let me take a look |
| -elim / -alım | let us | oturalım | let us sit down |
| -me + -sın | the negative | gelmesin | let him not come |
| -e / -a | the bare wish, bookish | Allah vere | God willing |
By example
- Herkes bir dilek tutsunLet everyone make a wish
- Yarın erken çıkalımLet us leave early tomorrow
- Yeni evinizde güle güle oturunMay you live happily in your new home
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
The wish as its own mood: how does it work in Turkish?
An English wish leans on service words: let him, may you, so that. Turkish takes tails instead.
What does it look like in an example sentence Turkish?
“Herkes bir dilek tutsun” — Let everyone make a wish. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.