The verb "to be" is an ending
English cannot say 'I good' — it needs am, are or is. Turkish has no separate word for them: the be-verb attaches to the last word of the sentence as an ending. For example: “Ben Rusum” — I am Russian. A rule from the Turkish course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
English cannot say 'I good' — it needs am, are or is. Turkish has no separate word for them: the be-verb attaches to the last word of the sentence as an ending.
iyi is good → iyiyim is I am good → iyisin is you are good → iyi is he is good (the third person takes no ending at all — the bare adjective does the whole job).
That is why the daily exchange 'how are you — fine' comes out as two words: nasılsın — iyiyim. One word asks, one word answers, and both already contain the pronoun inside them, the way English contractions pack 'I' into I'm.
Table
| the ending | example | |
|---|---|---|
| ben | -im / -ım / -um / -üm | iyiyim |
| sen | -sin / -sın | iyisin |
| o | — | iyi |
| biz | -iz / -ız | iyiyiz |
| siz | -siniz / -sınız | iyisiniz |
By example
- Ben RusumI am Russian
- Sen öğrencisinYou are a student
- O doktorHe is a doctor
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
Turkish verb to be as an ending?
English cannot say 'I good' — it needs am, are or is. Turkish has no separate word for them: the be-verb attaches to the last word of the sentence as an ending.
Why iyiyim and not ben iyi?
iyi is good → iyiyim is I am good → iyisin is you are good → iyi is he is good (the third person takes no ending at all — the bare adjective does the whole job).
How to say I am a student in Turkish?
That is why the daily exchange 'how are you — fine' comes out as two words: nasılsın — iyiyim. One word asks, one word answers, and both already contain the pronoun inside them, the way English contractions pack 'I' into I'm.
How to say I am russian in Turkish?
That is why the daily exchange 'how are you — fine' comes out as two words: nasılsın — iyiyim. One word asks, one word answers, and both already contain the pronoun inside them, the way English contractions pack 'I' into I'm.
What does it look like in an example sentence Turkish?
“Ben Rusum” — I am Russian. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.