Etmek, olmak, yapmak: how a foreign noun becomes a Turkish verb
Half of this wave's words came from Arabic, and all of them are nouns, not verbs: itiraf, ziyaret, iflas, ihlal, teslim, kabul. Turkish does not carve verb roots out of them; instead it puts a light verb next to the noun, and the pair works as one word — the same trick English plays with 'take a walk', 'have a look', 'pay a visit'. For example: “Hatasını sonunda itiraf etti” — In the end he confessed his mistake. A…
How it works
Half of this wave's words came from Arabic, and all of them are nouns, not verbs: itiraf, ziyaret, iflas, ihlal, teslim, kabul. Turkish does not carve verb roots out of them; instead it puts a light verb next to the noun, and the pair works as one word — the same trick English plays with 'take a walk', 'have a look', 'pay a visit'.
etmek — to do it oneself. itiraf etmek — to confess, ziyaret etmek — to pay a visit, ihlal etmek — to violate, iflas etmek — to go bankrupt. The stress stays on the noun, and every ending attaches to etmek: ziyaret ettik, ziyaret edeceğiz, ziyaret etmeyelim.
olmak — to become or to find oneself in a state. ait olmak — to belong, sahip olmak — to own, memnun olmak — to be pleased, emin olmak — to be sure. The line against etmek is exactly the line between 'do' and 'become': kabul etmek — to accept an offer, kabul olmak — to be accepted.
yapmak — to engage in, to produce. spor yapmak — to work out, alışveriş yapmak — to shop, rapor yapmak — to produce a report. There is almost no choice here: the pair is memorized whole, and spor etmek sounds as silly as 'do sport' said out of place.
One-syllable nouns fuse, and a vowel drops out. fesih plus etmek gives feshetmek, kayıp gives kaybetmek, sabır gives sabretmek, hisse gives hissetmek. They are written as one word, and this is the only case where the pair merges in writing. Everything else stays apart: teşekkür etmek, never 'teşekküretmek'.
Table
| the light verb | the meaning | example | translation |
|---|---|---|---|
| etmek | to do oneself | ziyaret etmek | to pay a visit |
| etmek | to do oneself | ihlal etmek | to violate |
| olmak | to become, to be | ait olmak | to belong |
| olmak | to become, to be | memnun olmak | to be pleased |
| yapmak | to engage in | spor yapmak | to work out |
| fused, a vowel dropped | fesih + etmek | feshetmek | to terminate |
| fused, a vowel dropped | kayıp + etmek | kaybetmek | to lose |
By example
- Hatasını sonunda itiraf ettiIn the end he confessed his mistake
- Bu topraklar köye aitThis land belongs to the village
- Kira sözleşmesini feshettikWe terminated the rental agreement
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
Etmek vs yapmak?
Half of this wave's words came from Arabic, and all of them are nouns, not verbs: itiraf, ziyaret, iflas, ihlal, teslim, kabul. Turkish does not carve verb roots out of them; instead it puts a light verb next to the noun, and the pair works as one word — the same trick English plays with 'take a…
Etmek, olmak or yapmak: which Turkish verb?
etmek — to do it oneself. itiraf etmek — to confess, ziyaret etmek — to pay a visit, ihlal etmek — to violate, iflas etmek — to go bankrupt. The stress stays on the noun, and every ending attaches to etmek: ziyaret ettik, ziyaret edeceğiz, ziyaret etmeyelim.
Why kaybetmek is written as one word?
olmak — to become or to find oneself in a state. ait olmak — to belong, sahip olmak — to own, memnun olmak — to be pleased, emin olmak — to be sure. The line against etmek is exactly the line between 'do' and 'become': kabul etmek — to accept an offer, kabul olmak — to be accepted.
How to say do sport in Turkish?
yapmak — to engage in, to produce. spor yapmak — to work out, alışveriş yapmak — to shop, rapor yapmak — to produce a report. There is almost no choice here: the pair is memorized whole, and spor etmek sounds as silly as 'do sport' said out of place.
What does it look like in an example sentence Turkish?
“Hatasını sonunda itiraf etti” — In the end he confessed his mistake. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.