beklemek means both "to wait (for)" and "to expect." Its single most important feature for an English speaker is that it takes a direct accusative object — no preposition at all. English says "wait FOR you"; Turkish says seni bekliyorum, with "you" as a plain direct object. This case mismatch is high-frequency and produces one of the most common mistakes learners make, so it is the first thing to lock in.
beklemek takes the accusative — no "for"
What you wait for is the direct object. A definite, specific object takes the accusative (-ı / -i / -u / -ü); a generic one stays bare. There is no equivalent of English "for" — inserting one is ungrammatical (see common-mistakes/case-selection).
Seni yarım saattir bekliyorum, nerede kaldın?
I've been waiting for you for half an hour — where have you been?
Otobüsü bekliyoruz ama bir türlü gelmiyor.
We're waiting for the bus, but it just won't come.
Doktorun cevabını sabırsızlıkla bekliyoruz.
We're impatiently waiting for the doctor's answer.
In seni beklemek, "seni" is the accusative of "sen" — a direct object, exactly like the object of "see" or "find." There is no separate word for "for"; the accusative carries the whole meaning. This is the heart of the verb.
A bare object for generic waiting
When the thing waited for is non-specific, it stays unmarked, following the general definiteness rule. The contrast is meaningful:
Burada taksi mi bekliyorsun?
Are you waiting for a taxi here?
Hayır, taksiyi değil, arkadaşımı bekliyorum.
No, not the taxi — I'm waiting for my friend.
"taksi bekliyorum" = waiting for a taxi (any taxi); "taksiyi bekliyorum" = waiting for the (specific) taxi I ordered. The accusative does the same definiteness work it does everywhere in Turkish.
beklemek = "to expect"
The second meaning is "to expect" — to anticipate that something will happen or arrive. With a noun object it works just like "wait for"; the difference is purely in the English translation.
Bu akşam misafir bekliyoruz, o yüzden evi topluyorum.
We're expecting guests this evening, so I'm tidying the house.
Senden bu kadar kaba bir cevap beklemezdim.
I wouldn't have expected such a rude answer from you.
Yağmur bekleniyor, şemsiyeni al.
Rain is expected — take your umbrella.
The last example uses the passive beklenmek ("to be expected"), which is extremely common in forecasts and announcements: yağmur bekleniyor, kar bekleniyor, yoğun trafik bekleniyor.
Expecting a whole action: -mAsInI beklemek
To say you expect (or are waiting for) someone to do something — a full clause, not just a noun — Turkish nominalises the embedded verb with the verbal noun -mA, adds the possessive for the subject, and puts the whole thing in the accusative as the object of beklemek. The pattern is [verb]-mA + possessive + -(n)I + beklemek. See non-finite/verbal-noun-ma for how -mA builds these clauses.
So "I'm waiting for the bus to come" is literally "I'm waiting for the bus's coming": otobüsün gelmesini bekliyorum.
Otobüsün gelmesini bekliyoruz, on dakikadır buradayız.
We're waiting for the bus to come; we've been here for ten minutes.
Herkesin sessiz olmasını bekledi, sonra konuşmaya başladı.
He waited for everyone to be quiet, then started to speak.
Benden özür dilemeni bekliyorum.
I expect you to apologise to me.
Break down gelmesini: gel- (come) + -me (verbal noun) + -si (its, the bus's) + -ni (accusative). The subject of the embedded verb ("otobüs") goes in the genitive (otobüsün), agreeing with the possessive -si on the verbal noun. This genitive-possessive linkage is the standard Turkish way to package a subordinate clause as an object — and beklemek is one of the verbs you will use it with most.
The aorist and full conjugation
beklemek is a fully regular polysyllabic verb. The aorist is bekler, the negative aorist beklemez.
| Tense | Form (3rd sg.) | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Aorist | bekler | waits / expects (habitually) |
| Aorist negative | beklemez | does not wait / expect |
| Present continuous | bekliyor | is waiting / expecting |
| Simple past (-dı) | bekledi | waited / expected |
| Reported past (-mış) | beklemiş | (apparently) waited |
| Future | bekleyecek | will wait |
| Passive | beklenir / bekleniyor | is expected |
İyi bir aşçı sosun kıvama gelmesini sabırla bekler.
A good cook patiently waits for the sauce to thicken.
Common mistakes
The defining error is inserting a "for" word — usually için — under the influence of English "wait for."
❌ Senin için bir saattir bekliyorum.
Incorrect — 'senin için' means 'for your sake'; to wait for you, use the plain accusative object seni.
✅ Seni bir saattir bekliyorum.
I've been waiting for you for an hour.
Dropping the accusative on a definite object is the recurring definiteness slip.
❌ Sipariş ettiğim kitap bekliyorum, hâlâ gelmedi.
Incorrect — a specific ordered book is definite and needs the accusative kitabı.
✅ Sipariş ettiğim kitabı bekliyorum, hâlâ gelmedi.
I'm waiting for the book I ordered; it still hasn't arrived.
Trying to build an expect-clause with the dative or an infinitive instead of -mAsInI.
❌ Otobüsün gelmeye bekliyoruz.
Incorrect — the embedded clause must be the verbal noun in the accusative: gelmesini, not the dative gelmeye.
✅ Otobüsün gelmesini bekliyoruz.
We're waiting for the bus to come.
Forgetting the genitive on the embedded subject in the -mAsInI pattern.
❌ Herkes sessiz olmasını bekledi.
Incorrect — the subject of the embedded clause must be genitive: herkesin olmasını.
✅ Herkesin sessiz olmasını bekledi.
He waited for everyone to be quiet.
Key takeaways
- beklemek takes a direct accusative object — there is no "for." seni bekliyorum, treni bekliyorum.
- A definite object takes the accusative; a generic one stays bare (taksi bekliyorum vs taksiyi bekliyorum).
- It means both "wait (for)" and "expect" (misafir bekliyoruz; yağmur bekleniyor in the passive).
- To expect/await a whole action, use -mAsInI beklemek: genitive subject + verbal noun -mA + possessive + accusative (otobüsün gelmesini bekliyorum).
- The aorist is the regular bekler; never insert için to mean "wait for."
Now practice Turkish
Reading grammar gets you part of the way. The exercises are where it sticks — free, no signup needed.
Start learning Turkish→Related Topics
- The Accusative -(y)I and DefinitenessA1 — The accusative ending marks a direct object as specific — and because Turkish has no word for 'the', the accusative effectively IS the definite article.
- Wrong Case (Especially Dative/Locative/Ablative)B1 — Why English prepositions lead you to the wrong Turkish case, and how to memorize verb-plus-case as a single unit.
- The Action Nominal -mAB1 — The -mA verbal noun and how its possessive suffix encodes a subject, enabling different-subject complement clauses like gelmeni istiyorum.
- How to Use the Verb ReferenceA2 — How to read the Turkish verb-reference pages — stem, key forms, governed case, and the irregular-feeling details they highlight.