kullanmak means "to use." That much is simple. The detail worth knowing is that Turkish uses the very same verb for driving a vehicle — you "use" a car the way you use a tool — so where English splits "use" and "drive" into two words, Turkish keeps one. This makes kullanmak a textbook example of how a single high-frequency verb maps onto two English verbs, and it is the kind of collocation that instantly marks fluent versus translated Turkish.
kullanmak takes the accusative
The thing used is a direct object in the accusative (-ı / -i / -u / -ü) when it is definite, and a bare noun when it is generic — the standard Turkish definiteness rule (see nouns/case-accusative).
Bilgisayarımı kardeşim sürekli izinsiz kullanıyor.
My brother is always using my computer without permission.
Bu kremi günde iki kez kullanın, bir hafta sonra fark göreceksiniz.
Use this cream twice a day; you'll see a difference after a week.
Toplu taşıma kullanmak hem ucuz hem de çevreci.
Using public transport is both cheap and environmentally friendly.
In the last example, toplu taşıma kullanmak ("use public transport") is generic, so "toplu taşıma" is bare; in "bu otobüsü kullanıyorum" ("I use this bus"), a specific bus takes the accusative.
kullanmak = "to drive"
For vehicles, kullanmak is the ordinary word for "to drive / to operate." You do not use a separate verb. araba kullanmak is "to drive a car," motor kullanmak is "to ride a motorbike," and the same verb covers operating machinery.
Kar yağarken araba kullanmak gerçekten tehlikeli.
Driving a car while it's snowing is really dangerous.
Abim kamyon kullanıyor, bütün ülkeyi geziyor.
My older brother drives a truck; he travels all over the country.
Bu vinci kullanmak için özel bir sertifika gerekiyor.
You need a special certificate to operate this crane.
Here too the definiteness rule applies: araba kullanmak (drive, generic) is bare, but arabayı kullan ("drive THE car," a specific one) takes the accusative.
Yorgunsan arabayı ben kullanayım, sen biraz dinlen.
If you're tired, let me drive the car; you rest a bit.
"I can drive": kullanmak + the abilitative
Because "drive" is kullanmak, the English ability statements "I can drive" and "I know how to drive" both become kullanmak plus the abilitative -abil / -ebil (see verbs/abilitative-abil). This is one of the first places learners actually need this verb.
Ehliyetim var ama uzun zamandır araba kullanmadım.
I have a licence, but I haven't driven in a long time.
On sekiz yaşına geldim, artık araba kullanabilirim.
I've turned eighteen, so now I can drive.
Motor kullanabiliyor musun, yoksa hep otobüse mi biniyorsun?
Can you ride a motorbike, or do you always take the bus?
Note that English "I can drive" as a learned skill is naturally araba kullanabilirim (abilitative aorist) or, emphasising the acquired ability, araba kullanmasını biliyorum ("I know how to drive").
ilaç kullanmak, internet kullanmak
kullanmak forms a wide range of fixed collocations where English might choose "take," "be on," or "go online." Learn these as set phrases:
- ilaç kullanmak — to take / be on medication (English uses "take," not "use")
- internet / telefon kullanmak — to use the internet / a phone
- uygulama kullanmak — to use an app
- kredi kartı kullanmak — to use a credit card
Düzenli ilaç kullanıyorum, doktor kesmememi söyledi.
I take medication regularly; the doctor told me not to stop.
Annem artık telefonu rahatça kullanıyor, ona uygulamaları öğrettim.
My mum uses the phone comfortably now; I taught her the apps.
Note especially ilaç kullanmak: English says "take medicine," and ilaç almak ("take/buy medicine") exists but leans toward acquiring it, while kullanmak is the standard verb for being on a medication course.
The aorist and full conjugation
kullanmak is a fully regular polysyllabic verb. Its aorist is kullanır, and the negative aorist is kullanmaz.
| Tense | Form (3rd sg.) | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Aorist | kullanır | uses / drives (habitually) |
| Aorist negative | kullanmaz | does not use / drive |
| Present continuous | kullanıyor | is using / driving |
| Simple past (-dı) | kullandı | used / drove |
| Reported past (-mış) | kullanmış | (apparently) used / drove |
| Future | kullanacak | will use / drive |
| Abilitative aorist | kullanabilir | can use / drive |
Babam hâlâ aynı eski telefonu kullanır, değiştirmeye yanaşmaz.
My dad still uses the same old phone; he won't budge on changing it.
Common mistakes
The biggest error is reaching for an English-style "drive" verb and not knowing that kullanmak covers it — or inventing a calque.
❌ Çok iyi sürebilirim, on yıldır ehliyetim var.
Incorrect for 'I can drive (a car)' — the everyday verb is araba kullanmak, not bare sürmek.
✅ Çok iyi araba kullanabilirim, on yıldır ehliyetim var.
I can drive very well; I've had my licence for ten years.
Dropping the accusative on a definite object is the recurring definiteness slip.
❌ Şu an bilgisayar kullanıyorum, biraz sonra ararım.
Incorrect if it's a specific known computer — it should take the accusative bilgisayarı.
✅ Şu an bilgisayarı kullanıyorum, biraz sonra ararım.
I'm using the computer right now; I'll call you in a bit.
Calquing "take medicine" with almak misses the standard collocation.
❌ Her sabah tansiyon ilacımı alıyorum.
Incorrect as a habitual treatment — for being on medication the natural verb is ilaç kullanmak.
✅ Her sabah tansiyon ilacımı kullanıyorum.
Every morning I take my blood-pressure medication.
Forgetting that "ride a bus" is a different verb (binmek, + dative) and over-extending kullanmak.
❌ Her gün işe giderken otobüsü kullanıyorum.
Incorrect for being a passenger — you 'board/ride' a bus with binmek (otobüse biniyorum); kullanmak would mean you drive it.
✅ Her gün işe giderken otobüse biniyorum.
Every day I take the bus to work.
Key takeaways
- kullanmak governs the accusative for a definite object (bilgisayarı kullanmak) and a bare noun for a generic one (toplu taşıma kullanmak).
- It means both "use" and specifically "drive a vehicle": araba kullanmak, kamyon kullanmak.
- "I can drive" is araba kullanabilirim (kullanmak + the abilitative), or araba kullanmasını biliyorum for a learned skill.
- It anchors many collocations English handles differently: ilaç kullanmak ("take medication"), internet/telefon/uygulama kullanmak.
- The aorist is the regular kullanır. For riding as a passenger, switch to binmek (+ dative), not kullanmak.
Now practice Turkish
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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.
- Ability and Possibility: -(y)AbilA2 — The abilitative -(y)Abil means 'can, be able to, may' — gelebilirim 'I can come', yapabilir misin? 'can you do it?' — built from a verb stem plus the auxiliary bil- in the aorist; its negative is the special -(y)AmA, not a regular -mA.
- Verb-Noun Collocations by ThemeB2 — Fixed verb-noun pairings clustered by topic — food, money, communication, decisions — where the conventional verb is set per noun and rarely matches English.
- 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.