The Verb Goes Last
The golden rule of Turkish word order is that the verb goes at the end of the sentence.
While English uses a Subject-Verb-Object (SVO) pattern, the standard Turkish order is Subject-Object-Verb (SOV). Extra information, like where or when something happens, usually sits between the subject and the object.
| You, read a newspaper here. | Sen burada gazete oku. |
| You, drink hot soup now. | Sen şimdi sıcak çorba iç. |
Adjectives and "Bir"
Just like in English, adjectives come before the noun they describe.
When describing a singular noun with the word bir (a/an), the standard order is Adjective + bir + Noun. For example, "a long letter" becomes uzun bir mektup.
| You, write a long letter. | Sen uzun bir mektup yaz. |
| You, eat fish and watch a good movie. | Sen balık ye ve güzel bir film izle. |
Combining Clauses
You can easily string multiple actions together in a single sentence. Notice how the verb always stays at the end of its own clause.
| You, eat fish; do not eat meat. | Sen balık ye, et yeme. |
| You, write a letter; do not read a newspaper. | Siz mektup yazın, gazete okumayın. |
Descriptive Sentences and Questions
The "verb at the end" rule also applies to descriptions and yes/no questions. Without an action verb, the descriptive word or question particle (mı/mi/mu/mü) takes the final spot.
| That vegetable is very cheap. | Şu sebze çok ucuz. |
| Is this a big cake? | Bu büyük bir pasta mı? |