In Turkish, expressing inability ("cannot") is not as simple as making the ability form negative. Instead, we insert a special ability vowel—-a- or -e-—right before the negative Aorist endings.
The Inability Vowel: -(y)a / -(y)e
The ability vowel follows 2-way vowel harmony:
- Add -a- for back vowels (a, ı, o, u).
- Add -e- for front vowels (e, i, ö, ü).
- If the verb root ends in a vowel, add the buffer -y- (e.g., oku → okuya).
(Note: Just like in the previous lesson, some verb roots ending in *t, like etmek or tatmak, soften to d before this vowel: tat- → tada-).*
"I Cannot" and "We Cannot"
For the first person ("I" and "we"), the negative Aorist endings are -mam / -mem and -mayız / -meyiz. Combined with the ability vowel, the formulas become:
- I cannot: Verb Root + (y)amam / (y)emem (gör → göremem)
- We cannot: Verb Root + (y)amayız / (y)emeyiz (geç → geçemeyiz)
| There is a lot of fog, I cannot see in front of me clearly. | Çok sis var, önümü net göremem. |
| There is no light, we cannot read that sign in the dark. | Işık yok, karanlıkta o tabelayı okuyamayız. |
| That dog is very angry, I cannot touch it. | O köpek çok kızgın, ona dokunamam. |
| There is a big obstacle on the road, we cannot pass. | Yolda büyük bir engel var, geçemeyiz. |
"He / She / It Cannot"
For the third person, the negative Aorist ending is -maz / -mez. The inability formula is Verb Root + (y)amaz / (y)emez.
- duy (hear) + amaz = duyamaz (he/she/it cannot hear)
- ayırt et (distinguish) + emez = ayırt edemez (he/she/it cannot distinguish)
| That man is blind, he cannot distinguish colors. | O adam kör, renkleri ayırt edemez. |
| My father is deaf, he cannot hear your voice clearly. | Babam sağır, senin sesini net duyamaz. |
| That woman is blind, she cannot see this obstacle. | O kadın kör, bu engeli göremez. |
"You Cannot"
To say "you cannot" (singular/informal), simply add the second-person ending -sın / -sin to the third-person form, creating -(y)amazsın / -(y)emezsin.
| There is no light here, you cannot read that sign. | Burada ışık yok, o tabelayı okuyamazsın. |
| The soup is very hot, you cannot taste it. | Çorba çok sıcak, onu tadamazsın. |