The Infinitive Suffix: -mak and -mek
When you look up a verb in a Turkish dictionary, you will find it in its infinitive form. In English, the infinitive is expressed with the word "to" (like "to read" or "to learn"). In Turkish, it is formed by attaching the suffix -mak or -mek directly to the root of the verb.
Which suffix you use depends on the two-way vowel harmony rule:
- If the last vowel of the verb root is a back vowel (a, ı, o, u), add -mak.
- If the last vowel is a front vowel (e, i, ö, ü), add -mek.
Using Verbs as Subjects
In Turkish, infinitive verbs also function as verbal nouns. This means you can use them exactly like English "-ing" words (gerunds) to talk about the action itself, such as "reading," "learning," or "eating." You can easily make an infinitive the subject of a simple sentence and describe it with an adjective.
Adding Objects and Locations
Because these words are still verbs at their core, they can take objects and locations. In Turkish, these context words always come before the verb. To say "reading a book" or "working in the office," you simply state the noun or the location (using the locative case you learned previously) right before the infinitive.
Questions, Negation, and Rules
You can turn these statements into questions or negative sentences using mu / mi and değil, just as you do with regular nouns.
You can also use the word yok (there is not) directly after an infinitive to state that an action is strictly prohibited in a specific place, similar to saying "No doing [X]" in English.