Creating Verbal Nouns
To turn a verb into a conceptual noun—similar to English gerunds ending in "-ing" (like "reading" or "writing")—you add the suffix -ma or -me to the verb stem, following 2-way vowel harmony. These are often called "short infinitives."
Verbal Nouns in Compounds
Verbal nouns are frequently used as modifiers to create compound nouns. Just like standard noun compounds, the first noun (the verbal noun) remains bare, and the second noun takes a possessive suffix.
You will see this structure often when discussing the arts and creative processes, such as the art of "taking photos" (fotoğraf çekme sanatı) or the practice of "playing piano" (piyano çalma pratiği).
Verbal Nouns as Direct Objects
When a verbal noun is the specific direct object of a verb like sevmek (to love) or öğrenmek (to learn), it must take the accusative case suffix. Because verbal nouns always end in a vowel (-a or -e), you must insert the buffer letter y, resulting in -mayı or -meyi.
Full Infinitives for Purpose
While the short infinitive (-ma / -me) acts as a noun, the full dictionary infinitive (-mak / -mek) is used alongside the word için to express purpose (meaning "in order to").
Discussing Events and Locations
When talking about directing action toward events or locations, remember to use the dative case (-e / -a, meaning "to"). If you are adding the dative case to a compound noun—like sanat sergisi (art exhibition) or tiyatro kursu (theater course)—you must add the buffer letter n before the dative suffix.