Learn Turkish: Gömleğe bak! - Look at the shirt!

The word for shirt is gömlek, which ends in the hard consonant k. When we add the suffix -e, which starts with a vowel, the k softens into a ğ. This is called consonant mutation. So, gömlek plus -e becomes gömleğe.

Why do we add the -e suffix if the English translation says look at the shirt?

In Turkish, the verb bakmak (to look) always requires the dative case, which uses the suffix -e or -a to mean to or towards. You do not look at things in Turkish; you look to them. That is why we say gömleğe.

How is the ğ pronounced in gömleğe?

The ğ (soft g) does not have its own hard sound. Instead, it smoothly connects the vowels on either side. When sandwiched between two e sounds like in this word, it creates a slight y glide, making gömleğe sound a lot like the English syllables göm-ley-eh.

Why does the verb bak not have any tense or person endings?