A2 · Verb forms · about 7 minutes
The infinitive in “-mek” and its cases
I like swimming, I want to go
The infinitive is a noun — and takes whatever case the next verb requires.
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“New to me”: the explanation first, then practice. “Test myself”: 3 short questions – get at least two right and you go straight to the harder exercises.
Words you will need2
They appear in this topic’s examples and exercises and are new at this point on the learning path.
- yılyear
- kilitlemekto lock
Understand
RememberThe infinitive takes the case of the verb: gitmek istiyorum, yüzmeyi seviyorum, öğrenmeye başladım.
- Signal words
- istemek
- sevmek
- başlamak
- için
The form
The patterns at a glance
Each row first says when or what the pattern is used for, then gives an example in Turkish.
| to swim | yüzmek |
| I want to swim | yüzmek istiyorum |
| I like swimming | yüzmeyi seviyorum |
| I am learning to swim | yüzmeyi öğreniyorum |
| I am starting to swim | yüzmeye başlıyorum |
| I am afraid of swimming | yüzmekten korkuyorum |
| in order to swim | yüzmek için |
| I like reading | okumayı seviyorum |
| I am starting to read | okumaya başlıyorum |
The rules one by one
The form this topic is aboutThe word that calls for it
After istemek the infinitive has no ending.
Bu akşam sinemaya gitmek istiyorum.I want to go to the cinema this evening.
After sevmek, öğrenmek and unutmak it takes the accusative: -meyi.
Yemek yapmayı seviyorum.I like cooking.
After başlamak it takes the dative: -meye.
Yağmur yağmaya başladı.It has started to rain.
After korkmak it takes the ablative: -mekten.
Kardeşim uçmaktan korkuyor.My brother is afraid of flying.
“In order to” is -mek için.
Türkçe öğrenmek için kursa gidiyorum.I go to a course to learn Turkish.
Example sentences
Kitap okumayı çok seviyorum.I really like reading.
Türkçe öğrenmeye geçen yıl başladım.I started learning Turkish last year.
Ne yemek istiyorsun?What would you like to eat?
5 more example sentences
Kapıyı kilitlemeyi unuttum.I forgot to lock the door.
Ekmek almak için markete gittim.I went to the supermarket to buy bread.
Erken kalkmaya çalışıyorum.I am trying to get up early.
Çocuklar oynamak istiyor.The children want to play.
Karanlıkta yürümekten korkarım.I am afraid of walking in the dark.
The trap English speakers fall into
Watch out
English “like” takes “to” or “-ing” without any case, so learners attach the bare infinitive after sevmek, as after istemek: Yüzmek seviyorum. But sevmek needs an object in the accusative — “I love the swimming”.
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The full explanation
Read it all · about 1 min
The infinitive in -mek or -mak is the form you find in the dictionary. In a sentence it behaves like a noun, rather like the English “-ing” form: it takes the ending the next verb requires. English says “I like swimming”, “I am starting to learn”; Turkish says “I love the swimming” and “I start towards learning”.
After istemek “to want” the infinitive stays unchanged: Gitmek istiyorum. “I want to go.” After sevmek “to love, like”, öğrenmek “to learn” and unutmak “to forget” it takes the accusative: Yüzmeyi seviyorum. After başlamak “to begin” and çalışmak “to try” it takes the dative: Öğrenmeye başladım. After korkmak “to fear” it takes the ablative: Uçmaktan korkuyorum.
Before an ending that begins with a vowel, the k drops and a y comes in: yüzmek → yüzmeyi, yüzmeye; but yüzmekten, because -ten begins with a consonant. And “in order to” is -mek için: Ekmek almak için çıktım. “I went out to buy bread.”
A closer look
The short form “-me”
Besides -mek there is the verbal noun in -me, which can take a possessive ending: gelmem“my coming”gelmesi“his coming” You need it with lazım and gerek (next topic) and wherever a person belongs to the verb.
In Yüzme biliyorum. “I can swim” the short form has no ending — a fixed phrase with bilmek.
Worth knowing1
Worth knowing
Compared with English
English uses “-ing” the same way: “I like swimming”, “afraid of flying”, “before eating”. In Turkish this noun form is the normal case where English says “to” or “-ing” — it just takes a case ending as well.
Okumayı ve yazmayı öğreniyor.He is learning to read and write.
The verbs on this page, in every form: gitmek · istemek · başlamak · sevmek · unutmak · korkmak