The aorist (simple present): -r, -ar, -ir

A1 — Fiiller

Aorist / simple present tense (-r/-ar/-er/-ır/-ir/-ur/-ür) for habitual actions and general truths

Can express habitual actions and general truths using the aorist tense

Examples

Her gün kahve içerim. — I drink coffee every day.
Güneş doğudan doğar. — The sun rises in the east.
Sigara içmem. — I don't smoke.

VerbsA1

The aorist (simple present): -r, -ar, -ir

Aorist / simple present tense (-r/-ar/-er/-ır/-ir/-ur/-ür) for habitual actions and general truths

Learning Goal

Can express habitual actions and general truths using the aorist tense

Exam Skills:WritingSpeaking

Look at these examples. Can you spot the grammar pattern?

Her gün kahve içerim.

I drink coffee every day.

Güneş doğudan doğar.

The sun rises in the east.

Sigara içmem.

I don't smoke.

Pay attention to the highlighted parts. What do they have in common?

The aorist (geniş zaman, "the broad tense") is for habits, general truths and abilities, the things English says with the simple present ("I drink coffee", "cats like fish"). It is also the tense of polite offers and requests.

How to form it

Verb stem	Suffix	Examples
ends in a vowel	-r	oku → okur (reads), bekle → bekler (waits)
one syllable, ends in a consonant	-ar / -er (usually)	yaz → yazar (writes), iç → içer (drinks)
several syllables, ends in a consonant	-ır / -ir / -ur / -ür	konuş → konuşur (speaks), getir → getirir (brings)

Thirteen common one-syllable verbs take -ır/-ir/-ur/-ür instead of -ar/-er: al (alır), bil (bilir), bul (bulur), dur, gel (gelir), gör (görür), kal, ol (olur), öl, san, var, ver (verir), vur. They are among the most frequent verbs, so learn them as a list.

Personal endings

Person	yazmak (write)	gelmek (come)
ben	yazarım	gelirim
sen	yazarsın	gelirsin
o	yazar	gelir
biz	yazarız	geliriz
siz	yazarsınız	gelirsiniz
onlar	yazarlar	gelirler

The negative is -maz / -mez, with a short form for "I" and "we": yazmam (I don't write), yazmazsın, yazmaz, yazmayız, yazmazsınız, yazmazlar.

When to use it

Habits: Sabahları simit yerim. - I eat a simit in the mornings.
General truths: Kediler balık sever. - Cats like fish.
Offers and requests: Çay içer misiniz? - Would you like some tea? Kapıyı açar mısın? - Could you open the door?
Promises: Yarın ararım. - I'll call tomorrow.

For what is happening right now, Turkish uses -iyor instead (see the present continuous). English speakers tend to use the aorist for everything "present"; save it for habits, facts and polite offers.

Apply this grammar in A1 course exercises

Practice Exercises

The aorist has complex suffix selection rules. Learners often use -yor (continuous) for all present tenses. 🇬🇧 English speakers: English simple present ('I write') vs continuous ('I am writing') maps roughly to geniş zaman vs şimdiki zaman, but not exactly.

Common Error Patterns

Used wrong aorist suffix form

Check: vowel-ending → -r; monosyllabic → -ar/-er; polysyllabic → -ır/-ir/-ur/-ür

Used aorist for ongoing action or continuous for habitual

Geniş zaman = habitual/general; şimdiki zaman (-yor) = right now/in progress

Her gün kahve içerim.

I drink coffee every day.

içerim: habitual → geniş zaman (not içiyorum which is 'right now').

Güneş doğudan doğar.

The sun rises in the east.

doğar: general truth → geniş zaman (aorist).

Sigara içmem.

I don't smoke.

içmem: negative aorist 1st person is -mem/-mam (irregular!).

The check for this topic is still being prepared

Ask Sofi

Ready-made hints are free

Practice in course

Apply this grammar in A1 course exercises

A1 Course

← Back to topics

Put it into practice

Try a free exercise from the course

Frequently asked questions

When do you use The aorist (simple present): -r, -ar, -ir?: The aorist ( geniş zaman , "the broad tense") is for habits, general truths and abilities, the things English says with the simple present ("I drink coffee", "cats like fish"). It is also the tense of polite offers and requests.
How do you form The aorist (simple present): -r, -ar, -ir?: Thirteen common one-syllable verbs take -ır/-ir/-ur/-ür instead of -ar/-er : al (alır), bil (bilir), bul (bulur), dur , gel (gelir), gör (görür), kal , ol (olur), öl , san , var , ver (verir), vur . They are among the most frequent verbs, so learn them as a list. The negative is -maz / -mez , with a short form for "I" and "we": yazmam (I don't write), yazmazsın , yazmaz , yazmayız , yazmazsınız , yazmazlar . For what is happening right now, Turkish uses -iyor instead (see the present continuous). English speakers tend to use the aorist for everything "present"; save it for habits, facts and polite offers.
What are common mistakes with The aorist (simple present): -r, -ar, -ir?: The aorist has complex suffix selection rules. Learners often use -yor (continuous) for all present tenses. 🇬🇧 English speakers: English simple present ('I write') vs continuous ('I am writing') maps roughly to geniş zaman vs şimdiki zaman, but not exactly.

Verb stem

Suffix

Examples

ends in a vowel

-r

oku → okur (reads), bekle → bekler (waits)

one syllable, ends in a consonant

-ar / -er (usually)

yaz → yazar (writes), iç → içer (drinks)

several syllables, ends in a consonant

-ır / -ir / -ur / -ür

konuş → konuşur (speaks), getir → getirir (brings)

Person

yazmak (write)

gelmek (come)

ben

yazarım

gelirim

sen

yazarsın

gelirsin

yazar

gelir

biz

yazarız

geliriz

siz

yazarsınız

gelirsiniz

onlar

yazarlar

gelirler

Frequently asked questions

When do you use The aorist (simple present): -r, -ar, -ir?

The aorist ( geniş zaman , "the broad tense") is for habits, general truths and abilities, the things English says with the simple present ("I drink coffee", "cats like fish"). It is also the tense of polite offers and requests.

How do you form The aorist (simple present): -r, -ar, -ir?

Thirteen common one-syllable verbs take -ır/-ir/-ur/-ür instead of -ar/-er : al (alır), bil (bilir), bul (bulur), dur , gel (gelir), gör (görür), kal , ol (olur), öl , san , var , ver (verir), vur . They are among the most frequent verbs, so learn them as a list. The negative is -maz / -mez , with a short form for "I" and "we": yazmam (I don't write), yazmazsın , yazmaz , yazmayız , yazmazsınız , yazmazlar . For what is happening right now, Turkish uses -iyor instead (see the present continuous). English speakers tend to use the aorist for everything "present"; save it for habits, facts and polite offers.

What are common mistakes with The aorist (simple present): -r, -ar, -ir?

The aorist has complex suffix selection rules. Learners often use -yor (continuous) for all present tenses. 🇬🇧 English speakers: English simple present ('I write') vs continuous ('I am writing') maps roughly to geniş zaman vs şimdiki zaman, but not exactly.