[Originally posted on 10/25/21 on the Duolingo Turkish for English speakers forum by MustafaOuz526752]
The aorist tense is so broad of a topic that it is often addressed in general terms. In this post, I will (hopefully) cover everything that a learner needs to know about the aorist tense. The intention of this post is so that you will be able to effectively use it, and you will not have any problems deciding whether to pick out the aorist tense or another. But before we begin, let’s see how you conjugate a verb in the aorist.
| Pronoun | Suffix | Yap- | Git- | Oku- |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ben | -erim | Yaparım | Giderim | Okurum |
| Sen | -ersin | Yaparsın | Gidersin | Okursun |
| O | -er | Yapar | Gider | Okur |
| Biz | -eriz | Yaparız | Gideriz | Okuruz |
| Siz | -ersiniz | Yaparsınız | Gidersiniz | Okursunuz |
| Onlar | -er(ler) | Yapar(lar) | Gider(ler) | Okur(lar) |
Now that we learned/recalled how to conjugate, you use the aorist tense;
1- When talking about factual statements
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Güneş doğudan doğar, batıdan batar. = The sun rises in the east and sets in the west.
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Su 100 derecede kaynar. = Water boils at 100 degrees.
2- When talking about habits
Now, this is the part where I see that learners get confused the most. Habits can be described in either the aorist tense or the continuous tense. The aorist is customarily preferred, but you won’t be wrong in choosing the continuous.
Compare the following two sentences:
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Günde 2 defa dişlerimi fırçalarım. = I brush my teeth twice a day.
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Günde 2 defa dişlerimi fırçalıyorum. = I brush my teeth twice a day.
And these two:
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Sabahları erken kalkarım. = I get up early in the morning.
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Sabahları erken kalkıyorum. = I get up early in the morning.
3- When expressing polite requests
You ask in the aorist to make a polite request. -ebilmek is another option.
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Biraz sessiz olur musun? = Would you be quiet a bit?
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Bana yardım eder misin? = Would you help me?
4- When making offers
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Benimle evlenir misin? = Will you marry me?
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Benimle dans eder misin? = Will you dance with me?
5- When making inferences
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Ankara-Bursa arası beş saat. Saat dokuzda otobüse bindi. Saat ikide Bursa’ya varır. = It takes 5 hours from Ankara to Bursa. She took the bus at 9. So she should arrive in Bursa at 2.
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Necip Bey ve ağabeyi Necati Bey birbirlerine küs olduklarına göre Necip Bey ağabeyinin kızının düğününe gelmez. = Regarding Mr. Necip and his older brother Mr. Necati are angry with each other, I would think that Mr. Necip will not participate in his older brother’s daughter’s wedding.
6- When making guesses
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Belki Ali de bizimle pikniğe gelir. = Maybe, Ali will join us at the picnic.
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Kim bilir belki de bu sene okulu biter ve evlenir. = Who knows, she will maybe graduate from college and marry this year.
7- When conveying the probable future
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Yarın size uğrarım. = I will stop by your place tomorrow.
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Bu rapor o kadar zor ki haftaya bitmez. = This report is so difficult that it will not be completed by next week.
8- When telling proverbs
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Ağaç yaşken eğilir. = Hang a thief when he is young, and he will not steal when he is old.
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Üzüm üzüme baka baka kararır. = If you lie down with dogs, you will get up with fleas.
9- When making commands
Bare verb stems are the default way to form imperative sentences. However, it is possible to create one with the aorist tense as well.
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Telefon çalarsa evde yok dersin. = If the (tele)phone rings, say he is not home.
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Yarın teyzenlere uğrarsın. = Stop by your aunt’s place tomorrow.
10- When making threats
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Gününü görürsün! = You will pay for it!
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Bunların hesabı sorulur! = They will pay for this!
11- When telling traditions
- “…Oğlan evinin uygun bulduğu bir günde nişan töreni yapılacağı önceden kız evine bildirilir. Nişan, kız ailesinin evi yeterli ise kız evinde, değilse sinema, düğün salonu vb. gibi geniş bir yerde yapılır. Kız ve oğlan evinin akraba, eş, dost ve arkadaşları nişan yerinde toplanırlar. Oğlan evinin sosyal ve ekonomik durumuna göre takılması gereken takılar takılır…”
Certain fixed phrases/structures
Some phrases and structures use the aorist tense by nature. These are:
Ne yaparsın
Ne yaparsın is a set phrase expressing despair.
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Hayat işte, ne yaparsın! = Alas, that is the way life is!
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Her zaman bir ressam olmak istemişimdir ama hiç yeteneğim yok, ne yaparsın. = I have always wanted to be a painter, but alas, I have no talent.
-ar … -maz
-ar … -maz refers to shortly after the time something happens. It corresponds to “as soon as” in English.
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Güneş doğar doğmaz hava aydınlandı. = The sky became bright as soon as the sun rose.
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Müsait olur olmaz seni bir ararım. = I will give you a call as soon as I am free.
[Updated by Danika_Dakika starting 03/01/22]
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