May 14 • General discussion
Turkish Conditional - Şart Kipi
Hi everyone, Ceren asked me to study the "Şart Kipi" rule so I made a summary to what I studied and want to share with you. I hope you find this helpfull. Also AI helped me to improve this.
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The Basic Rule
The core suffix for the conditional mood (Şart Kipi) is -sa / -se, determined by two-way vowel harmony:
- If the last vowel in the word is (a, ı, o, u) → add -sa
- If the last vowel is (e, i, ö, ü) → add -se
Case 1: The Wish / Optative (Dilek)
This case expresses a wish or desire, and is usually paired with keşke (meaning "I wish" or "if only"). The structure is: verb stem + -sa/-se + personal suffix, without any tense suffix added.
For example, "Keşke İstanbul'da yaşasam" means "I wish I lived in Istanbul." Another example is "Keşke daha erken gelsen", which means "I wish you would come earlier."
Case 2: Verbal Conditional (Şart — with Verbs)
This is the standard if/then conditional, where the second action depends on the first. The suffix -sa/-se is added on top of a tense suffix. Here are all the main tenses used with the conditional:
Aorist (Geniş Zaman — -r/-ar/-er): Used for general truths and habitual actions."İyi çalışırsan, başarırsın" → "If you work hard, you succeed."
Present Continuous (Şimdiki Zaman — -iyor): Used when the condition is happening right now."Ağlıyorsan, sebebini anlat" → "If you are crying, tell me the reason."
Future (Gelecek Zaman — -acak/-ecek): Used when the condition refers to a future event."Yarın geleceksen, beni ara" → "If you are going to come tomorrow, call me."
Past (Geçmiş Zaman — -di): Used for hypothetical or unreal past conditions."Erken geldiysen, neden beklemiyorsun?" → "If you came early, why aren't you waiting?"
Narrative Past (Öğrenilen Geçmiş — -miş): Used when the condition is based on reported or assumed information."Hasta olmuşsan, doktora git" → "If you have been sick, go to the doctor."
Case 3: Nominal Conditional (with Nouns & Adjectives)
Here, -sa/-se is used with nouns or adjectives through the copula (ek fiil). For negation, değil is used. The form ise is almost always contracted and attached directly to the word as a suffix.
For example, "Hastaysan, eve git" means "If you are sick, go home." Another example is "Hazır değilse, bekleyebiliriz", meaning "If he/she is not ready, we can wait."
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Turkish Conditional - Şart Kipi
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