In life, there are times when we just need to say “no.” Whether we’re refusing something offered to us, rejecting an action or idea, or letting someone know we weren’t responsible for something, this little word and its friend “not” come in handy on a daily basis. 

However, whatever the intentions behind your negative sentences, the way you say them makes a huge difference!

Today, you’ll learn about negation in the Turkish language. This article will cover everything you need to know, from how to form basic negative sentences to how double negation works. 

Let’s dive in!

Table of Contents

1. Negation in Sentences
2. Negation in Interrogative Sentences
3. Double Negation
4. Access Full Turkish Grammar Content on TurkishClass101.com

1. Negation in Sentences

In Turkish, negative sentences can be formed in one of two ways:

1. By using negation words
2. By using suffixes

Let’s take a closer look at each Turkish negation method. 

A- Negation Words

If you wish to negate a noun clause, place the word değil (“not”) at the end of the sentence. This will give you the form: 

X is not Y. 

Let’s take a look at some examples:

Turkish (+)	English (+)	Turkish (-)	English (-)
Bu benim kitabım.	This is my book.	Bu benim kitabım değil.	This is not my book.
Selen güzel bir kız.	Selen is a beautiful girl.	Selen güzel bir kız değil.	Selen is not a beautiful girl.

Here are some other words you can use to make a sentence negative in Turkish: 

Hayır (No)

• Hayır, kızgın değilim. (No, I am not angry.)

Yok (There isn’t / There aren’t)

• Bu dairede balkon yok. (There isn’t a balcony in this apartment.)
• Burada hiç araba yok. (There aren’t any cars here.)

Ne…ne[de] (Neither…nor)

• Ne kedi severim, ne de köpek. (I like neither cats nor dogs.)

In most cases, ne…ne (de) is used with a positive verb. However, there are also some cases where it’s used with a negative verb. Here are some examples:

• Ne Paris’e, ne de Roma’ya hiç gitmemiş. (She/he has gone to neither Paris nor Rome.)
• Ne sevdim diyebilirim, ne de sevmedim. (I can say neither that I liked it nor disliked it.)

And here are some words that are only used in negative sentences (with one exception, which we’ll talk about later): 

Hiç (Ever / Never / At all)

• Siyahı hiç sevmem. (I don’t like black at all.)
• Kanada’yı hiç görmedim. (I have never seen Canada.)             

Asla (Never)

• Onunla asla bir daha konuşmayacağım. (I will never talk to him/her again.)

Hiç kimse (Nobody)

• Hiç kimse fikrimi değiştiremez. (Nobody can change my opinion.)

Hiç bir şekilde (In no way)

• Hiç bir şekilde seni affetmeyeceğim. (In no way will I forgive you.)

Hiçbir yerde (Nowhere / Anywhere)

• O hiç bir yerde uzun süre kalamaz. (He/she can’t stay anywhere too long.)

A Quick Note on Negative Prefixes 

Unlike English, Turkish has very few words that take a prefix in order to become negative (think “unprepared” or “improper”). We have only the negation prefixes nâ and bî, which are inherited from Ottoman Turkish and are rarely used today. Here are some examples:

• Tamam (Complete)
• Nâ-tamam (Incomplete)
• Haberdar (Informed)
• Bî–haber (Uninformed)

B- Suffixes

There are a few different Turkish negative suffixes you should know about. They are: 

-me / -ma 

To make a verb negative, the suffix -me is added to the root of the verb if the last syllable of the verb has an -e, -i, -ö, or -ü.

Infinitive (Turkish)	Infinitive (English)	Negative (Turkish)	Negative (English)
Seçmek	To choose	Seçmemek	Not to choose
İçmek	To drink	İçmemek	Not to drink
Görmek	To see	Görmemek	Not to see
Gülmek	To laugh	Gülmemek	Not to laugh

To make a verb negative, the suffix -ma is added to the root of the verb if the last syllable of the verb has an -a, -ı, -o, or -u.

Infinitive (Turkish)	Infinitive (English)	Negative (Turkish)	Negative (English)
Kalmak	To stay	Kalmamak	Not to stay
Sarılmak	To hug	Sarılmamak	Not to hug
Koymak	To put	Koymamak	Not to put
Uyumak	To sleep	Uyumamak	Not to sleep

A verb may have many suffixes (such as those used to show the tense and the personal pronoun), but the negating suffix is always immediately after the verb root. All of the other suffixes follow the negating suffix, ordered just as though the verb were positive. Below are some examples:

Verb: To drink (İçmek)
Negative: Not to drink (İçmemek)

Personal Pronoun	Simple Present Tense (+)	Simple Present Tense(-)	Future Tense (+)	Future Tense (-)	Simple Past Tense (+)	Simple Past Tense (-)	Reported Past Tense (+)	Reported Past Tense(-)
Ben (I)	İçerim	İçmem	İçeceğim	İçmeyeceğim	İçtim	İçmedim	İçmişim	İçmemişim
Sen (You)	İçersin	İçmezsin	İçeceksin	İçmeyeceksin	İçtin	İçmedin	İçmişsin	İçmemişsin
O (He/She/It)	İçer	İçmez	İçecek	İçmeyecek	İçti	İçmedi	İçmiş	İçmemiş
Biz (We)	İçeriz	İçmeyiz	İçeceğiz	İçmeyeceğiz	İçtik	İçmedik	İçmişiz	İçmemişiz
Siz (You)	İçersiniz	İçmezsiniz	İçeceksiniz	İçmeyeceksiniz	İçtiniz	İçmediniz	İçmişsiniz	İçmemişsiniz
Onlar (They)	İçerler	İçmezler	İçecekler	İçmeyecekler	İçtiler	İçmediler	İçmişler	İçmemişler

Did you notice that the present continuous tense is not on the table? This is because there’s an exception. In the present continuous tense, the suffixes -mı, -mi, -mu, and -mü are used to make the verb negative based on the vowel in the last syllable of the verb:

• If it’s “a” or “ı,” -mı is used.
• If it’s “e” or “i,” -mi is used.
• If it’s “o” or “u,” -mu is used.
• If it’s “ö” or “ü,” -mü is used.

Verbs with a or ı in the last syllable

Verbs with e or i in the last syllable

Verbs with o or u in the last syllable

Verbs with ö or ü in the last syllable

Personal Pronoun	To take (Almak)	Not to take (Almamak)	To cut (Kesmek)	Not to cut (Kesmemek)	To ask (Sormak)	Not to ask (Sormamak)	To cover (Örtmek)	Not to cover (Örtmemek)
Ben (I)	Alıyorum	Almıyorum	Kesiyorum	Kesmiyorum	Soruyorum	Sormuyorum	Örtüyorum	Örtmüyorum
Sen (You)	Alıyorsun	Almıyorsun	Kesiyorsun	Kesmiyorsun	Soruyorsun	Sormuyorsun	Örtüyorsun	Örtmüyorsun
O (He/She/It)	Alıyor	Almıyor	Kesiyor	Kesmiyor	Soruyor	Sormuyor	Örtüyor	Örtmüyor
Biz (We)	Alıyoruz	Almıyoruz	Kesiyoruz	Kesmiyoruz	Soruyoruz	Sormuyoruz	Örtüyoruz	Örtmüyoruz
Siz (You)	Alıyorsunuz	Almıyorsunuz	Kesiyorsunuz	Kesmiyorsunuz	Soruyorsunuz	Sormuyorsunuz	Örtüyorsunuz	Örtmüyorsunuz
Onlar (They)	Alıyorlar	Almıyorlar	Kesiyorlar	Kesmiyorlar	Soruyorlar	Sormuyorlar	Örtüyorlar	Örtmüyorlar

-maz / – mez 

This suffix is added to the verb roots or stems in order to make them negative adjectives.

Examples:

• Utan (verb root) 
  • Be ashamed
• Utanmaz adam (becomes adjective) 
  • Shameless man 
• Bilin (verb stem) 
  • Be known
• Bilinmez kader (becomes adjective) 
  • Unknown fate

-madan / -meden

This suffix forms verbal adverbs; it comes after the verb root and makes it an adverb.

The suffix -madan is added to the root of the verb if the last syllable of the verb has an –a, -ı, -o, or -u.

Al (verb root) / Take

• Almadan / Without taking
• Onu almadan gelme. / Don’t come without taking him/her/it.

Kır (verb root) / Break

• Kırmadan / Without breaking
• Kalbini kırmadan konuş. / Talk without breaking his/her heart.

Soy (verb root) / Peel

• Soymadan / Without peeling
• Elmayı soymadan yeme. / Don’t eat the apple without peeling it.

Kuru (verb root) / Dry

• Kurumadan / Without drying
• Yerler kurumadan basma. / Don’t step on the floor before it is dried.

The suffix -meden is added to the root of the verb if the last syllable of the verb has an -e, -i, -ö, or -ü.

Ver (verb root) / Give

• Vermeden / Without giving
• Vermeden alınmaz. / You can’t take without giving.

Bit (verb root) / Finish

• Bitmeden / Without finishing
• Ödevin bitmeden gitme. / Don’t go without finishing your homework.

Gör (verb root) / See

• Görmeden / Without seeing
• Beni görmeden gitme. / Don’t leave without seeing me.

Gül (verb root) / Laugh

• Gülmeden / Without laughing
• Gülmeden konuş / Talk without laughing

-maksınzın / -meksizin 

This suffix is added to the verb roots or stems in order to make them negative. The suffix -maksızın is added to the root of the verb if the last syllable of the verb has an -a, -ı, -o, or -u. The suffix -meksizin is added to the root of the verb if the last syllable of the verb has an -e, -i, -ö, or -ü.

Bak (verb root) / Look

• Bakmaksızın / Without looking
• Arkasına bakmaksızın gitti. / (S)he went without looking back.

Sevil (verb stem) / Be loved

• Sevilmeksizin / Without being loved
• O sevilmeksizin sevdi. / (S)he loved without being loved.

-sız / -siz / -suz / -süz 

The -sız suffix makes negative adjectives from nouns. It may be used as -siz / -suz / -süz based on the vowel harmony.

• Akıl (Mind)
• Akılsız (Mindless)

• Düşünce (Thought)
• Düşüncesiz (Thoughtless)

• Tuz (Salt)
• Tuzsuz (Saltless)

• Ölüm (Death)
• Ölümsüz (Immortal)

-meyip / -mayıp 

These suffixes (based on the vowel harmony) are added to the verb roots and form another negation in the Turkish language.

Git (verb root) / Go

• Gitmeyip / Without going
• Keşke gitmeyip kalsaydın. / I wish you didn’t go, and stayed.

Gör (verb root) / See

• Görmeyip / Without seeing OR Not seeing
• Taksiyi görmeyip otobüse bindim. / I didn’t see the taxi, and got on the bus.

Ağla (verb root) / Cry

• Ağlamayıp / Without crying OR Not crying
• Ağlamayıp konuşmalıydın. / You should have spoken and not cried.

Koş (verb root) / Run

• Koşmayıp / Without running OR Not running
• Koşmayıp yürüseydin yorulmazdın. / You wouldn’t get tired if you didn’t run, and walked instead.

2. Negation in Interrogative Sentences

In Turkish, negative interrogative sentences are also formed in two ways:

1. By using negation words
2. By using suffixes

A- Negation Words

We use the word değil (not) to make negative interrogative sentences. Here are some examples:

• Sevgi üzgün değil mi? (Isn’t Sevgi sad?)
• Bu ev sizin değil mi? (Isn’t this house yours?)
• Beni arayan sen değil miydin? (Weren’t you the one who called me?)

B- Suffixes

Below, you’ll find the most important suffixes for Turkish negation when forming interrogatives. 

-me / -ma 

These suffixes are used exactly the same way as they’re used in negative declarative sentences. The conjugations for tense and the exception in the present continuous tense apply here as well. Below are some examples:

• Dans etmeyi sevmez misin? (Don’t you like dancing?)
• Bugün okula gitmeyecek misin? (Won’t you go to school today?)
• Notumu okumadın mı? (Didn’t you read my note?)
• Yemek yapmamış mı? (Hasn’t he/she cooked?)
• Beni dinlemiyor musun? (Aren’t you listening to me?)

Last but not least, I would like to point out that exception I mentioned earlier in this article. The word hiç can also be used in affirmative interrogative sentences, but it has a negative meaning:

• Hiç gider miyim sanıyorsun? (Do you think I’ll ever go?)

Here, the person implies that he/she won’t go. Although it’s used in an affirmative interrogative sentence, it has a negative meaning.

• Senin gibi birine güvenir miyim hiç? (Would I ever trust someone like you?)

Again, the person implies here that he/she doesn’t trust the other person. Although it’s used in an affirmative interrogative sentence, it has a negative meaning.

3. Double Negation

In English, double negation normally leads to a positive meaning:

[ I don’t want nothing. ] = [ I want something. ]

However, this is not always the case in Turkish. There are certain cases where a double negative can result in a negative meaning, rather than a positive meaning. 

A- Negative verb + Olmaz (not to be)

• Değişik mutfakları denemezsen olmaz. (It’s not okay if you don’t try other cuisines.)

Meaning: You need to try other cuisines.

• Söz verdim, gitmezsek olmaz. (I promised; it’s not okay if we don’t go.)

Meaning: We need to go.

In both examples, the meaning is positive.

B- Negative verb + Kalmaz (not left)

• Ona söylersen duymayan kalmaz. (If you tell him/her, there will be no one who does not hear.)

We can reword this as: If you tell him/her, everybody will hear.

• Bunu gizlemezsen bilmeyen kalmaz. (If you don’t hide this, there won’t be anyone who doesn’t know it.)

In both examples, the meaning is positive.

C- Negative verb + Değil (not)

Söylediklerini anlamıyor değil. (It’s not that he/she doesn’t understand what you are saying.)

Meaning: He/she understands what you are saying.

Yine de her şey güzel olmadı değil. (It’s not that everything wasn’t good.)

Meaning: Everything was good.

In both examples, the meaning is positive.

D- Yok (there isn’t) + Değil (not)

Zamanım yok değil ama gitmeliyim. (It’s not that I don’t have time, but I have to go.)

In other words: I have time, but I have to go.

Param yok değil ama bunu alamam. (It’s not that I don’t have money, but I can’t buy this.)

In other words: I have money, but I can’t buy this.

In both examples, the meaning is positive.

E- Hiç (none / not at all) + Yok (there isn’t)

• Bende sabır hiç yok. (I don’t have patience at all.)

Unlike all the other sentences we’ve looked at here, this sentence has a negative meaning although there is double negation.

F- Word + -sız / -siz olmaz (not to be)

• Bu parti sensiz olmaz. (This party won’t be without you.)

Here’s another sentence with a negative meaning. 

G- Word + -sız / -siz değil (not)

İnan bana, o ilgisiz değil. (Believe me, he/she is not uninterested.)

Meaning: He/she is interested.

This double negation sentence has a positive meaning.

4. Access Full Turkish Grammar Content on TurkishClass101.com

Stay positive, but use Turkish negation words and sentences whenever you need to. 

Be sure to let us know in the comments if you still have any questions regarding negation in Turkish. We’ll be glad to help you out!

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