what is it?
The optative (also called the volitional mood) expresses a speaker's wish or intention to act, or invites others to act together. In Turkish it has two first-person forms: -(y)AyIm (1st person singular — «let me / I'll…») and -(y)AlIm (1st person plural — «let's»). Both can be used as statements of intent or, when followed by mi?, as consultative questions («shall I? / shall we?»). The optative is restricted to the 1st person in everyday modern Turkish; other persons use different forms (the imperative for 2nd person, -sIn for 3rd person).
when to use it
Offer to act (1sg). Use -(y)AyIm when you volunteer to do something yourself: «Ben gideyim» (I'll go / let me go).
Consultative question about yourself (1sg). Add mi? to ask the listener's preference: «Yardım edeyim mi?» (Shall I help?).
Suggestion to a group (1pl). Use -(y)AlIm to propose a shared action: «Hadi gidelim» (Let's go). The particle hadi (come on) is optional but very common.
Consultative question about the group (1pl). Again add mi?: «Dinlenelim mi?» (Shall we rest?).
Negative suggestion. Insert the negative suffix -mA- before the optative ending: «Geç kalmayalım» (Let's not be late).
formation
Attach the suffix directly to the verb stem. The vowel in the suffix follows 4-way vowel harmony (A = a/e, I = ı/i/u/ü). If the stem ends in a vowel, insert the buffer consonant -y- before the suffix.
| stem | ends in | 1sg form | 1pl form |
|---|---|---|---|
| git- | consonant | gideyim | gidelim |
| gel- | consonant | geleyim | gelelim |
| al- | consonant | alayım | alalım |
| başla- | vowel | başlayayım | başlayalım |
| oku- | vowel | okuyayım | okuyalım |
Negative: add -mA- after the stem, then the optative ending. The -mA- ending itself ends in a vowel, so the buffer -y- is always required: git-me-y-eyim → gitmeyeyim (let me not go); kal-ma-y-alım → kalmayalım (let's not stay/be late).
examples in context
common pitfalls
Using -(I)yor or -(y)AcAK for a suggestion. «Gidiyor muyuz?» asks about a current fact; it does not suggest anything. For a suggestion or invitation, use the optative: «Gidelim mi?» (Shall we go?).
Mixing up 1sg and 1pl endings. Gideyim means «let me go» (only the speaker acts); gidelim means «let's go» (speaker + listener). Swapping them changes the meaning entirely.
Dropping the -y- buffer after a vowel-final stem. Forms like *okuayım or *başlaalım are not valid. Always insert -y-: okuyayım, başlayalım.
Trying to use the optative for 2nd or 3rd person. The optative 2nd/3rd person forms are archaic and not used in modern Turkish. To tell someone else to do something, use the imperative: «Gel» (come). To express «let him/her come», use -sIn: «Gelsin».
Confusing the optative with necessity -mAlI. «Gidelim» is a suggestion («let's go»); «Gitmeliyiz» is an obligation («we must go»). They are not interchangeable.
Three sentences, graded here. Nothing is saved and no account is needed.
Sana doğruyu ___, tamam mı? (söyle-)
Fill in the blank with the correct optative (volitional) form of the verb in parentheses.