what is it?
The open or real conditional expresses a genuine future possibility: if a certain condition holds, a particular result follows. In Turkish it is built by attaching the suffix -(I)rsA to the aorist stem of the verb in the if-clause. Because the aorist already encodes a real, repeatable or foreseeable event, the combination signals that the speaker treats the condition as a live possibility — not a remote wish or a past counterfactual. The main clause typically carries the aorist (for general truths or habitual results) or -(y)AcAK (for a specific future result).
when to use it
Real future possibility. Use -(I)rsA when the condition could genuinely happen. The speaker does not know whether it will, but treats it as plausible: Param olursa yeni bir telefon alacağım. (If I have the money, I will buy a new phone.)
General or habitual truths. When the result is always true given the condition, both clauses can carry the aorist: Acele edersek yetişiriz. (If we hurry, we make it.)
Instructions and requests. The main clause can be a volitional or permissive form when the speaker is giving a direction or an option: Onu görürsen selam söyle. (If you see him, say hello.)
Contrast with hypothetical -sA and counterfactual -sAydI. Bare -sA (e.g. gelse) marks a more remote or wished-for condition. -sAydI (e.g. olsaydı) marks a past counterfactual — something that did not happen. Only -(I)rsA (e.g. olursa) treats the condition as an open, real possibility.
formation
The suffix is added to the aorist stem of the verb. For most verbs the aorist is formed with -(I)r (positive) or -mAz (negative). The conditional -sA is then appended, followed by the personal agreement suffix. The buffer vowel I in -(I)r follows four-way vowel harmony (ı, i, u, ü) and appears only after a consonant-final stem.
Positive: verb stem + -(I)r + -sA + personal suffix
| person | form | meaning |
|---|---|---|
| ben | gel-ir-sem | if I come |
| sen | gel-ir-sen | if you come |
| o | gel-ir-se | if he/she/it comes |
| biz | gel-ir-sek | if we come |
| siz | gel-ir-seniz | if you (pl.) come |
| onlar | gel-ir-lerse | if they come |
Negative: verb stem + -mAz + -sA + personal suffix
| person | form | meaning |
|---|---|---|
| ben | gel-mez-sem | if I do not come |
| sen | gel-mez-sen | if you do not come |
| o | gel-mez-se | if he/she/it does not come |
| biz | gel-mez-sek | if we do not come |
| siz | gel-mez-seniz | if you (pl.) do not come |
| onlar | gel-mez-lerse | if they do not come |
A small set of common verbs has an irregular aorist stem. The most important at B1 are: git- → giderse, et- → ederse, de- → derse. These follow the same -(I)rsA pattern once the correct aorist stem is identified.
examples in context
common pitfalls
Using bare -sA for a real future condition. Gelse sana söylerim implies a more remote or wished-for scenario. For a genuine possibility, use the aorist conditional: Gelirse sana söylerim.
Forming the negative with bare -mese instead of -mAzsA. The negative of the aorist conditional is -mAzsA, not -mese. «If you do not like it» is beğenmezsen, not *beğenmesen.
Pairing the open conditional with a past main clause. A sentence like *Yağarsa gitmedik is ill-formed. The open conditional describes a non-past possibility, so the main clause must be aorist or -(y)AcAK: Yağarsa gitmeyiz / gitmeyeceğiz.
Confusing -(I)rsA with the counterfactual -sAydI. Olursa means «if it happens» — the outcome is still open. Olsaydı means «if it had happened» — the condition was not met in the past. Mixing them produces the wrong temporal and factual meaning.
Three sentences, graded here. Nothing is saved and no account is needed.
Biz zamanında ___ , toplantıya yetişemeyiz. (çıkmamak)
Fill in the blank with the correct conditional form of the verb in parentheses.