Felləri - İndiki zamanda təsrif edin

Try to conjugate the following verbs in the present tense. Thanks to my new friend Tağı for sending me this list.

1. oxumaq
2. yazmaq
3. baxmaq
4. görmək
5. eşitmək
6. darıxmaq
7. idman etmək
8. rəqs etmək
9. yemək bişirmək
10. ağlamaq
11. silmək
12. süpürmək
13. geyinmək
14. soyunmaq
15. yatmaq
16. yuxudan oyanmaq
17. istirahət etmək
18. ümid etmək
19. inanmaq
20. aldatmaq

Imperative Mood of Verbs

Verbs in Azerbaijani have imperative mood; it is used to command or ask for something. You can make a singular imperative of any verb by eliminating the suffix of the infinitive (-maq, -mək). Once you do that you will get the root of the verb.  For example:

Getmək = to go. Get. = Go.

Oturmaq = to sit. Otur. = Sit (down).

Təslim olmaq = to surrender.  Təslim ol! = Surrender!

[Should you buy apples? Wait and see...]

Infinitive + üçün = in order to

Infinitive + üçün is used to explain why an action has taken place. This construction always seems to come first in the sentence, followed by the resulting action. Handy and easy-to-learn.

Some examples:

Verb phrases using Əl (hand)

There are many expressions using əl. Some are quite literal but others would be impossible to guess. A friend recently helped me learn these. The entry for əl in my red dictionary covers three pages!!

Sən nə etməyi sevirsən? (What do you like to do?)

A good way to practice using the verbal noun form in the accusative is to answer the question "What do you like doing?" Here are some of my answers.

Verbs using gəlmək (to come)

I have found just a few of these, but they are commonly used.

Verbs using vermək (to give)

Haven't found many of these, but they are interesting, especially məzə vermək and ürek-dirək vermək.

Verbs using etmək (to do or to make)

There seem to be a lot of verbs that use etmək with another word (usually a noun, sometimes an adjective) to make a verb phrase, much like faire is used in French. It is my understanding that eləmək is often used instead of etmək in conversation, but that in written Azerbaijani it is always etmək.

What follows is a listing of the verbs in Azerbaijani alphabetical order. In the square brackets is the meaning of the noun or adjective. 

verb + ış / iş / uş / üş = new verb

These suffixes added to a verb root make the action one that involves two or more people.

Adjectives + ar / ər = verbs

Have only found six of these.

Adjectives + al / əl = verbs

I have not found many verbs that are formed this way.

Nouns or adjectives + la / lə = verbs

Verbs that derive from nouns or adjectives with la or lə added:

Nouns or adjectives + laş / ləş = verbs

Another suffix that is commonly added to nouns and adjectives to make a verb is laş / ləş. Here is a list that İ have managed to compile. Please let me know if there are others.

Nouns or adjectives + lan/lən = verbs

The suffix -lan -lən can be added to some nouns (even adjectives) to create verbs. It adds the sense of "becoming" to the noun. Here are some examples that I have come across. Let me know of any others and I will add them to the list.

DIR / T - to have somebody do something

The days are hot in Baku in July. It's hard to work up enough energy to post when the temperatures soar to 36 and beyond. Easier to lounge on the balcony with a good book, hoping for the relief of a light breeze and listening to the sounds from the street. One hawker goes by late every morning calling "moruq, çiyələk, marina." The first is raspberries, the second strawberries, and the third I have no idea. It sounds like marina, but perhaps I've got it wrong. Maybe it's Russian? (I've been told since that it is malina - Russian for moruq.) If I weren't so lazy I would go down and ask him to sell me some strawberries!* (See if I have got this right.)

Anyway, a short posting about these kind of verbs...

Using infinitives as gerunds (-ing nouns)

Where we would use a verb plus infinitive in English, in Azerbaijani it is common to use a verb plus a gerund which is derived from an infinitive. Confusing? Yeah. Let's look at an example:

To say "One needs a lot of time to learn Azerbaijani," you use a gerund rather than the infinitive "to learn".

Azərbaycancanı öyrənməyə çox vaxt lazımdır. The bold word looks like an infinitive but is not. It is a gerund in the dative (to) case - to the learning. The infinitive öyrənmək has been turned into a gerund - k changes to y with the -ə ending. So, the sentence literally means Toward learning Azerbaijani [object / accusative case], much time is needed. 

Using infinitives in sentences with istəmək and lazımdır

Two very useful constructions in Azerbaijani are istəmək (to want) plus an infinitive and lazımdır (to be necessary) with an infinitive. You can say a lot with these two and they work just as they do in English, so you can translate directly and it works. As we will discover, in Azerbaijani infinitives are often not used in sentences as we use them in English. Instead, they are turned into nouns (to be precise, gerunds). But more on that later... it is complicated. For now, enjoy learning something useful and easy:

İstəmək + infinitive (to want to...)

Works like English, except the infinitive comes before the main verb.

I want to see you. - Mən səni görmək istəyirəm.
I want to speak to you. - Mən sizinlə danışmaq istəyirəm.
I want to break a twenty. - Mən iyirmi manat xırdalanmaq istəyirəm.
I want to buy a ticket. - Mən bileti almaq istəyiram.

Lazımdır + infinitive (it is necessary to...; it needs to...)

Again like English, but the infinitive comes first.

It needs to be done. - Bunu etmək lazımdır.
It is necessary to go early. - Tez getmək lazımdır.
What book needs to be read? - Hansı kitabı oxumaq lazımdır?
To take part in the discussion it is first necessary to be calm. - Söhbətin alınması üçün ilk növbədə sakit olmaq lazımdır.
It is necessary to come to a decision. - Bir qərarə gəlmək lazımdır. 

Verbs in English alphabetical order

This is a listing of verbs in English alphabetical order. 

to abandon                              -i                      tərk etmək

to accept                                 -i -dən              qəbul etmək                

to accommodate                      -i -də                yerləşdirmək

to accomplish some work                                iş görmək

to act shy                                 -ə                    utanmaq

to advise                                  -ə                    məsləhət görmək

Essential verb list in Azerbaijani alphabet order

The following list is 12 pages long if printed on A4 paper. It lists commonly used verbs (infinitive), followed by the cases that they take. English translation follows. I have found learning verbs to be the most effective path to conversational Azerbaijani. 

acmaq (-) to feel hungry

açmaq (i) to open

ağlamaq (-) to cry