Görmü

Görmü is a term used in Turkish linguistics to describe the non-finite stem that appears in forms of the verb görmek (to see) when negation and tense/aspect suffixes are attached. It is not a standalone lexical item in standard Turkish dictionaries; rather, Görmü is a descriptive label used in grammar discussions to analyze how negation interacts with verbal morphology.

Etymology and role: Görmü derives from the Turkish verb root gör- (see) together with the negation marker mü (written as mü/mi/mü depending on vowel harmony) that is inserted before tense or aspect suffixes. The combination of gör- + mü- creates a stem form often referred to as görmü-, which then combines with subsequent endings such as -yor (present progressive) or personal endings.

Morphology and examples: The görmü stem governs forms that express negation in various tenses and moods. Examples include:

- görmüyorum, meaning “I do not see.”

- görmüyor musun?, meaning “Are you not seeing?”

- görmüyorlar, meaning “they are not seeing.”

In these forms, görmü- appears before the tense/aspect suffixes (-yorum, -yor, -lar, etc.), and the negative marker interacts with vowel harmony and person endings.

Usage and note: Görmü is primarily of interest to students of Turkish grammar and computational morphology, where parsing algorithms may segment a verb into root, negation stem, and tense/aspect endings. It is not typically treated as an independent word in dictionaries; rather, it illustrates a productive pattern in Turkish verbal conjugation.

See also: Turkish verb görmek, Turkish negation suffix -mü, Turkish vowel harmony, Turkish morphology.