abilir

Abilir is a Turkish grammatical suffix used to express ability or possibility. It appears in two allomorphs, -abilir and -abilir, and attaches to the stem of a verb to form a word meaning can or may do something. The choice between the two forms follows Turkish vowel harmony: after back vowels (a, ı, o, u) the suffix is -abilir, while after front vowels (e, i, ö, ü) it becomes -abilir. Examples include yapabilir (can do) and görebilir (can see).

Function and use. The -abilir/-abilir suffix marks potential mood, indicating ability, potential, or likelihood in the present or future. It can express general capability as in "O, bu işi yapabilir" (He can do this job), and it also conveys possibility or probability as in "Biletler hızlı satılır; bu yüzden erken gelebilir" (Tickets sell out quickly; we may arrive early). It is common in questions and negations as well: "Yapabilir misin?" (Can you do it?), "Yapabilir mi?" (Could he do it?), "Yapamayabilir" (He might not be able to). For past or hypothetical contexts, Turkish uses constructions with can-be or may-have equivalents, such as "O gelmiş olabilir" (He may have arrived).

Relationship to other modals. Abilir/-abilir is distinct from obligation or necessity forms like -meli/-malı (should/must). It coexists with other tenses, allowing forms like "yapabilirken" (while he can do it) or "yapabilirlerdi" (they could have done). The suffix is productive across standard Turkish and is widely used in both speech and writing.

Origin and morphology. The form derives from the Turkish verb system for expressing potential or capacity and is realized as -abilir/-abilir through vowel harmony. It is one of the core means Turkish uses to encode modality without auxiliary verbs.