bilmez

Bilmez is a Turkish verb form meaning “does not know.” It is the present simple negative third-person singular of the verb bilmek, which means “to know.” As a predicate, bilmez expresses that the subject lacks knowledge about the stated fact or topic. For other persons and numbers, different verb endings are used, for example bilmezsin (you do not know), bilmezsiniz (you do not know, plural or formal), and bilmezler (they do not know).

Etymology and form: bilmek is the infinitive meaning “to know,” and the suffix -mez is a negative marker in Turkish present tense harmony. The combination yields bilmez, used directly with a finite subject. Turkish verbs adjust for person and number through additional suffixes, so bilmez appears in sentences with explicit subject agreement or in context where the subject is clear.

Usage: Bilmez is common in everyday Turkish as a straightforward statement of ignorance. It can appear in simple constructions such as O bilmez. (He/She does not know.) It also participates in negative clauses about knowledge in broader contexts, for example “Bu konuda çok şey bilmez” (They don’t know much about this subject). The form is also used in literary and spoken Turkish to convey ignorance as a state or attribute.

Idioms and related terms: The idiom bilmezlikten gelmek means “to feign ignorance; to pretend not to know.” Related forms include bilmezlik (ignorance) and the related verbs with other tenses and moods stemming from bilmek.

See also: Turkish verb conjugation, bilmek, bilmezlik, bilgin.