etmek

Etmek is a Turkish verb that functions primarily as a light verb meaning "to do" or "to make." It is widely used to form compound predicates with nouns and adjectives, adding action, intention, or emphasis to the subject. In daily Turkish, etmek appears in many common phrases, often where English would use a simple verb like “do” or “make.”

Common uses and examples include:

- yardim etmek (to help)

- çaba etmek (to make an effort)

- hata etmek (to make a mistake)

- zarar etmek (to incur a loss or suffer damage)

- kar etmek (to be profitable or to break even)

- söz etmek (to mention)

- iyi niyet etmek (to act in good faith)

- kötü niyet etmek (to act with ill intent)

Etmek also serves as a productive grammatical glue in light-verb constructions, where the meaning of the noun or adjective is completed by the verb. The same verbs with different nouns convey a wide range of actions, desires, or intentions without changing the core noun.

Grammar notes: etmek conjugates like a regular Turkish verb, using the stem et-. Present tense forms include ediyorum, ediyorsun, ediyor, ediyoruz, ediyorsunuz, ediyorlar; past tense forms include ettim, ettin, etti, ettik, ettiniz, ettiler; future forms include edecek, edeceksin, edecek, edeceğiz, edeceksiniz, edecekler. The verb also participates in negation with etmek being negated as etmemek. In practice, many speakers prefer more specific verbs (such as yapmak) for direct actions, while etmek remains common in idiomatic light-verb phrases and established collocations.