Şart kipleri — three Turkish conditionals

Three rungs of 'if' in Turkish — eğer, -se, and -seydi.

Turkish 'if' has three rungs that map closely to English Type 1 / 2 / 3 — but the trigger is the suffix -se/-sa, not a separate word. eğer ('if') is optional throughout, just adding emphasis. (1) Real conditional — likely or open: Vaktim olursa, gelirim. = 'If I have time, I'll come.' (2) Hypothetical — unlikely but conceivable in present/future: Vaktim olsa, gelirdim. = 'If I had time, I'd come.' (3) Counterfactual — past, didn't happen: Vaktim olsaydı, gelirdim. = 'If I'd had time, I'd have come.' The conditional suffix attaches to the verb stem; the main clause uses tenses that match the rung.

Type 1 — gerçek şart (real)

Used for things that may well happen. Form: verb stem + aorist + -se + person → gelirsem, gelirsen, gelirse, gelirsek, gelirseniz, gelirlerse. Main clause: aorist or future. Yağmur yağarsa, evde kalırız. = 'If it rains, we'll stay home.' Beni ararsan, yardım ederim. = 'If you call me, I'll help.' This is everyday 'if' — open possibilities, normal future-talk. eğer at the front is optional: Eğer yağmur yağarsa, etc.

Type 2 — farazi şart (hypothetical)

Unlikely-but-imaginable present or future. Form: verb stem + -se + person → gelsem, gelsen, gelse, gelsek, gelseniz, gelseler. Main clause: aorist past -rdı. Vaktim olsa, gelirdim. = 'If I had time, I'd come (but I don't).' Param olsa, dünyayı gezerdim. = 'If I had money, I'd travel the world.' This rung is for fantasies and hypotheticals about the now.

Type 3 — olmayan şart (counterfactual past)

Looks back at a past that didn't happen. Form: verb stem + past -di + -yse = -seydi + person → gelseydim, gelseydin, gelseydi, gelseydik, gelseydiniz, gelselerdi. Main clause: past aorist -rdı or perfect aorist -mıştı. Vaktim olsaydı, gelirdim. = 'If I'd had time, I would have come.' Daha çok çalışsaydım, sınavı geçerdim. = 'If I'd studied more, I would have passed the exam.' Lock these in by repetition — they're the high-value B2 form.

eğer is optional

eğer ('if') sits at the front of the -se clause and is purely optional. Vaktim olursa, gelirim. and Eğer vaktim olursa, gelirim. are both fine — eğer just makes the conditionality more explicit, slightly more formal. Don't say it twice. The real grammatical work is done by the -se suffix on the verb.

Mixed and stacked patterns

You can mix rungs. Daha çok çalışsaydım, şimdi daha iyi olurdum. = 'If I'd studied more (Type 3 past), I'd be in a better place now (Type 2 present).' For 'unless', use -mezse (negative aorist + -se): Yağmur yağmazsa, gideriz. = 'Unless it rains, we'll go.' For 'even if', use -se de: Yağmur yağsa da, gideriz. = 'Even if it rains, we'll go.'

Examples

Vaktim olursa, gelirim.

If I have time, I'll come.

Type 1 — aorist + -se in the if-clause, aorist in the main.

Vaktim olsa, gelirdim.

If I had time, I'd come.

Type 2 — bare stem + -se + past aorist.

Vaktim olsaydı, gelirdim.

If I'd had time, I would have come.

Type 3 — -seydi + past aorist.

Yağmur yağmazsa, pikniğe gideriz.

Unless it rains, we'll go on a picnic.

Negative aorist + -se = 'unless'.

Yağmur yağsa da, gideriz.

Even if it rains, we'll go.

-se da/de = 'even if'.

Eğer beni dinleseydin, bu olmazdı.

If you had listened to me, this wouldn't have happened.

Optional eğer + Type 3 + negative past aorist.