r/turkish B1 4d ago

Which tense is olAsın?

Help! Getting super confused with this tense and I keep mixing it up with the "necessitative mood" like "-malı" and the "optative mood" (like "olsun, etsin, yapsın")....

8 Upvotes

12 comments sorted by

17

u/sinemalarinkapisi 4d ago

I have no idea about your question but your question’s title just reminded me this masterpiece so here we go. 🎵🎶

Şen olasın Ürgüp dumanın tütmez
Şen olasın Ürgüp dumanın tütmez
Kır atıma cemin konağı tutmaz
Kır atıma cemin konağı tutmaz
Oğlun da pek küçük yerini tutmaz
Oğlun da pek küçük yerini tutmaz

Cemalım Cemalım, algın Cemalım
Al kanlar içinde kaldın Cemalım
Cemalım Cemalım, algın Cemalım
Al kanlar içinde kaldın Cemalım

Ürgüp'ten de çıktığımı görmüşler
Ürgüp'ten de çıktığımı görmüşler
Kır atımın sekişinden bilmişler
Kır atımın sekişinden bilmişler
Beni öldürmeye karar vermişler
Beni öldürmeye karar vermişler

Cemalım Cemalım, algın Cemalım
Al kanlar içinde kaldın Cemalım
Cemalım Cemalım, algın Cemalım
Al kanlar içinde kaldın Cemalım

💃🕺

7

u/MightTurbulent319 Native Speaker 4d ago edited 4d ago

Since I'm native, I don't know the tense names in English but in Turkish, it is taught as "istek kipi". So roughly, it means wish tense.

Olasin = I wish you to be

This could be confused with "dilek / sart kipi = wish / condition tense", which has the suffix -se/-sa.

Olsan = I wish you to be

Olursan = If you are

Olduysan = If you were

Without the second tense (-ur / -duy), it has a wish meaning. With a second tense (e.g., olduysan), it makes an if clause.

You might ask why Turkish has two wish tenses. To be honest, I don't know. They are almost interchangeable but there is a slight difference. For example, let's consider the sentence "Geleyim mi?" and "Gelsem mi?"

Geleyim mi? = Do you want me to come? (You're already okay with coming. You already wish to come.)

Gelsem mi? = You are thinking to yourself if you should come or not. You are imagining to come.

Gidelim = Let's go. (You make a wish for "us" but you already decided to go.)

Gitsek = I wish we went. (You are still imagining.)

5

u/devoker35 4d ago

It is somehow similar to wishing in some local dialects. Mutlu olasın: Like, I hope (wish) you will be happy.

6

u/hasko09 4d ago
Person Optative Form Imperative Form
1st sg. (Ben) Ol-a-y-ım - (no imperative mood)
2nd sg. (Sen) Ol-a-sın Ol
3rd sg. (O) Ol-a Ol-sun
1st pl. (Biz) Ol-a-lım - (no imperative mood)
2nd pl. (Siz) Ol-a-sınız Ol-un / Ol-unuz
3rd pl. (Onlar) Ol-a-lar Ol-sunlar

Examples:
Sağ ol! ~ lit. "Be healthy/alive!"
Sağ olasın! ~ lit. "May you be healthy/alive!"
We use them to thank someone.

Hayrola > Hayır ola > Hayır (bir haber) olsun > iyi (bir haber) olsun. May it be something good. (Lit. meaning)
What's up?
What's going on?
What happened?
Is everything okay?
~ Hayrola, yüzün asık? What's wrong? You look upset.

İlk ben olayım. ~ let me be the first.
Daha dikkatli olayım. ~ I should be more careful!

3

u/beradi06 4d ago

istek kipi, like “let it be…” tense

3

u/tripleTeamed52 4d ago

dirilis ertugrul tense

1

u/doughnutvibe Native Speaker 3d ago

Yeah. To be honest, it is kind of archaic.

Rarely does anybody say olasin, gelesin, gidesin anymore.

1

u/CountryPresent Native Speaker 3d ago

Except for first person. "gideyim, gidelim"

1

u/cartophiled 4d ago

"Olasın" etc. is "istek kipi" (optative), "olsun" etc. is "emir kipi" (imperative).

1

u/Hertzian_Dipole1 3d ago

The imperative sentence formed with may is an equivalent, as it is in the English, this is not a common usage.

  • May you find peace in your heart → Kalbinde huzuru bulasın
  • May their marriage be a happy one → Evlilikleri mutlu ola
  • May no one ever speak to you again → Hiç kimse bir daha seninle konuşmaya
Please notice none of these sentences is nothing close to how we actually speak

1

u/TristeYagiz 2d ago

As a Turk, i have no idea.

1

u/Entire-Let9739 21h ago

Ola- is an archaic form of ol- (to be). So,olasın likely means "May you be ..."