The Beauty of the Verbs: "ver-"

In the previous post of this series, we talked about al-, one of the most important verbs in Turkish. Now it is only natural to move on to its counterpart and opposite: ver-. If al- is about taking and receiving, ver- is about giving, offering, allowing, and making things happen.

Most learners meet ver- very early, often in direct and practical situations. You hear it when someone gives a simple command like “Kalemi ver.” Or you use it yourself when asking politely, “Tuzu verebilir misin?”. These everyday moments introduce ver- as the verb of giving, but they also quietly show how flexible it already is. The same root works for commands, requests, and polite questions without changing its form.

As learners progress, it becomes clear that Turkish uses ver- for much more than just handing something to someone. One of the most interesting features of this verb is how easily it combines with nouns to create new meanings. The verb stays the same, but the noun in front of it completely reshapes the expression.

Yol vermek literally means “to give way,” but what it actually means is to let someone pass. Haber vermek is literally “to give news,” yet it is naturally understood as “to inform.” In kilo vermek, nothing is physically given, but the meaning becomes “to lose weight.” And izin vermek literally means “to give permission,” which we use to mean “to allow” or “to let.”

Once you notice this pattern, ver- starts appearing everywhere. Turkish often prefers these noun + ver- combinations instead of single verbs. You do not simply answer, you "cevap verirsiniz". You do not decide, you "karar verirsiniz". Even ordering food becomes "sipariş vermek".

In all of these cases, ver- works like a connector. It turns ideas into actions and nouns into verbs. You are not always giving something physical. You are giving information, effort, permission, direction, or responsibility. That is why ver- feels so natural and so frequent in daily Turkish.

There is also a large family of words that grow from this root. Words like veri (data), vergi (tax), verim (efficiency), and verimli (productive) all come from the idea of producing or yielding something. Once you see the connection, these words stop feeling unrelated and start forming a clear pattern.

A Closer Look at the ver- Family

Here is a longer list to show how widely this root spreads:

Word	Meaning
ver-	to give, to produce, to hand in
veri	data
vergi	tax
verim	yield, efficiency
verimli	efficient, productive
verimsiz	unproductive
veriş	delivery (odd)
alışveriş	shopping
verme	act of giving (gerund)
verici	donor, giver, transmitter
verkaç	pass and run (football)
vermek	to give (infinitive)
işveren	employer (lit. work-giver)
özveri	devotion, self-sacrifice
özverili	devoted
boş ver-	to ignore/not bother
verecek	debt/money owed
vereyesiye	on credit/on account
veryansın et-	to tirade (lit. let it burn)
veril-	to be given (passive form)
verilmiş	given
verdir-	to cause to give (causative form)

Just like al-, ver- is a verb learners use constantly, often without realizing how central it is. You ask for something, give an answer, allow an action, or share information, and ver- quietly holds the sentence together.

Together, al- and ver- show the balance at the heart of Turkish. Taking and giving, receiving and offering, learning and sharing. Small verbs with enormous reach. And that is exactly why ver- deserves its place in this series.