Turkish: A Comprehensive Grammar

‘You’re not going to go there again, do you understand?’
This type of volitional modality can be projected into the past:
(157) Bütün bunlar at-ıl-acak-tı.
all these throw.away-PASS-FUT-P.COP
‘All these were supposed to be thrown away.’
21.4.4.3 Suggestions: first person optative forms -(y)AyIm, -(y)Allm
The 1st person singular optative -(y)AyIm expresses an action that the speaker proposes to
perform. It often accompanies the actual performance of the action.
(158) Sana yardım edeyim.
‘Let me help you.’
Turkish: A comprehensive grammar 314
The 1st person plural form -(y)AlIm expresses action that the speaker proposes for
performance jointly with the hearer(s) and/or other people.
(159) Biraz konuşalım.
‘Let’s have a bit of a chat.’
(160) Hediyeleri Mehmet’e göster-me-ye-lim.
show-NEG-OPT-1PL
‘Let’s not show Mehmet the presents.’
In questions, both of the above forms become consultative, asking the hearer(s) whether
or how they would like the proposed action to be performed:
(161) Sana yardım edeyim mi?
‘Shall I help you?’
(162) Şu tabakları nereye koyalım?
‘Where shall/should we put these plates?’
(163) Hediyeleri Mehmet’e göstermeyelim mi?
‘Should we not show the presents to Mehmet?’/‘Don’t you want us to show the
presents to Mehmet?’
21.4.4.4 Deliberation about possible action: questions with -sAm, -s Ak
When a finite verb with the conditional suffix -sA, marked for 1st person, is used in a
question, it has consultative force. The difference between questions with the conditional
suffix and questions with the optative forms discussed in 21.4.4.3 is that in the case of the
conditional forms the speaker regards the decision to be taken as more problematical.
S/he is not clear in his/her own mind about the desirability of the proposed action, or the
form that it should take, and s/he does not expect the hearer to be able to provide a simple
answer. Because of this uncertainty, questions with -sAm/-sAk are usually marked with
the modal adverbial acaba ‘I wonder’ (19.5.2):
(164) Bu konuda kime danışsam acaba?