TURKISH GRAMMAR

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TRANSFORMATIONAL GENERATIVE
AND
CONTRASTIVE

Yayına Hazırlayan: İbrahim Halil Behram

Görsel Tasarım ve Kapak Tasarını: Özgür Göknel
Tashih ve düzeltmeler: Yüksel Göknel

1. Basım: İstanbul / Haziran 2010

ISBN: 978-605-125046-5

Berdan Matbaacılık
Davutpaşa Cad. Güen San. St. C. Blok No: 215-216-239 Top-
kapı / İstanbul
Sertifika No: 12491

YÜKSEL GÖKNEL
2010

İletişim:
Fetih Mahallesi, Tunca Sok. No: 234704 Ataşehir / İstanbul
Tel: 0216 470 0944

All rights reserved.

No paert of this book may be reproduced in any form or
by any means without the prmission of the copyright
owner.

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TURKISH GRAMMAR

FOREWORD

The Turkish Grammar book that you have just started reading is quite different
from the grammar books that you read in schools. This kind of Grammar is known as
traditional grammar. The main difference of a traditional grammar and that of a
transformational one is that the first one describes a natural language as a static
object, but the second one describes both the parts of the language engine and how
it runs. This is like learning about a motionless car. There is something lacking in this
description. It is the dynamics of the parts of a car that runs a hundred and twenty
kilometers an hour.
Traditional grammars describe only the physical appearance of a language; they
do not mind what goes on behind the curtain. The mind of a human being works like
the engine of a sports car. It arranges and chooses words matching one another,
transforms simple sentence units to use in different parts of sentences, and recollects
morphemes and phonemes to be produced by the human speech organs. All these
activities are simultaneously carried out by the human mind.
Another point that the traditional grammarians generally miss is that they write the
grammar of a certain language to teach it to those who have been learning it from the
time when they were born up to the time when they discover something called
grammar. This is like teaching a language to professional speakers.
Then, what is the use of a grammar? I believe most people were acquainted with
it when they started learning a foreign language. Therefore, a grammar written for
those who are trying to learn a second language is very useful both in teaching and
learning a second language.
I started teaching English as a second language in 1952, a long time ago. Years
passed and one day I found myself as a postgraduate Fulbright student at the
University of Texas at Austin in 1960. Although I studied there for only a short period,
I learnt enough from Prof. Archibald A. Hill and Dr. De Camp to stimulate me to learn
more about Linguistics.
After I came back to Turkey, it was difficult to find books on linguistics in
booksellers in Istanbul. Thanks to The American Library in Istanbul, I was able to
borrow the books that attracted my attention.
In those books, I discovered Noam Chomsky, whose name I had not heard during
my stay in the U.S.A.
I must confess that I am indebted to the scholars and the library above in writing
this Turkish Grammar.
I am also grateful to my son Dr. Özgür Göknel who encouraged me to write this
book and to Vivatinell Warwick U.K., which sponsored to publish it.
YÜKSEL GÖKNEL

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CONTENTS Page

Foreword III
Contents IV
Transformational Generative Grammar 9
The Turkish Grammar 16
The Turkish Vowel and Consonant Harmony 17
The Vowel Harmon 17
The Consonant Harmony 19
Morphemes and Allomorphs 21
Derivational Morphemes and their Allomorphs 22
Morphemes Attached to Noun Stems to Produce Nouns 22
Morphemes Attached to Noun Stems to Produce Adjectives 23
Morphemes Attached to Adjective Stems to Produce Nouns 25
Morphemes Attached to Verb Stems to Produce Nouns 25
Morphemes Attached to Verb Stems to Produce Adjectives 27
Morphemes Attached to Noun Stems to Produce Verbs 29
Morphemes Attached to Adjective Stems to Produce Verbs 29
Using Adjectives as Adverbs 30
Morphemes Attached to Noun Stems to Produce Adverbs 32
Inflectional Morphemes (Çekim Ekleri) 32
The Inflectional Morphemes Attached To Nouns 33
The Defining [Ġ] Morpheme and its Allomorphs [i, ı, ü, u] 33
[E], [DE], [DEN] morphemes 37
“Possessor + Possessed” Noun Compounds (Ġsim Tamlamaları) 46
Definite Noun Compounds (Belirtili Ġsim Tamlamaları) 47
Indefinite Noun Compounds (Belirtisiz Ġsim Tamlamaları) 52
Noun Compounds Without Suffixes (Takısız Tamlamalar) 53
Noun + Infinitive Compounds (Ġsim Mastar Tamlamaları) 54
Prepositions (Eng) and Postpositions (Turk) (Edatlar) 55
Primary Stress, Secondary Stress and Intonation 56
English Prepositions and Turkish Postpositions 64
The Inflectional Morphemes Attached To Verbs 67
The Simple Present “be” 68
The Present Modals with Verb “be” 76
must be 76
can’t be 77
may be 78
may not be 79
The Question Forms of Verb “be” 79
have to be, should be, ought to be, needn’t be 80
have to be (zorundayım) 81
needn’t be (gerek yok) 81
The Simple Past Verb “be” 82
Interrogative Words 85

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[MĠġ] (Rumor, Inference) (söylenti, anlam çıkarma) 88

Future Form Of “be” (will be) 90
The “there is”, “there are”; “have, (have got)” 91
there used to be, used to have 92
there must (may) be, there can’t be, there is going to be 92
Imperatıves and Wıshes 93
Wısh 95
The Simple Present Tense (GeniĢ Zaman) 96
The Verbs Ending With Vowels 99
Some Noun Stems Used Together With “et”, `yap”, “iĢle” to Produce Verbs 100
The Negative Form of the Simple Present Tense 102
The Simple Present Positive Question 104
The Simple Present Negative Question 105
The Question Words Used in the Simple Present Tense 106
The Present Continuous and the Present Perfect Continuous 108
The Verbs That Are Not Used In the Simple Present in Turkish 112
Turkish Verb Frames (Türkçe’de Fiil Çatıları) 114
Transitive and Intransitive Verbs 114
Reflexive Verbs 114
The Passive Transformation of the Intransitive Verbs 116
Reciprocal Verbs (ĠĢteĢ Fiiller) 117
Both Transitively and Intransitively Used English Verbs 119
The Simple Past and the Present Perfect 124
MiĢ’li Past Tense (Rumor and Inference) (MiĢ’li GeçmiĢ) 131
The Simple Future and “be going to” 135
The Past Continuous Tense 138
The Past Perfect Continuous Tense 141
Was (were) going to 142
used to 142
The Rumor Forms of The Simple Present and The Present Cont. 144
The Past Perfect Tense 145
The Future Continuous Tense 146
The Future Perfect Tens 147
Infinitives (Mastarar) 147
The [mek, mak] Infinitives 149
The [me, ma] infinitives 152
The [iĢ, ıĢ, üĢ, uĢ] infinitives 158
The [dik, dık, dük, duk, tik, tık, tük, tuk] infinitives 158
The Passive Infinitive 159
Modals 161
Present Modals 161
can, may [e-bil, a-bil] 161
must [meli, malı] 165
have to (zorunda) 167
needn’t (don’t have to) 167
should (ought to) 168

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Past Modals 170

Could 170
was (were) able to 171
would, could (polite request) 172
Perfect Modals 173
must have 173
can’t (couldn’t) have 175
should have (ought to have) 176
may have 177
might have 178
needn’t have 178
didn’t need to 179
Transformations (English) 179
The Nominalization of the Simple English Sentences 180
The Simple Sentences Transformed Into Determiners 184
The Productivity of Natural Languages 186
TheTransformed Simple Sentences Used as Adverbs 188
Turkish Sentence Nominalizations 190
Turkish Simple Sentence Nominalization 192
1: V - [DĠK] - [pers] - ([Ġ]) 193
Simple Sentences with Verb Stem “ol” (be) 195
Chain Noun Compounds 195
2. V- [DĠK]- [pers]-([Ġ]) 198
Nominalized Sentences Containing “question words” 201
Turkish Determiner + Determined Compounds 203
The Passive Transformation 210
The Verb Frames 212
The Structural Composition of the Causative Verb Frames 213
A Short List of Verb Frames 214
The Order Of Allomorphs 217
Causative Verb Frame Examples 218
Passive Causative 218
Some Example Sentences of the Verb Frames 219
Adverb Clauses (Syntactic Adverbs) 261
Time 261
before 261
after 265
when 267
while 270
as soon as 272
until 273
“by” and “by the time” 275
since 276
Cause and Reason 278
Concession and Contrast 280

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Purpose 282
Place 286
Manner 286
as 286
as if (as though) 287
Result 289
so … that such … that 290
“too + adjective + to + V + için” and “adjective + enough + to + Verb” 291
Degree 292
Comparative Degree 292
Superlative Degree 294
Positive or Negative Equality 295
Parallel Proportion 296
Wish 297
wish + would 297
wish + past subjunctive 295
wish + past perfect or perfect modal 299
Conditional Sentences 299
Present Real Supposition 300
Present Unreal (contrary to fact) Supposition 302
Past Real Supposition 303
Past Unreal (contrary to fact) Supposition 303
Orders and Requests 305
Plain Orders and Requests 305
Polite Requests 306
Polite Refusals 307
Offers 307
{ V + [ĠP] } 308
Question Tags ( değil mi?) 309
So do I (Neither do I) 310
Conjunctions and Transitional Phrases 310
Intensifiers 317
Reported Speech 318
Symbols and Abbreviations 320
References 321

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TRANSFORMATIONAL GENERATIVE GRAMMAR

Before we begin with the fundamentals of the Turkish Grammar, it may be

useful to start with a short summary of the essential concepts of the
Transformational Generative Grammar. This revolutionary grammar began
to be discussed on the linguistics stage after Prof. Noam Chomsky had pub-
lished his first book “Syntactic Structures” in 1957. In his book, he claims
that there is another abstract layer of meaning and language generating
system below the words and sentences that we hear or read. He calls it
“deep structure”. The chain of words that we actually hear, read or even
picture in our minds before articulating or writing it is called “surface struc-
ture”. To understand these two layers of structures, let us first consider the
following surface structure sentence:

The brown cat was chased by the black dog.

If we are asked to interpret this sentence, we can easily dig out three
reasonable short thoughts out of it and understand the following:

“the cat was brown”, “the dog was black” “the dog chased the cat”

These three thoughts, which are considered nearly the same in all natural
languages, have been developed and shaped in the labyrinths of the mind
as “deep structures” before they are worded in a language. How the items
of these thoughts are gained, stored, and retrieved by the human mind is the
concern of Cognitive Linguistics. These shortest groups of thought without
words, which covers concrete and abstract concepts and their characteristics
and the experiences of an individual are transformed and shaped into specif-
ic language words, morphemes and rules to be used in the “Nominal
Phrase + Verbal Phrase” mentally inborn sentence pattern.

In the first step, the abstract thought “the cat was brown”, which includes
some fundamental concepts such as subject, object, verb, time, place and
reason, etc. is transformed into “the cat was brown" in English, or "kedi
kahverengi idi" in Turkish surface structures. This thought can be trans-
formed into any natural language in the world with the help of the specific
lexical, transformational, and phonological rules of any target language.

Using the same transformational rules, the mind can also transform “the
dog was black” into  “the black dog”, and “the cat was brown” into 
“the brown cat”. When these two transformed units are embedded into the
sentence “the dog chased the cat”, we get the sentence “the black dog
chased the brown cat”.

If we want to use this last sentence in the NP part of the VP, (V + NP), we
transform it into  “the black dog that chased the brown cat”. Then, we
use it after the verb “V” of the sentence, so the sentence becomes:

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The gardener kicked the black dog that chased the brown cat.
NP V NP
VP

“The dog chased the cat” can also be transformed into other sentence
types such as:  “The cat was chased by the dog”, and  “the cat that
was chased by the dog”, etc.

The transformed and worded surface structures can also be operated the
other way round by the listener or the reader that has heard or read the
surface structure. This activation is simultaneously carried out by the mind of
an individual by digging out the deep structures by interpretation.

The aim of this book is not to teach “Transformational Generative Gram-

mar”, but to rewrite a Turkish Grammar in the light of American Linguistics,
which has been developed since Bloomfield.

A Transformational Generative Grammar aims not only at describing a spe-

cific grammar such as English, but it also aims at describing all the gram-
mars of all natural languages. It uses initials to cover all the words and
phrase structure rules of all languages. In all languages, there are Nominal
Phrases and Verbal Phrases, and there are nouns, determiners, adjectives
and adverbs …

Theorists of The Transformational Generative linguistics generally agree that

there is a syntactic component in the mind of a human being that keeps,
coordinates, and works the base component, the semantic component,
the transformational component, and the phonological component co-
herently. Working in close coordination, these language-producing compo-
nents form sentences and help to produce the sounds of a language. People
also receive and analyze these sounds deep in the mind until they under-
stand them.

In order to understand this interwoven, interactive, and complicated

mechanism and process, it is better to begin with the semantic component
that accumulates all the words and morphemes of a certain language with all
the characteristics embedded in them. For example, when we think of the
word “boy”, we know that it is “masculine”, “young”, and “able to do all
human activities”. However, when we use the word “apple”, we already know
that it is “fruit”, “it is eaten”, “it may be red or green”, and “it has a certain
taste and smell”, etc.

Besides the words (lexicon) of a certain language, the semantic component

and the syntactic component also possesses the innate common phrase
structures of the Universal Grammar shared by all human beings. (Further
explanations of it can be found in the article “Chomsky and the Universal
Grammar” written by Don Crus.)

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The phrase structures are flexible and expandable mental molds where
linguistic potential is shaped and developed. With the assistance of the
transformational and phonological components, t hese Phrase Structures
produce sentences.

The surface structure is what we actually articulate or write, or even what we

think in words before we speak or write.

The sentence producing system starts to work with the intention of an

individual to express him in words. He shapes his thoughts into Phrase
Structure mold, then words and articulates them. During this procedure, the
semantic component chooses words and other language units; arranges and
installs them in Phrase Structure patterns.

The first mental mold is the mold of Nominal Phrase (NP). The language
units suitable for this mold may be pronouns: “I”, “you”, “he”, etc., proper
nouns: “Jack”, “Mary”, “Ahmet”, etc., adjective compounds: “a beautiful
lady”, “a sunny morning”, “an interesting story”, “a heavy basket” “Jack’s
car”, a noun compound: “the garden gate”, “the name of the dog”, “the
result of the examination”, a phrase: “the books on the table”, “the children
in the garden”, “a bunch of flowers for my mother”; or a transformed
simple sentence: “the book that I read”, “the boys that were fighting”, “what
he said”, “the reason why I was late”, etc. All these units are shaped and de-
signed by the help of the syntactic, the semantic, the transformational and
the phonological components working coherently.

The Verbal Phrase (VP) is composed of a Nominal Phrase (NP), whose

content is given above, and a Verb (V). The Verb mold covers verb stems,
and all auxiliary verbs and suffixes, such as, “is”, “are”, “has”, “been”,
“have“, “must”, “can“, “will”, [ĠNG], [ED], etc. In Turkish, in place of these
auxiliary verbs, there are suffixes (morphemes). All these verb stems and
suffixes are ended with personal suffixes (morphemes) in Turkish, which
will be explained in detail in the following chapters.

There is another important language unit in a nominal phrase called De-

terminer (D). These units, which define or describe nouns, are placed be-
fore or after nouns according to the characteristics of a certain language.

The article "the" is a sign that implies an adjective, an adjective phrase, or

an adjective clause following a noun. Only the words "the book" do not
convey satisfactory information. When someone says "the book", the listener
thinks that something should be following these words. If he says "the red
book", "the book on the table" or "the book that I read", the listener is satis-
fied with it, and waits for the Verbal Phrase to be uttered to complete the
sentence. As a result, we can say that the article "the" is a sign that implies
the real determiner that may be either mentally in store in one's mind, or
in real words following or preceding the noun. Therefore, all adjectives,

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adjective phrases, and adjective clauses are determiners that are implied
by the article "the".

In Turkish, when nouns are used in the subject position, no defining

allomorphs or words like "the" are used. For example, in the sentences
"Mavi kitap benim" “The blue book is mine”, "Masanın üzerindeki kitap
benim" “The book on the table is mine” or "Dün okuduğun kitap benim" “The
book that you read yesterday is mine”, the nouns "kitap" are used without
the determining (suffixes) morphemes [Ġ] in Turkish. In these sentences
"mavi", "masanın üsündeki" and "dün okuduğun" expressions are enough to
determine the nouns "kitap". However, when the same expressions are used
in the object position, when they are determined, they inevitably take one
of the [i, ı, ü, u] defining allomorphs attached to nouns, pronouns or to the
“determiner + determined” compounds:

Masa-nın üstündeki kitap-ı gör-üyor musun?

(ma*sa*nın / üs*tün*de*ki / ki*ta*bı / gö*rü*yor / mu*sun↷)
Can you see the book on the table?

Masa-nın üstündeki kitap benim.

(ma*sa*nın / üs*tün*de*ki / ki*tap / be*nim↷)
The book on the table is mine.

As it is seen, when the underlined part of the above expression is used in

the object position, the noun “kitap” is suffixed with the defining allomorph
[Ġ], but when the same part is used in the subject position, it is used without
the determining suffix [Ġ] although the noun “book” is determined.

Some grammarians think that adjectives, adjective phrases and adjective

clauses are optional elements. They are optional, but when they are aimed
at determining nouns, they have to follow certain rules in Nominal Phrases.
In the following example, you can see how determiners are used either
preceding or following nouns:

the book; the book on the table; the books that are on the table;
D N D N D D N D D
the book that you have read
D N D

The purpose of using a language is to convey thoughts or pieces of

information to other people. A word or words that cannot convey them are
only sounds.

The order of the determiners, which define or describe nouns, are shaped by
the Phrase Structure rules. The transformational and the phonological
components of a specific language help them to transform thought into
concrete language. For example, in Turkish sentences, the places of
determiners are different from those of the English language.

Consider the following example:

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“kitap-ı” “masanın üstündeki kitap-ı “ “okuduğun kitap-ı

N D D N D D N D
“okuduğun kitap”
D N

“N” represents “nouns”, which are words like, “apple”, “boy”, “girl”, “dream”,
“happiness”, “koĢmak”, “okuma”, “okuyuĢ”, or pronouns like “I”, “you”, “he”,
“she”, “it”, “we”, “they”. Besides these pronouns, there are some other
pronouns called objective pronouns such as “me”, “you”, “him”, “her”, “it”,
“us” and “them”. Furthermore, other than these pronouns, there are
possessive adjectives such as “my”, ”your”, “his”, “her”, “its”, “our” and
“their”. All possessive adjectives are determiners, that is why they are
named as possessive adjectives. Syntactically described, they are the pos-
sessor parts of the “possessor + possessed” noun compounds:

my happiness | her anxiety | the girl’s fright

possessor possessed possessor possessed possessor possessed

The determiner “the” concept is embedded in the pronouns and the pos-
sessive adjectives of the English language. That is why, “the”, “a”, “that”, or
the like, are not used with them. For instance, “the I”, “the you”, “a me”, “the
my” are impossible in English.

Some linguists consider determiners as optional elements in phrase

structure rules. This is because pronouns are used without determiners in
English. Subject pronouns I, you, he, she, it, we and they, and object pro-
nouns me, you, him, her, it, us, them and possessive adjectives my, your,
his, etc. are all used without determiners.

On the contrary, when Turkish pronouns are used in the object position,
such as, “ben-i ”, “sen-i”, “biz-i”, etc., the defining suffix [Ġ] morpheme,
which stands for the “the” of the English language, is placed after “ben ”,
“sen”, “o”, “biz”, “siz”, “onlar”. Literally, they are written and said as “ben-i” “I
the”; “sen-i” “you the”; “o-/n/u” “he the”; “jack-’i“ “Jack the”. This “the”
concept in English is fulfilled by changing “I” into “me”, “you” into “you”, “he”
into “him”, “she” into “her”, etc.

In English, people say “I saw the girl.” “ I saw her.”

In Turkish, people say “Ben kız-ı gördüm.” “Ben o-/n/u gördüm.”

As it can be guessed, the pronoun “her” has a defining concept mentally

embedded in it. In Turkish, however, the same concept is attached to the
pronoun “o” as the determining morpheme [Ġ].

Consequently, we can say that all pronouns and proper nouns may have
determiners either mentally embedded in them, or attached to them as allo-
morphs. When Turkish people say "masa-nın üstün-de-ki kitap", they mean

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"the book on the table". In the Turkish sentence, "kitap" is without a defining
suffix or a word. This is because, the adjective phrase "masanın üs-tün-de-
ki" is enough to determine the noun "kitap". Consider the following senten-
ces:

Ben siz-i gördüm. I saw you.

Ben jack’-i gördüm. I saw Jack.

As it is seen, the pronoun "you" and the proper noun "Jack" are used without
determiners in English. However, in Turkish, both "siz-i" and "Jack-i" are
used with the determining suffix [Ġ] when they are in the object position.

The opposite process is followed with the Turkish nouns when they are in
the subject position: When we want to say “the book is on the table”, we do
not use a defining morpheme attached to the noun “kitap”. The absence of
this defining morpheme, however, implies that the noun is defined, so the
Turkish equivalent of “the book is on the table” is “kitap-Ø” masanın üstün-
de”. The zero morpheme stands for a zero mental determiner.

When a noun represents all its kind, it is not used with definers or plural
morphemes in Turkish as it is done in English. In Turkish, people say “Ben
kitap okumayı severim.” In English, in the equivalent of this sentence, the
plural morpheme should be used: “I like reading books.” This example
shows us that in the Turkish sentence the word "kitap" has a plural or an
“all” concept mentally embedded in it..

To sum up the above, we can say that no nouns or pronouns can stand
without determiners in sentences. These determiners may be either sepa-
rate words like "the" or "a" in English, or [i, ı, ü, u] defining allomorphs in
Turkish; or they may be embedded as determining concepts in common
nouns, proper nouns, and pronouns. Furthermore, the nouns that are de-
fined or described by adjective phrases do not need such defining suffıxes
or words in Turkish when they are in the subject position.

When we consider the following sentences, we can see how it works:

The symbol “S” represents a sentence as a whole, which has to include all
language units in it without leaving any one of them outside its composition.

S  I saw her.
S  NP + VP

In this sentence, “I” is a Nominal Phrase that includes the determiner “the”
embedded in it; and so is “her”. “Saw her” is a Verbal Phrase. This sentence
may be one of the shortest sentences in English. The following sentences,
however, are longer, but they are also composed of a Nominal Phrase and a
Verbal Phrase:

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S I saw a dog that was chasing a rabbit while I was driving to Ankara.
NP VP
S  The dog that was chasing the rabbit was fierce.
NP VP

Just as determiners are used together with nouns, so are adverbs used
around verbs to amplify their meaning by adding some important information
into their function. Finally, we can say that adverbs, adverb phrases and
adverb clauses are the elements of the Verbal Phrases. One important fact
to add to this definition is the instability of the position of an adverb in a
sentence. It may be used in the beginning, in the middle, or in the end of a
sentence such as:

“Sometimes I met her.” “I sometimes met her.” “ I met her sometimes.”

However, such sentences as, “I met sometimes her.” are not grammatical in
English because such adverbs can only be used outside “verb + object”;
not between them.

The prepositional phrases such as, “on the table”, or “in the garden” may
either be used as a determiner like “the books on the table”, or as an
adverb phrase like “A girl is dancing on the table.”

“V” contains verb stems like “go”, “clean”, “wash”,“sleep”, “discover”, “eat”;
and besides them, one or more auxiliary verbs are used before them such as
“has cleaned”, “has been cleaning”, “may be cleaned”, “must have been
cleaned”. Some suffixes are also attached to a verb stem such as “clean-
ed”, “clean-ing”. These are all the contents of the symbol “V”. So, the verb
stems, together with the auxiliary verbs and suffixes, convey a full concept of
“verb”. The “VP” initials may also cover adverbs, adverb phrases, or adverb
clauses as well as Nominal Phrases. However, when adverbs are used as
intensifiers, they may also be used before adjectives and adverbs.

In short, a Verbal Phrase (VP) may be composed of "NP + V" or "NP + V +

Adv”.

In phrase structures, the plus symbol (+) is used not to show the order of
words, but to show the contents of a “VP”. For instance, when we write VP
V + NP, we do not mean that “First use a verb and after it use a nominal
phrase”, we mean, “Use a verb together with a nominal phrase.”

This is necessary because in some languages, like Turkish and Japanese,

verbs are used after nominal phrases. Furthermore, in mathematics 5=2+3
or 5= 3+2 shows that the plus sign may not show order. At last, the arrow
“→” means that we can rewrite the previous initials as the following ones.
Now, we can show how phrase structure rules of a mental sentence chain
is woven and produced in any language.

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Thought and language are mental faculties that are independent of one
another; but they act interdependently. Thought has multiple dimensions.
One stores items of thought in his mind without organizing them in a certain
chain following one another. When the time comes to produce a sentence,
however, these irregularly scattered items of thought are put in certain linear
language molds to be produced by the speech organs. The linking bridge
that transforms thought into a language is the Phrase Structure rules of the
Universal Grammar.

As soon as thought is directed into Phrase Structures (which are thought to

be innate), they are molded into a linear system and become ready to be
produced by the help of the semantic, transformational and phonological
components (which are all learned) of the language-producing system of the
mind.

Immediately after the following abstract items of thought are transformed into
the words and rules of the target language, they are materialized to be used
as surface structures:

INNATE SYNTACTIC ABSTRACT LEVEL

S  NP + VP
NP  D + N
VP  V + NP
V  V

LEARNED SURFACE STRUCTURE

S  the boy + ate an apple

NP  the + boy
VP  V + an apple
V  ate

If we apply this rule to Turkish, we get:

S  çocuk - Ø + bir elma yedi

NP VP

When a determined noun is used in the subject position, a zero defining

morpheme “Ø” is used in Turkish. The absence of this determiner implies
that the noun is defined. In other words, it means “the boy”.

NP  çocuk
VP  NP + V
NP  bir elma
V  yedi

The above surface sentence is “Çocuk bir elma yedi”

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

One cannot use any noun in the subject or in the object position in a
sentence as one wishes. For instance, when someone tries to build up sen-
tences like

“The apple ate the boy.”

“A cat chased a dream.”
“A letter wrote a car.”
“Happiness cleaned the house.”

the semantic component in the mind simultaneously interferes and elimi-

nates these unreasonable sentence chains. Furthermore, the ungram-
matical chains, such as “apple an boy the ate” are also eliminated because
the semantic component allows only grammatically well formed sentences
to be produced.

In English, the determiners "a”, “the”, “some" are words, and therefore, they
are not attached to noun stems. The only exception to this rule is the plural
morpheme [S], which is attached to noun stems such as “toys”, “umbrellas”
and “books”. This is completely different in Turkish. Some determiners are
used before noun stems as separate words, as they are used in English, but
some others are attached to stems: bir çocuk “a boy”, çocuk-lar “boys”,
öğretmen-ler “teachers”, öğretmen-i “the teacher”, öğretmenler-i “the
teachers”.

In this book, hyphens (-) are inserted between stems and suffixes (allo-
morphs); they do not separate syllables. Syllables are separated by
asterisks (*). For example, in “kalem-i”, the suffix [i] is separated from the
noun stem “kalem” by a hyphen, but when syllables are separated,
asterisks are used as they are used in (ka*le*mi). The syllables printed in
bold types show the primarily stressed syllables in speech.

In English grammars, the plural “s” suffix is not considered as a defining

suffix because it is not a word like “the” or “a”, but when its function is con-
sidered, we can say that it defines whether a noun is either singular or plural.
Furthermore, the existence or nonexistence of a plural morpheme attached
to a noun or embedded in plural pronouns, such as “we”, “you”,“they”
influence the verb form. So, we can write “the boy” as “D + N” and “the
boy-s” as “D + N + D”. This is necessary because a plural morpheme
effects the auxiliary verb forms, such as, “are”, “have”, and “write-writes”, etc.
The plural forms of such verbs have to be used when a plural suffix is
attached to nouns. There are some irregular plural noun forms in English:
“men”, “women”, “children”, “mice”, etc. These plural nouns can be
considered as plural concepts embedded in nouns.

The concept “D” has to be extended to cover optional elements as well;

such as the phrase “in the garden”, or the clauses, “who are in the garden”
or “who are playing in the garden”. So, the phrases like “the boys in the gar-

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

den” or “the boys who are playing in the garden”, which are transformed
sentences, can be formulated as: “D+N+D+D”:

the =D, boy= N, s= D, who are playing in the garden = D.

“the boys who are playing in the garden” (D+N+D+D) is a syntactic

component that can occupy the places of nouns or pronouns in a sentence.
Such constituents may be called “syntactic nouns” because they are
shaped by the transformational component in order to be used in Nominal
Phrases. The function of these units in sentences is nominal. How simple
sentences are transformed into adverb clauses or syntactic adverbs will be
explained in the adverb clauses section.

Adverbs, adverb phrases, and adverb clauses are the components of

Verbal Phrases when they modify verbs. These adverbial components may
be used in different parts of sentences.

In Turkish, all the above auxiliary verbs and suffıxes are morphemes
attached to verb stems following one another. While this suffixation is being
carried on, the morphemes are changed into their allomorphs as a result of
the vowel and consonant harmony rules of the Turkish language, which will
be described in detail in the following chapters.

Some fundamental adverbial concepts such as time, place, cause, reason,

wish, condition, contrast, manner or politeness, etc. are triggered by
mental stimuli to be expressed in an ongoing sentence production. While this
process is going on, simple sentences are transformed into dependent
adverb clauses (syntactic adverbs) containing the above semantic concepts.

THE TURKISH GRAMMAR

After the above short survey of the universal Transformational Generative

Grammar (with some interpretations of my own), we can begin with the
sound system of The Turkish language.

Turkish has 29 letters in its alphabet. Some of these letters / o, u, a, ı / and /

ö, ü, e, i / are vowels, and the others / b, c, ç, d, f, g, ğ, h, j, k, l, m, n, p, r,
s, Ģ, t, v, y, z / are consonants.

All the above letters represent phonemes, that is why they are shown
between “/ /” signs. Phonemics is not interested in detailed phonetic differ-
ences. Some of the vowels / ı, ö, ü / do not exist in English. They are pro-
nounced: /ı/ as in English “again”; /ö/ as in German “schön”; and /ü/ as in
German “hütte” respectively.

Among the consonants, there are the / ç, Ģ, ğ / phonemes, which are

pronounced as “ch” as in “church”, “sh” as in “fish”; and to produce the /ğ/

20
 TURKISH GRAMMAR

phoneme, which does not exist in English, first produce /g/ phoneme and
make it longer by letting your breath pass between your tongue and the hard
palate of your mouth while vibrating your vocal cords.

THE TURKISH VOWEL AND CONSONANT HARMONY

Turkish is said to be an agglutinative language, which means suffixes are

attached to stems one following the other in a row to arrange words. In order
to understand how these suffix chains are formed, one should understand
the vowel and consonant harmony rules of the Turkish language before one
begins to attach suffixes to stems and to the suffixes following them.

THE VOWEL HARMONY

To produce a vowel harmony sequence, a Turkish speaker follows two

certain harmony chains:

1. The hard vowel harmony chain. 2. The thin vowel harmony chain.

1. The hard vowel harmony chain is “o → u → a  ı”

2. The thin vowel harmony chain is “ö → ü → e  i”

In both chains, the first vowels /o/ and /ö/ never repeat themselves. The
other vowels can be repeated as many times as necessary. The arrow (→)
points to the vowel that will follow the previous one. The arrows (), pointing
to both directions, show that /i/ may follow /e/; or /e/ may follow /i/. In the
hard vowel harmony chain, /a/ and /ı/ do the same. Furthermore, besides
the arrows, the letters “r” are put under repeatable vowels to complete our
formulas:

1.The hard vowel harmony chain: “o → ur → ar  ır”

2. The thin vowel harmony chain: “ö → ür → er  ir

As one can see, the two formulas look exactly like one another. All the words
in the Turkish language follow either the first or the second harmony chain.
The words borrowed from other languages do not follow these chains; but
the suffixes attached to them follow the vowels of the last syllables of such
words. Consequently, one can build up meaningless words made up of only
vowels following the two vowel chains:

“o*u*u*a*ı*a*ı”, “o*a*ı*a”, “ü*ü*e*e*i”, “ö*e*i*e”

For instance:

21
 TURKISH GRAMMAR

“kom*Ģu*ya” (o*u*a); “kom*Ģu*lar*dan” (o*u*a*a);

“o*luĢ*tur*duk*la*rı*mız*dan” (o*u*u*u*a*ı*ı*a);
“o*ku*la” (o*u*a); “ten*ce*re*ye” (e*e*e*e)

One can make up Turkish meaningless vowel chains as many as possible

using the above vowel chains. I advise those who are interested in learning
Turkish to make up vowel chains like the chains above, and repeat them
loudly again and again. In doing so, they can memorize the Turkish vowel
harmony chains easily and soundly as they learn a piece of music. When
they repeat them, they may even feel and sound as if they were speaking
Turkish.

As it has been mentioned before, borrowed words do not follow the vowel
harmony chains, but the last syllables of these words are attached to suffixes
in accordance with the vowel harmony rules:

patates-ler-i (pa*ta*tes*le*ri) “the potatoes”; televizyon-u

(te*le*viz*yo*nu) “the television”; mandalina-/y/ı (man*da *li* -
na*/y/ı) “the tangerine”; sigara-/y/ı (si*ga*ra*/y/ı) “the cigarette”.

The /y/ phonemes used above are glides (phonemes) inserted between two
vowels to help them to pass the voice from one vowel to the following one
smoothly and harmoniously.

One more thing to add to the explanation above is that the words that are
formed of two separate words do not follow the above vowel harmony
chains:

kahverengi (kahve + rengi) “brown”; buzdolabı (buz + dolabı) “refrige-

rator”; bilgisayar (bilgi + sayar) “computer”; tavanarası (tavan + arası)
“attic”.

Besides the above vowel harmony rules, there are three more essential
vowel rules to consider:

1.The verb stems ending with vowels drop these vowels when they are at-
tached to the allomorphs of [ĠYOR]. These vowels are double underlined:

bekle-iyor → bekliyor; baĢla-ıyor → baĢlıyor; anla-ıyor → anlıyor;

gizle-iyor → gizliyor; oku-uyor → okuyor; atla-ıyor → atlıyor
ye-iyor → yiyor; gözle-iyor → gözlüyor; gizle-iyor → gizliyor

2. When the last syllables of the noun stems, the verb stems, and the
inflectional morphemes end with vowels, the first vowels of the morphemes
following them drop. For example, when the /i/ in the [im] allomorph drop,
only the /m/ phoneme is attached to “anne”: "anne-im” →"annem”. The
dropped vowels are double underlined:

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

anne-in  annen; tarla-ım tarlam; araba-ınız  arabanız; kafa-ın 

kafan; git-ti-in  gittin; bekle-di-ik  bekledik; gül-dü-ük  güldük;
yakala-dı-ım  yakaladım; git-me-im  gitmem; çalıĢ-ma-ım  çalıĢ-mam;
temiz-le-in-mek  temizlenmek; dinle-ir misin?  dinler misin?; ol-sa-ım 
olsam. (All the double underlined vowels drop.)

3. Sometimes the second rule above becomes inapplicable to avoid the

change of meaning in the suffixed word. For instance, when we attach the
allomorph [ız] to the word “oku-ma” without the /y/ glide, it becomes “oku-ma-
ız”. If we drop the /ı/ phoneme, the word becomes (o*ku*maz), which means
“He doesn’t read”. But if a /y/ glide is put between [ma] and [ız], the word
becomes “o*ku*ma*/y/ız”, which means “We don’t read”. Therefore, in the
following suffixation the first vowels of the personal suffixes do not drop, but
the /y/ glides are used instead:

oku-ma-/y/ız  okumayız; gel-me-/y/iz  gelmeyiz; baĢla-/y/ım→ baĢlayım

THE CONSONANT HARMONY

Consonants are grouped into two subdivisions:

voiced consonants: / b, c, d, g, ğ, j, y, l, m, n, r, v, z /
unvoiced consonants: / ç, f, k, p, s, Ģ, t /

The voiced consonants are the phonemes that are produced by vibrating
the vocal cords while the breath is passing through the throat. To under-
stand this voiced and unvoiced difference, first produce /v/ phoneme, which
vibrates the vocal cords in your throat, and then, without changing the po-
sition of your teeth and lips, produce the same sound without vibrating the
vocal cords to produce the unvoiced /f/. In doing this, you feel no vibration in
your throat. The consonants that vibrate the vocal cords are named voiced
consonants; the unvoiced consonants do not vibrate them. By the way,
one should keep in mind that all vowels and voiced consonants vibrate the
vocal cords. The vowels and the voiced consonants, which vibrate the
vocal cords, are called vocals. Only the unvoiced consonants do not
vibrate them. In Turkish, the voiced consonants are called "yumuĢak
sessizler" and the unvoiced consonants are called "sert sessizler".

Some "unvoiced consonants" turn into their "voiced counterparts" when

the suffixes starting with vowels are attached to noun stems:

/p/ changes into /b/: kitap (kitabı, kitaba), sebep (sebebi, sebebe), kebap
(kebabı, kebaba), çorap (çorabı, çoraba), dolap (dolabı, dolaba), Ģarap
(Ģarabı, Ģaraba), hesap (hesabı, hesaba).

/ç/ changes into /c/: ağaç (ağacı, ağaca), sayaç (sayacı, sayaca), amaç
(amacı, amaca), ayraç (ayracı, ayraca), demeç (demeci, demece), kazanç
(kazancı, kazanca), tümleç (tümleci, tümlece).

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

/k/ changes into /ğ/: sokak (sokağı, sokağa), tabak (tabağı, tabağa), kürek
(kü-reği, küreğe), bebek (bebeği, bebeğe), köpek (köpeği,köpeğe), ayak
(ayağı, ayağa), bardak (bardağı, bardağa), kabak (kabağı, kabağa), soluk
(soluğu, solu-ğa), yürek (yüreği, yüreğe).

/t/ changes into /d/: adet (adedi, adede), kanat (kanadı, kanada), söğüt
(söğüdü, söğüde), umut (umu:du, umu:da), yoğurt (yoğurdu, yoğurda),
armut (armudu, armuda).

The allomorphs of [ĠN][in, ın, ün, un] also undergo the same changes
when they are attached to noun stems:

kitap-ın (kitabın), sebep-in (sebebin), kebap-ın (kebabın), çorap-ın (çora-

bın), ağaç-ın (ağacın), amaç-ın (amacın), sokak-ın (sokağın), kürek-in
(küre-ğin), bebek-in (bebeğin), ayak-ın (ayağın), kanat-ın (kanadın),
yoğurt-un (yoğurdun).

However, some /t/ phonemes do not change:

Hayat (ha*ya:*tı), (ha*ya:*ta), (ha*ya:*tın); sanat (san*a*tı), (san*a*ta),

(san*a*tın); sıfat (sı*fa*tı), (sı*fa*ta), (sı*fa*tın); saat (sa*a*ti), (sa*a*te),
sa*a*tin); sepet (se*pe*ti), (se*pe*te), (se*pe*tin); gölet (gö*le*ti, gö*le*te,
gö*le*tin); demet (de*me*ti), (de*me*te), (de*me*tin).

The monosyllabic stems ending with unvoiced consonants do not change

when they get the [Ġ], [E], [DE], [DEN] and [personal] morphemes.

ek (eki, eke, ekte, ekten, ekin), sap (sapı, sapa, sapta, saptan, sapın), ip (ipi,
ipe, ipte, ipten, ipin), hap (hapı, hapa, hapta, haptan, hapın), tüp (tüpü, tüpe,
tüpte, tüpten, tüpün), top (topu, topa, topta, toptan, topun), saç (saçı, saça,
saçta, Ģaçtan, saçın), iç (içi, içe, içte, içten, için), göç (göçü, göçe, göçte,
göçten, göçün), maç (maçı, maça, maçta, maçtan, maçın), kök (kökü, köke,
kökte, kökten, kökün), ok (oku, oka, okta, oktan, okun ), yük ( yükü, yüke,
yükte, yükten, yükün), kürk (kürkü, kürke, kürkte, kürkün), Türk (Türk’ü,
Türk’e, Türk’te, Türk’ten, Türk’ün), at (atı, ata, atta, attan, atın), et (eti, ete,
ette, etten, etin), süt (sütü, süte, sütte, sütten, sütün), ot (otu, ota, otta,
ottan,otun), kart (kartı, karta, kartta, karttan, kartın).

However, the final phonemes of some monosyllabic nouns do change when

they are attached only to [i, ı, ü, u], [e, a] and [in, ın, ün, un] allomorphs;
they do not change when they are attached to the allomorphs of the
phonemes of [DE] and [DEN]:

but (budu, buda, budun, butta, buttan), dip (dibi, dibe, dibin, dipte, dipten),
çok (çoğu, çoğa, çoğun, çokta, çoktan), gök (göğü, göğe, göğün, gökte,
gökten), kap (kabı, kaba, kabın, kapta, kaptan), uç (ucu, uca, ucun, uçta,
uçtan), yurt (yurdu, yurda, yurdun, yurtta, yurttan), kurt (kurdu, kurda,
kurdun, kurtta, kurttan), tat (tadı, tada, tadın, tatta, tattan).

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

When [Ġ] or [E] vowel morphemes come after the nouns ending with vowels,
the /y/ linking phonemes (glides) are inserted between these two vowels to
maintain the harmonious connection:

testi (tes*ti*/y/i, tes*ti*/y/e); araba (araba/y/ı, araba/y/a); tarla (tarla/y/ı,

tarla/y/a); salata (salata/y/ı, salata/y/a); martı (martı/y/ı, martı/y/a); tava
(tava/y/ı, tava/y/a); teneke (teneke/y/I, teneke/y/e); makara (makara/y/ı,
makara/y/a); kundura (kundura/y/ı, kundura/y/a); kafa (kafa/y/ı, kafa/y/a);
su (su/y/u, su/y/a).

When the nouns ending with vowels are attached to the allomorphs of [ĠN],
which are used in “possessor + possessed” noun compounds, the /n/
glides are inserted between the two vowels:

araba (araba-/n/ın) (a*ra*ba*nın),

testi (testi-/n/in) (tes*ti*nin),
tarla (tarla-/n/ın) (tar*la*nın),
salata (salata-/n/ın) (sa*la*ta*nın),
tava (tava-/n/ın) (ta*va*nın),
tavan (tavan-ın) (ta*va*nın),
kafa (kafa-/n/ın) (ka*fa*nın),
makara (makara-/n/ın) (ma*ka*ra*nın),
martı (martı-/n/ın) (mar*tı*nın),
çekmece (çekmece-/n/in) (çek*me*ce*nin),
bilmece (bilmece-/n/in) (bil*me* ce*nin),
kaygı (kaygı-/n/ın) (kay*gı*nın)

When pronouns are used in the possessor position, only the “o” pronoun is
attached to “un” possessor suffix together with the /n/ glide as those of the
nouns:

ben-im, sen-in, o-/n/un, biz-im, siz-in, onlar-ın

Exception: su (su/y/un). Example: “araba-/n/ın hız-ı”, “su-/y/un hız-ı”.

MORPHEMES and ALLOMORPHS

In linguistics, morphemes are defined as the smallest meaningful language

units. For instance, the word “um*brel*la” has three syllables. None of
these three syllables are significant units by themselves; they have sense
only when they are used together. So, these three syllables form a single
shortest meaningful unit together, and consequently, umbrella is both a
morpheme and a word. Such words are called free morphemes.

However, although the suffixes are also the smallest meaningful units, they
do not convey any sense unless they are attached to stems. Such mor-
phemes are called bound morphemes.

25
 TURKISH GRAMMAR

All the words have stems like “open”, “clean”, “beauty”, “success”, “white”,
“book”, etc. To these stems some morphemes (suffixes or prefixes) are
attached. For instance, “open-ed”, “clean-ed”, “success-ful”, “beauti-ful”,
“soft-en”, “teach-er “, “ir-respons-ible”, “un-count-able”, “un-necessari-ly”,
“go-ing”, etc.

As one can see, there are two kinds of suffıxes and prefixes in the given
examples. Some of these morphemes change the meaning and the part of
speech they belong with when they are attached to different stems; some
others, only help to use these stems in different sections of sentences
without changing their stem meanings.

A morpheme that changes the meaning of a stem is called a derivational

morpheme (yapım eki); the other one, which does not change the meaning
of a stem, is called an inflectional morpheme (çekim eki). Both the
derivational and inflectional morphemes are bound morphemes.

Some morphemes (suffixes in Turkish) have different pronunciation variants

that bear the same meaning. For example, in English, when the plural [S]
morpheme is attached to the noun “book”, it is pronounced as /s/; in “boy-s”
as /z/, and in “box-es” as /iz/. As they are the different pronunciation variants
of the same morpheme [S], they are named as the allomorphs of the
morpheme [S].

There are a lot more morphemes and their allomorphs in Turkish than there
are in English. This is because bound morphemes undergo some vowel
and consonant changes according to the vowel and consonant rules of the
Turkish language when they are attached to stems and to one another, and
this process causes different allomorphs to arise.

DERIVATIONAL MORPHEMES and their ALLOMORPHS

Yapım Ekleri

Derivational morphemes (suffixes) are bound morphemes that change the

meaning and the part of speech of a stem used in a sentence:

MORPHEMES ATTACHED TO NOUN STEMS TO PRODUCE NOUNS

[CĠ] allomorphs: [ci, cı, cü, cu, çi, çı, çü, çu]

When the nouns ending with vocals (vowels and voiced consonants) are
attached to the allomorphs of [CĠ], they take [ci, cı, cü, cu] allomorphs; but
when they are attached to nouns ending with unvoiced consonants (sert
sessizler), they take [çi, çı, çü, çu] allomorphs:

peynir-ci (cheese seller), posta-cı (postman), üzüm-cü (grapes seller),

turĢu-cu (pickles seller), sepet-çi (basket maker), balık-çı (fisherman), süt-
çü (milkman), ok-çu (archer), aĢ-çı (cook), kale-ci (goal-keeper), kahve-ci

26
 TURKISH GRAMMAR

(coffee seller), saat-çi (watch repairer or seller), mobilya-cı (furniture seller),

kaçak-çı (smuggler), musluk-çu (plumber), yaban-cı (foreigner), çiçek-çi
(florist), yol-cu (traveler), sanat-çı (artist), göz-cü (watch, watchman), söz-
cü (spokesman), politika-cı (politician), milliyet-çi (nationalist), diĢ-çi
(dentist), kira-cı (tenant), Ģarkı-cı (singer), börek-çi (someone who sells
pies), boya-cı (painter), demir-ci (blacksmith).

[LĠK] allomorphs: [lik, lık, lük, luk]

meyve-lik (a bowl where fruit is kept), kitap-lık (bookcase), göz-lük (eye-

glasses), odun-luk (a place where firewood is kept), ağız-lık (cigarette
holder), kulak-lık (headphones), çaydan-lık (tea pot), mezar-lık (grave-
yard), Ģeker-lik (a bowl in which candies are kept), çokevli-lik (polygamy),
tuz-luk (saltshaker), çocuk-luk (childhood), maskara-lık (farce, foolery),
soytarı-lık (clowning), dost-luk (friendship), düĢman-lık (enmity).

[CĠ-LĠK] allomorphs: [cilik, cılık, cülük, culuk, çilik, çılık, çülük, çuluk]

av-cılık (hunting), meyve-cilik (selling fruit), ön-cülük (leadership), yol-culuk

(traveling), aĢ-çılık (cooking), fal-cılık (fortune telling), tefe-cilik (usury),
çiçek-çilik (selling flowers), çif-çilik (farming), hava-cılık (aviation), balık-çılık
(fishing).

[CĠK] allomorphs: [cik, cık,cük, cuk, çik, çık, çük, çuk] (diminutive)
ev-cik (small house), kapı-cık (small door), köprü-cük (small bridge), kutu-
cuk (small box), eĢek-çik (small donkey), ağaç-çık (small tree), kadın-cık
(little woman).

[CEĞIZ] allomorphs: [ceğiz, cağız, çeğiz, çağız] (innocence)

kedi-ceğiz (innocent cat), kız-cağız (innocent girl), hayvan-cağız (inno-

cent animal), köpek-çeğiz (innocent dog), kuĢ-çağız (innocent bird).

[CE] allomorphs: [ce, ca, çe, ça]

Ġngiliz-ce (English), Alman-ca (German), Türk-çe (Turkish), Rus-ça (Rus-

sian), Ġspanyol-ca (Spanish), Japon-ca (Japanese), Çin-ce (Chinese),
Arap-ça (Arabic), Fransız-ca (French), Ġtalyan-ca (Italian), Rum-ca (Greek)

MORPHEMES ATTACHED TO NOUN STEMS TO PRODUCE

ADJECTIVES

[LĠ] allomorphs: [li, lı, lü, lu]

ev-li (married), çocuk-lu (with children), Ģemsiye-li (with an umbrella), bah-

çe-li ev (house with a garden), Ģiyah ceket-li adam (the man in a black

27
 TURKISH GRAMMAR

coat), kır-mızı-lı kadın (the woman in red), görgü-lü (having good manners,
polite), çi-çek-li ağaç (a tree in blossom), yağmur-lu (rainy), kar-lı (snowy),
sis-li (foggy, misty), günes-li (sunny), bulut-lu (cloudy), tuz-lu (salty), at-lı
(man on horseback), istek-li (willing), becerik-li (skillful), çamur-lu (muddy),
hesap-lı (economical), saygı-lı (respectful), suç-lu (criminal), hata:-lı
(faulty), tat-lı (sweet), mayo-lu (in a bathing suit), süt-lü (with milk, milky),
paha-lı (expensive), taĢ kafa-lı (stone headed), Adana-lı (from Adana),
sürek-li (continuous), hiddet-li (outrageous), kıl-lı (hairy), bilinç-li
(intentional, conscious), zarar-lı (harmful), tehlike-li (dangerous), Ģüphe-li
(suspicious, suspect), yer-li (native), iki bacak-lı (two legged), kanat-lı
(winged), kaygı-lı (anxious), ümit-li (hopeful), gerek-li (necessary),
yetenek-li (talented), bağım-lı (addicted, dependent), silah-lı (armed), renk-
li (colored), kâr-lı (profitable), zehir-li (poisonous), denge-li (balanced),
neĢe-li (joyful), ku-sur-lu (faulty), gürültü-lü (noisy), değer-li (precious),
gerek-li (necessary), düĢünce-li (thoughtful), yürek-li (brave), ayrıntı-lı
(detailed), sorum-lu (responsible), mantık-lı (rational), güç-lü (strong),
örtü-lü (covered), his-li (sensitive), hırs-lı (ambitious), hız-lı (fast), tertip-li
(tidy), tuz-lu (salty), buz-lu (icy), çamur-lu (muddy), kir-li (dirty), pasak-lı
(untidy), korku-lu (frightening, scary), hak-lı (right, fair), kasıt-lı (intentional),
hesap-lı (economical), meme-li (mammal), tecrübe-li, deneyim-li
(experienced), falso-lu (erroneous), kasvet-li (gloomy, doleful), kuĢku-lu
(dubious, suspicious), onur-lu, gurur-lu (proud), dayanık-lı (durable).

[SĠZ] allomorphs: [siz, sız, süz, suz]

annes-siz (motherless), leke-siz (stainless), kaygı-sız (without anxiety),

korku-suz (fearless), istek-siz (unwilling), yağmur-suz (rainless), ağaç-sız
(treeless), defo-suz (flawless), uyku-suz (sleepless), bilinç-siz (uncon-
scious), karar-sız (hesitant), sorum-suz (irresponsible), dikkat-siz (care-
less), amaç-sız (aimless), kalp-siz (heartless), yürek-siz (timid), neĢe-siz
(neĢ*e*siz) (sad), ümit-siz, umut-suz (desperate, hopeless), taban-sız
(timid), saygı-sız (disrespectful), mantık-sız (irrational), temel-siz (unsound,
baseless), renk-siz (colorless), gerek-siz (unnecessary), bağım-sız (in-
dependent), perva:-sız (reckless), kafa-sız (stupid), sevgi-siz (loveless),
terbiye-siz (impolite, rude), görgü-süz (impolite), becerik-siz (incompe-
tent), imkân-sız (impossible), karar-sız (hesitant), değer-siz (worthless),
ses-siz (silent), Ģeker-siz (without sugar), gerek-siz (unnecessary), düĢün-
ce-siz (thoughtless), sorum-suz (irresponsible), mesnet-siz (baseless),
tasa-sız (carefree), ahlâk-sız (immoral), yüz-süz (impudent), huy-suz (per-
verse), akıl-sız (foolish), dayanak-sız (baseless), dayanık-sız (not durable),
duygu-suz (senseless), kusur-suz (faultless), ta:lih-siz (unfortunate), kıy-
met-siz (worthless).

[SEL] allomorphs: [sel, sal]

bilim-sel (scientific), evren-sel (universal), deney-sel (experimental, empir-

ical), yüzey-sel (superficial), duygu-sal (emotional, sensational), sanat-sal
(artistic), yapı-sal (structural), gelenek-sel (traditional), düĢün-sel (mental),

28
 TURKISH GRAMMAR

tarih-sel (historical), tarihî (historic), kavram-sal (conceptual), kimya-sal

(chemical), fizik-sel (physical), anıt-sal (monumental), yaĢam-sal (vital),
din-sel (religious), ulus-sal (u*lu*sal) (national), çevre-sel (environmental),
kalıt-sal (hereditary), onur-sal (honorary), bitki-sel (herbal), hayvan-sal
(zoological), tarım-sal (agricultural), us-sal (us*sal) (mental, rational), tanrı-
sal (divine, celestial), yörünge-sel (orbital), kurum-sal (institutional, corpo-
rate), kamu-sal (public), küre-sel (global, spherical), kır-sal (rural), örgüt-
sel (organizational), toplum-sal (social, common), belge-sel (documental),
kurgu-sal (fictional), ruh-sal (psychological), beden-sel (corporal).

MORPHEMES ATTACHED TO ADJECTIVE STEMS TO PRODUCE

NOUNS

[LĠK] allomorphs: [lik, lık, lük, luk]

iyi-lik (favor), sıcak-lık (temperature), özgür-lük (freedom), uzun-luk
(length), geniĢ-lik (width), güzel-lik (beauty), çirkin-lik (ugliness), dürüst-
lük (honesty), aptal-lık (stupidity), sessiz-lik (silence), evli-lik (marriage),
bayağı-lık (meanness), iyimser-lik (optimism), kötümser-lik (pessimism),
uĢak-lık (servitude), yalnız-lık (loneliness), misafirsever-lik (hospitality),
kahraman-lık (heroism), vatansever-lik (patriotism), kaba-lık (rudeness),
duygusal-lık (sensitivity), dost-luk (frienship), kepaze-lik (scandal), üret-
ken-lik (productivity), küresel-lik (globalism), aĢağılık kompleksi (infe-
riority complex), arsız-lık (impudence), geve-ze-lik (chattering), düĢünce-
siz-lik (inconsiderateness), mutsuz-luk (unhappiness), aç-lık (hunger,
starvation), güç-lük (difficulty), saydam-lık (transparency), utangaç-lık
(shyness), uzak-lık (distance), yakın-lık (closeness, sympathy), küstah-lık
(insolence), kurak-lık (drought), ürkek-lik (shyness), ser-sem-lik
(dizziness), hovarda-lık (debauchery), alıĢkan-lık (addiction).

MORPHEMES ATTACHED TO VERB STEMS TO PRODUCE NOUNS

[Ġ] allomorphs: [i, ı, ü, u]

diz-i (di*zi) (string, chain), yaz-ı (ya*zı) (script, text), ölç-ü (öl*çü) (measure-
ment, size), koĢ-u (ko*Ģu) (run), duy-u (du*yu) (sense), gez-i (ge*zi) (trip),
aç-ı (a*çı) (angle), yap-ı (ya*pı) (building), tak-ı (ta*kı) (jewelry, jewels),
dürt-ü (dür*tü) (stimulus), tart-ı (tar*tı) (scales), art-ı (ar*tı) (plus), baĢar-ı
(ba*Ģa*rı) (success), kork-u (kor*ku) (fear), sor-u (so*ru) (question), ört-ü
(ör*tü) (any cloth covering), çat-ı (ça*tı) (framework), yet-i (ye*ti) (mental
power, faculty), yat-ı (ya*tı) (overnight stay), öl-ü (ö*lü) (corpse), göm-ü
(gö*mü) (treasure), kok-u (ko-ku) (scent, smell, aroma, perfume), böl-ü
(bö*lü) (slash mark), diz-i (di*zi) (serial, string, sequence).

[ĠM] allomorphs: [im, ım, üm, um]

seç-im (se*çim) (election), al-ım (a*lım) (purchase), öl-üm (ö*lüm) (death),

yık-ım (yı*kım) (disaster, demolition), yut-um (yu*dum) (gulp), ek-im

29
 TURKISH GRAMMAR

(e*kim) (October), ak-ım (a*kım) (current), üret-im (ü*re*tim) (production),

yaĢa-ım (ya*Ģam) (life), geliĢ-im (ge*li*Ģim) (improvement), karıĢ-ım
(ka*rı*Ģım) (mixture), dönüĢ-üm (dö*nü*Ģüm) (transformation), çek-im
(çe*kim) (attraction), geril-im (ge*ri*lim) (tension), tasar-ım (ta*sa*rım)
(plan), kavra-ım (kav*ram) (concept), denkle-im (denk*lem) (equation),
ekle-im (ek*lem) (joint), tüket-im (tü*ke*tim) (consumption), yaklaĢ-ım
(yak*la*Ģım) (approach), benzeĢ-im (ben*ze*Ģim) (similarity, resemblance),
iletiĢ-im (i*le*ti*Ģim) (communication), biliĢ-im (bi*li*Ģim) (informatics), de-
/y/im (de*yim) (expression, idiom), say-ım (sa*yım) (census), giy-im
(gi*yim) (clothing), çöz-üm (çö*züm) (solution), kıy-ım (kı*yım) (massacre),
açıl-ım (a*çı*lım) (expansion), yatır-ım (ya*tı*rım) (investment), al-ım sat-
ım (a*lım sa*tım) (buying and selling, trade, commerce), giy-im (gi*yim)
(attire), salk-ım (sal*kım) (bunch), bir salkım üzüm (a bunch of grapes).

[ĠK] allomorphs: [ik, ık, ük, uk, ek, ak]

del-ik (de*lik) (hole), art-ık (ar*tık) (left over), öksür-ük (ök*sü*rük) (cough),
tükür-ük (tü*kü*rük) (spit, saliva), aksır-ık (ak*sı*rık) (sneeze), bulaĢ-ık
(bu*la*Ģık) (dirty dishes), kayna-ık (kay*nak) (source, spring, origin), belle-
ik (bel*lek) (memory), yat-ak (ya*tak) (bed), kaç-ak (ka*çak) (escaped),
kes-ek (ke*sek) (a lump of earth), uç-ak (u*çak) (airplane), dur-ak (du*rak)
(stop, bus stop), tara-ık (ta*rak) (comb), yama-ık (ya*mak) (apprentice),
saç-ak (sa*çak) (fringe), döĢe-ik (dö-Ģek) (mattress), kapa-ık (ka*-pak)
(lid), eĢ-ik (e*Ģik) (threshold), ölç-ek (öl*çek) (criterion, scale), dene-ik
(de*nek) (experimental subject, object or animal), tekerle-ik (te*ker*lek)
(wheel), dayan-ak (da*ya*nak) (support), kay-ak (ka*yak) (ski). The double
underlined vowels drop.

[GĠ] allomorphs: [gi, gı, gü, gu, ki, kı, kü, ku]

sev-gi (love, affection), çal-gı (music instrument), sür-gü (bolt), sor-gu

(interrogation), bas-kı (pressure), as-kı (hanger), ör-gü (knitting), gör-gü
(good manners), dol-gu (filling), ver-gi (tax), et-ki (impression), sar-gı (ban-
dage), ser-gi (exhibition), ez-gi (melody), sez-gi (intuition), say-gı (respect),
yanıl-gı (mistake), vur-gu (accent, stress), kur-gu (abstract thoughts, spe-
culation), yer-gi (satire), der-gi (periodical, magazine), yar-gı (judgment),
yaz-gı (fate, destiny), ol-gu (fact), duy-gu (sensation), iç-ki (alcoholic
beverage, drink), at-kı (scarf), et-ki (impression, stimulus), kat-kı (aid, help,
addi-tive), gör-gü (experience, good manners), kork-ku (fright) (The double
un-derlined "k" drops.), yet-ki (authority), coĢ-ku (excitement), tep-ki (res-
ponse, reaction), al-gı (perception), sal-gı (secretion), tut-ku (passion), kes-
ki (chisel), tut-ku (ambition, passion). All the last syllables of the above
Turkish words are stressed

[ĠCĠ] allomorphs: [ici, ıcı, ücü, ucu]

dinle-/y/ici (din*le*yi*ci) (listener), sat-ıcı (sa*tı*cı) (seller), yüz-ücü (yü*zü*-
cü) (swimmer), koĢ-ucu (ko*Ģu*cu) (runner), böl-ücü (bö*lü*cü) (separa-

30
 TURKISH GRAMMAR

tist), tara-/y/ıcı (ta*ra*yı*cı) (scanner), al-ıcı (a*lı*cı) (receiver), bak-ıcı

(ba*kı*cı) (companion), bebek bakıcısı (baby sitter), tut-ucu (tu*tu*cu)
(conservative).

[ECEK] allomorphs: [ecek, acak]

sil-ecek (si*le*cek) (wiper), gel-ecek (ge*le*cek) (future), aç-acak (a*-

ça*cak) (opener), çek-ecek (çe*ke*cek) (shoehorn), yak-acak (ya*ka*-
cak) (fuel).

[MEK] allomorphs: [mek, mak]

ye-mek (meal), çak-mak (lighter), ek-mek (bread), kay-mak (cream)

[ME] allomorphs: [me, ma]

dondur-ma (ice cream), dol-ma (green peppers, eggplants or marrows
stuffed with mince, rice, etc.), kavur-ma (fried pieces of meat), haĢla-ma
(boiled meat), dene-me (essay), döv-me (tattoo), as-ma (vine), kaz-ma
(pickax). The last syllables of the above words are stressed.

[ĠK] allomorphs: [ik, ık, ük, uk]

kes-ik (ke*sik) (cut), çık-ık (çı*kık) (dislocated joint), yar-ık (ya*rık) (slash),
çiz- ik (çi*zik) (scratch), çürü-ük (çü*rük) (decay), sar-ık (sa*rık) (turban),
kaz-ık (ka*zık) (stake, unreasonably expensive), yırt-ık (yır*tık) (tear), del-ik
(de*lik) (hole).

[CE] allomorphs: [ce, ca]

düĢün-ce (dü*Ģün*ce) (thought), eğlen-ce (eğ*len*ce) (entertainment),
bilme-ce (bil*me*ce) (riddle, word puzzle), düzme-ce (düz*me*ce) (lie,
fake), çekme-ce (çek*me*ce) (drawer), gülme-ce (gül*me*ce) (comedy).

MORPHEMES ATTACHED TO VERB STEMS TO PRODUCE

ADJECTIVES

[ĠCĠ] allomorphs: [ici, ıcı, ücü, ucu]

del-ici (de*li*ci) (piercing), kal-ıcı (ka*lı*cı) (lasting), sars-ıcı (sar*sı*cı)

(shocking), yarat-ıcı (ya*ra*tı*cı) (creative), bulaĢ-ıcı (bu*la*Ģı*cı) (con-
tagious), ĢaĢırt-ıcı (Ģa*Ģır*tı*cı) (confusing), yak-ıcı (ya*kı*cı) (burning),
öğüt-ücü (ö*ğü*tü*cü) (grinding), tazele-/y/ici (ta*ze*le*yi*ci) (refreshing),
it-ici (i*ti*ci) (repulsive), aldat-ıcı (al*da*tı*cı) (deceptive), üz-ücü (ü*zü*cü)
(saddening), doyur-ucu (do*yu*ru*cu) (satisfying), geç-ici (ge*çi*ci)
(temporary), ez-ici çoğunluk (overwhelming majority), sat-ıcı (sa*tı*cı)
(salesman), yık-ıcı (yı*kı*cı) (destructive, devastating), koru-/y/ucu
(ko*ru*yu*cu) (protective), kır-ıcı (kı*rı*cı) (offensive).

31
 TURKISH GRAMMAR

[ĠK] allomorphs: [ik, ık, ük, uk]

aç-ık (a*çık) (open), kır-ık (kı*rık) (broken), bat-ık (ba*tık) (sunken), göç-ük
(gö*çük) (collapsed), del-ik (de*lik) (pierced, hole), ez-ik (e*zik) (mashed),
eğ-ik (e*ğik) (bent), çürü-ük (çü*rük) (decayed), art-ık (ar*tık) (left over),
kaç-ık (ka*çık) (silly), çatla-ık (çat*lak) (cracked), kaç-ak (ka*çak) (es-
caped). çek-ik (çe*kik) (slanting), çık-ık (çı*kık) (dislocated joint).

Note:The double underlined vowels drop and the last syllables are stressed.

[KĠN] allomorphs: [gin, gın, gün, gun, kin, kın, kün, kun]
seç-kin (seç*kin) (exclusive, choice), kes-kin (sharp), ĢaĢ-kın (astonished),
iliĢ-kin (concerning, connected), sus-kun (silent), piĢ-kin (well done, impu-
dent), et-kin (functional), ger-gin (tight), az-gın (fierce), düz-gün (smooth),
ol-gun (ripe, mature), sol-gun (faded), yay-gın (common), bit-kin (discour-
aged, depressed, exhausted), yor-gun (tired), bas-kın (unexpected attack
(noun), dominant), küs-kün (offended), geç-kin (overripe), dur-gun (stag-
nant), dol-gun (plump), öz-gün (original). All the last allomorphs of the
above words are stressed.

[ER] allomorphs: [er, ar, ir, ır, ür, ur]

çal-ar saat (alarm clock), ak-ar su (running water), gül-er yüz (smiling
face), koĢ-ar adım (running pace), uyu-ur gez-er (sleep walker).

[EN] allomorphs: [en, an]

koĢ-an (ko*Ģan) (running), sol-an (so*lan) (fading), çalĢ-an (ça*lı*Ģan)

(working), yürü-/y/en (yü*rü*/y/en) (walking), konuĢ-an (ko*nu*Ģan)
(talking), dilimle-/y/en (di*lim*li*yen) (slicing), kes-en (ke*sen) (cutting),
öpüĢ-en (ö*pü*Ģen) (kissing), bekle-/y/en (bek*le*yen) (waiting), art-an
(ar*tan) (increasing), geliĢ-en (ge*li*Ģen) (developing), dön-en (dö*nen)
(turning, circling), gülümse-/y/en (gü*lüm*se*yen) (smiling), bağla-/y/an)
(bağ*la*yan) (tying, connecting), bitme-/y/en (bit*me*yen) (unending).

Note: The above morpheme and its allomorphs are also used in transform-
ing simple sentences into “determiner + noun” compounds. Therefore,
they are also inflectional suffixes.

[MĠġ] allomorphs: [miĢ, mıĢ, müĢ, muĢ]

sol-muĢ (faded), değiĢ-miĢ (changed), karıĢ-mıĢ (mixed), beyazlaĢ-mıĢ

(whitened), bağlan-mıĢ (tied, connected), ertelen-miĢ (postponed), kızartıl-
mıĢ (fried), tasarlan-mıĢ (planned), yıkan-mıĢ (washed), geliĢtiril-miĢ
(improved), düğüm-len-miĢ (knotted), aydınlan-mıĢ (enlightened), zorlan-
mıĢ (forced), boĢan-mıĢ (divorced), unutul-muĢ (forgotten), örül-müĢ
(knitted), kızar-mıĢ (fried, reddened), üretil-miĢ (produced), bayıl-mıĢ,

32
 TURKISH GRAMMAR

(fainted), unutulma-mıĢ (unforgotten), kayna-mıĢ (boiled), donmuĢ (fro-

zen).

Note: The allomorphs of the morpheme [MIġ] are stressed. This morpheme
is also used as an inflectional morpheme.

[SEL] allomorphs: [sel, sal]

gör-sel (visual), uy-sal (complaisant), düĢün-sel (mental), iĢit-sel (audial).

MORPHEMES ATTACHED TO NOUN STEMS TO PRODUCE VERBS

[LE] allomorphs: [le, la]

el-le (el*le) (touch), bağ-la (bağ*la) (tie), teker-le (te*ker*le) (roll), göz-le
(göz*le) (observe), kutu-la (ku*tu*la) (put in boxes), damga-la (damga-la)
(stamp), tuz-la (tuz*la) (salt), leke-le (le*ke*le) (stain), tekme-le (tek*me*le)
(kick), sür-gü-le (sür*gü*le) (bolt), baĢ-la (baĢ*la) (begin, start), düzen-le
(dü*-zen*le) (arrange), yağ-la (yağ*la) (lubricate, oil), taĢ-la (taĢ*la) (throw
stones), yel-le (yel*le) (fan), denge-le (den*ge*le) (balance), sergi-le
(ser*gi*le) (exhibit), bağıĢ-la (forgive), su-la (water), ka-Ģık-la (spoon into
greedily), kazık-la (cheat), yargı-la (judge), kalbur-la (sift), ilaç-la (apply
pesticide), ak-la (acquit), köstek-le (hamper). All the [le, la] allomorphs are
stressed.

MORPHEMES ATTACHED TO ADJECTIVE STEMS TO PRODUCE

VERBS

[ĠR] allomorphs: [ir, ır, er,ar]

deli-ir (de*lir) (get mad), sarı-ar (sa*rar) (turn yellow), kara-ır (ka*rar)
(blacken, darken, or get dark), mor-ar (mo*rar) (get, turn purple).
Note: The double underlined vowels drop.

[LEġ] allomorphs: [leĢ, laĢ]

güzel-leĢ (get beautiful), sık-laĢ (get oftener, get tighter), ağır-laĢ (get
heavier), sağır-laĢ (get deaf), derin-leĢ (deepen, get deeper), kaba-laĢ (get
ruder), yeĢil-leĢ, yeĢil-len (turn green), Some adjectives like “kırmızı” may
be either “kırmızılaĢ” or “kızar” (get, turn red), “kısa” becomes “kısal”
(get shorter), “uzun” becomes “uza” (get longer).

Examples: Günler kısalıyor. Days are getting shorter. Günler uzuyor. (*not
uzayor) Days are getting longer.

In Turkish, “make something + adjective” "Make it shorter." is expressed in

an adjective + morpheme mixture which is too long to analyze in detail.
Some examples may explain them easily:

33
 TURKISH GRAMMAR

Uzun  uzat (u*zat) “Onu uzat.” (Make it longer.); kısa  kısalt (kı*salt)
“Onu kısalt.” (Make it shorter.); büyük  büyüt (bü*yüt) “Onu büyüt.” (Make
it larger.); Küçük küçült (kü*çült) “Onu küçült.” (Make it smaller.); kara 
karart (ka*rart) “Onu karart.” (Make it darker.); derin  derinleĢtir
(de*rin*leĢ*tir) “Onu derinleĢtir.” (Make it deeper.)

“I made him work”, “I had him work”, “I had the work done” and “I got
him to do the work” types of sentences will be explained in the following
chapters.

USING ADJECTIVES AS ADVERBS

Nearly all adjectives in Turkish can be used as adverbs without changing

their forms, for example:

O iyi bir kızdır. (adjective) She is a good girl. (adjective)

O iyi yüzer. (adverb) She swims well. (adverb)

Bu yavaĢ bir arabadır. (adjective) This is a slow car.(adjective)

Bu araba yavaĢ gider. (adverb) This car goes slowly. (adverb)

O güzel bir kızdır. (adjective) She is a beautiful girl. (adjective)

O güzel Ģarkı söyler. (adverb) She sings beautifully. (adverb)

As it is seen in the examples above, no “ly” kind of suffix is attached to

Turkish adjectives when they are used adverbially. However, when it is
necessary to stress the adverb, it may be repeated:

O yavaĢ yavaĢ yürüyor. He is walking slowly.

Biz hızlı hızlı yürüdük. We walked quickly.
Onlar tenbel tembel oturuyorlar. They are sitting lazily.
Arsız arsız gülüyordu. He was grinning impudently.
Güzel güzel oynayın. Play like good children. Don’t be mischievous.
Onları sık sık ziyaret ettim. I visited them frequently.
Kara kara düĢünüyordu. He was thinking hopelessly.
Derin derin düĢündü. He thought deeply.
Avaz avaz bağırdı. She screamed.

Likewise, some words produced out of imitated sounds are repeated and
used in Turkish sentences as adverbs of manner, which do not exist in
English. Some of these expressions and their meanings are given in the fol-
lowing sentences:

ġakır Ģakır yağmur yağıyor.

(Ģa*kır / Ģa*kır / yağ*mur / ya*ğı*yor↷)
It is raining cats and dogs.

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

MıĢıl mıĢıl uyuyor.

(mı*şıl / mı*şıl / u*yu*yor↷)
She is sleeping soundly.

Bebek tıpıĢ tıpıĢ yürüyor.

(be*bek / tı*pış / tı*pış / yü*rü*yor↷)
The baby is toddling.

Kıkır kıkır gülüyor.

(kı*kır / kı*kır / gü*lü*yor↷)
She is giggling.

Kara kara düĢünüyor.

(ka*ra / ka*ra / dü*şü*nü*yor↷)
He is thinking gloomily,

Adamlar harıl harıl çalıĢıyorlardı.

(a*dam*lar / ha*rıl / ha*rıl /ça*lı*şı*yor*lar*dı↷)
The men were working like hell.

Boğaz Köprüsü’nün ıĢıkları geceleyin ıĢıl ıĢıl ıĢıldar.

(bo*ğaz / köp*rü*sü*nün / ı*şık*la*rı / ge*ce*le*yin / ı*şıl / ı*şıl / ı*şıl*dar ↷)
The lights of the Bosphorus Bridge glitter at night.

Beni Ģapır Ģupur öpmesinden hoĢlanmıyorum.

(be*ni / şa*pur / şu*pur / öp*me*sin*den / hoş*lan*mı*yo*rum ↷)
I don’t like her kissing me noisily.

Televizyon seyrederken boyuna çıtır çıtır patates cipsi yiyor.

(te*le*viz*yon / sey*re*der*ken / bo*yu*na / pa*ta*tes / cip*si / yi*yor↷)
He is always crunching potato chips while watching television.

Dün eve dönerken sırıl sıklam oldum.

(dün / e*ve / dö*ner*ken / sı*rıl / sık*lam / ol*dum↷)
I got wet through while I was coming back home yesterday.

Bu sabah kalktığımda lapa lapa kar yağıyordu.

(dün / sa*bah / kalk*tı*ğım*da / lâ*pa / lâ*pa / kar / ya*ğı*yor*du↷)
When I woke up this morning it was snowing in large flakes.

Hâlâ horul horul uyuyor.

(ha:*lâ: / ho*rul / ho*rul / u*yu*yor ↷)
He is still sleeping like a top..

KuĢlar cıvıl cıvıl ötüyordu.

(kuş*lar / cı*vıl / cı*vıl / ö*tü*yor*du↷)
The birds were twittering.

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

Hapır hupur yiyordu.

(ha*pır / hu*pur / yi*yor*du↷)
He was eating greedily.

Takır takır Türkçe konuĢuyor.

(tak*kır / ta*kır / türk*çe / ko*nu*şu*yor↷)
He speaks Turkish fluently.

Hırsız sinsi sinsi odama girdi.

(hır*sız / sin*si / sin*si / o*da*ma / gir*di↷)
The thief sneaked into my room.

MORPHEMES ATTACHED TO NOUN STEMS TO PRODUCE ADVERBS

“Ġle” postposition (English preposition) is generally shortened and attached

to nouns as [le, la] allomorphs to produce adverbs in Turkish. The
equivalents of these adverbs are represented by some prepositions used
before nouns or [ly] suffixes attached to adjectives in English. The examples
are as follows:

[LE] allomorphs: [le, la]

uçak-la (u*çak*la) (by airplane), otobüs-le (o*to*büs*le) (by bus), say-gı/y/-

la (say*gıy*la) (with respect), hiddet-le (hid*det*le) (in rage), sopa/y/-la
(so*pay*la) (with a stick), at-la (at*la) (on horseback), acele/y/-le (a*ce*-
ley*le) (in a hurry), dikkat-le (dik*kat*le) (carefully, with care), (sa*bır*la)
(patiently, with patience), inat-la (obstinately), korku/y/-la (fearfully), iĢtah-
la (greedily), hız-la (quickly), kaygı-/y/la (with anxiety, anxiously), gurur-la
(proudly), acı/y/-la (painfully, in pain), cesa:ret-le (bravely), neĢe/y/-le
(cheerfully), sen(in)-le (with you), ben(im)-le (with me), onun-la (with him /
her), biz(im)-le (with us), onlar-la (with them), Jack’-le (with Jack), kılıç-la
(with a sword), güçlük-le (with difficulty), kolaylık-la (easily), yanlıĢlık-la (by
mistake), mürekkep-le (in ink), kurĢun ka-lem-le (in pencil), bir kurĢun ka-
lem-le (with a pencil), genellik-le (generally), dürüstlük- le (honestly), ko-
laylık-la (easily, with ease), istek-le (willingly), hıĢım-la (furiously, angrily),
özen-le (carefully), özlem-le (longingly), tören-le (with ceremony).
The stresses are on the syllables preceding the [le, la] allomorphs.

INFLECTIONAL MORPHEMES
Çekim Ekleri
The inflectional morphemes can also be defined as functional morphemes
because they are used in weaving sentence structures as well as adding
several fundamental concepts to verb stems such as time, duration, nega-
tion, possibility, certainty, inference, obligation, ability, inability, inter-
rogation, nominalization, passivization, cooperation, etc.

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

Besides the verb stems, nouns, pronouns, noun compounds and infini-
tives can take “possessor + possessed” and [Ġ], [E], [DE], [DEN] mor-
phemes to furnish these words with the concepts of the “the” definite article,
and “to”, “in, at, on”, or “from” prepositions of the English language.

THE INFLECTIONAL MORPHEMES ATTACHED TO NOUNS

The Defining [Ġ] Morpheme and its Allomorphs [i, ı, ü, u]

This morpheme functions in Turkish like the definite article “the” in English,
but it is only used when the noun is in the object position in a sen-
tence:

Avcı tavĢan-ı gördü. The hunter saw the rabbit.

As it is seen in the above English sentence, both “hunter” and “rabbit” have
definite articles preceding them. Yet, in the Turkish sentence, only the word
“tavĢan” has a defining morpheme attached to it. This example shows us
that the defining [Ġ] morpheme can only be used when the definite nouns or
pronouns are in the object position. When a noun is in the subject position,
and it is defined, it does not need a defining morpheme [Ġ] attached to it.

When the monosyllabic nouns ending with consonants are attached to the
allomorphs of [Ġ], “[i, ı, ü, u]”, their last phonemes do not change:

ek-i (e*ki) (the suffix); yük-ü (yü*kü) (the load); at-ı (a*tı) (the horse); ip-i
(i*pi) (the rope); çek-i (çe-ki) (the check); iç-i (i*çi) (the inside); ot-u (o*tu)
(the grass); kök-ü (kö*kü) (the root); göç-ü (gö*çü) (the migration); süt-ü
(sü*tü) (the milk); aĢk-ı (aş*kı) (the love); ak-ı (a*kı) (the white); üst-ü
(üs*tü) (the upper side); ad-ı (a*dı) (the name); hap-ı (ha*pı) (the pill); it-i
(i*ti) (the dog); kürk-ü (kür*kü) (the fur); çay-ı (ça*yı) (the tea); sap-ı (sa*pı);
et-i (e*ti); saç-ı (sa*çı); ek-i (e*ki); yük-ü (yü*kü); aç-ı (a*çı); tok-u (to*ku);
Türk-ü (Tür*kü)

There are, however, some exceptions to the above rule: kap-ı (ka*bı) (the
cover); gök-ü (gö*ğü) (the sky); dert-i (der*di) (the trouble); denk-i (den*gi)
(the equal); renk-i (ren*gi) (the color); tat-ı (ta*dı) (the taste).

If the nouns that have more than one syllable end with /p/, /k/, /ç/ mor-
phemes, these unvoiced consonants change into their voiced forms /b/, /ğ/,
and /c/ when they take the [i, ı, ü, u] allomorphs. These allomorphs are also
used attached to the third person possessed nouns:

çorap-ı (ço*ra*bı) (the sock, his sock); Ģarap-ı (Ģa*ra*bı) (the wine, his
wine); dolap-ı (do*la*bı) (the cupboard, her cupboard); tarak-ı (ta*ra*ğı)
(the comb, her comb); eĢek-i (e*şe*ği) (the donkey, his donkey); ekmek-i
(ek*me*ği) (the bread, his bread); yüzük-ü (yü*zü*ğü) (the ring, her ring);
terlik-i (ter*li*ği) (the slipper, her slipper); tüfek-i (tü*fe*ği) (the gun, his

37
 TURKISH GRAMMAR

gun); köpek-i (kö*pe*ği) (the dog, her dog); bebek-i (be*be*ği) (the baby,
her baby); yemek-i (ye*me*ği) (the meal, his meal); kabak-ı (ka*ba*ğı) (the
marrow); gözlük-ü (göz*lü*ğü) (the eyeglasses); parmak-ı (par*ma*ğı) (the
finger); çiçek-i (çi*çe*ği) (the flower); böcek-i (bö*ce*ği) (the insect); ya-
sak-ı (ya*sa*ğı) (the prohibition); tarak-ı (ta*ra*ğı) (the comb); küllük-ü
(kül*lü*ğü) (the ashtray); bacak-ı (ba*ca*ğı) (the leg); bıçak-ı (bı*ça*ğı) (the
knife); bardak-ı (bar*da*ğı) (the glass); delik-i (de*li*ği) (the hole); çak-
mak-ı (çak*ma*ğı) (the lighter); ağaç-ı (a*ğa*cı) (the tree); büyüteç-i
(bü*yü*te*ci) (the magnifier); dönemeç-i (dö*ne*me*ci) (the corner).

The polysyllabic nouns that end with the /t/ phonemes do not change them
when they are suffixed with the allomorphs of the phoneme [Ġ]:

saat-i (sa*a*ti) (the watch or his watch); sepet-i (se*pe*ti) (the basket or his
basket); demet-i (de*me*ti) (the bunch or his bunch); kasket-i (kas*ke*ti)
(the cap or his cap); surat-ı (su*ra*tı) (the face or his face).

The polysyllabic nouns that end with consonants take the allomorphs of [Ġ]
following the vowel harmony rules:

Okul-u (o*ku*lu) (the school or his school), tavan-ı (ta*va*nı) (the ceiling or
its ceiling), orman-ı (or*ma*nı) (the forest or his forest), kalem-i (ka*le*mi),
defter-i (def*te*ri) (the notebook or his notebook), pantolon-u (pan*to*lo*-
nu) (the trousers or his trousers).

The polysyllabic nouns that end with vowels take the /y/ glides together with
the allomorphs of the morpheme [Ġ]:

araba-/y/ı (a*ra*ba*yı) (the car); pencere-/y/i (pen*ce*re*yi) (the window);

kahve-/y/i (kah*ve*yi) (the coffee); testi-/y/i (tes*ti*yi) (the jug); fare-/y/i
(fa:*re*yi) (the mouse); kedi/y/i (ke*di*yi) (the cat); torba-/y/ı (tor*ba*yı)
(the sack); elma/y/ı (el*ma*yı) (the apple); kasaba-/y/ı (ka*sa*ba*yı) (the
town); öykü-/y/ü (öy*kü*yü) (the story); salata-/y/ı (sa*la*ta*yı) (the salad);
martı-/y/ı (mar*tı*yı) (the seagull); süpürge-/y/i (sü*pür*ge*yi) (the broom);
su-/y/u (su*yu) (the water); sene-/y/i (se*ne*yi) (the year); halı-/y/ı (ha*-
lı*yı) (the carpet); kamera-/y/ı (ka*me*ra*yı) (the camera); havlu-/y/u
(hav*lu*yu) (the towel); duygu-/y/u (duy*gu*yu) (the feeling); duyu-/y/u
(du*yu*yu) (the sense); poğaça-/y/ı (po*ğa*ça*yı) (a kind of pastry).

Note: When the third person possessed allomorphs [i, ı, ü, u] are attached to
the nouns ending with consonants, they take one of these allomorphs. But
when they end with vowels, they take the same allomorphs together with the
glide /s/: “onun okul-u”, “onun masal-ı”, “onun kuĢ-u”, “onun yük-ü”; “onun
giysi-/s/i, “onun hala-/s/ı”, “onun kale-/s/i”, “onun köĢe-/s/i”, “onun çene-/s/i”.

When the pronouns are considered, however, Turkish and English objective
pronouns act differently from one another. In English, the pronouns “me“
“you”, “him”, “her”, “it”, “us”, ”them”; and proper nouns, “Jack”, “Mary" and

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

"Mehmet” are never used with defining or non-defining articles, but in Turk-
ish, contrary to English, both pronouns such as “ben-i”,“sen-i”,“o-/n/u”, “biz-i”,
“siz-i”, “onlar-ı”, and proper nouns such as “Jack’i”,“Ahmet’i”, “Mary’-/y/i” are
all used with the allomorphs of [Ġ] attached to them when they are used in
the object position. Common nouns, however, can be used with non-
defining articles, such as; “Ben dün bahçede bir tavĢan gördüm” “I saw a
rabbit in the garden yesterday.”

Turkish pronouns “ben”, “sen”, “o”, “biz”, “siz”, “onlar”; proper nouns, such
as “Jack”, “George”, “Ahmet”, “Mehmet”; and common nouns, “avcı”, “balık“,
“avcılar”, “balıklar”, “çocuk”, “çocuklar” are never used with defining [i, ı, ü, u]
allomorphs when they are in the subject position. However, in English,
common nouns such as “the hunter”, “the hunters”, “the boy”, “the boys”,
etc.” can all be used with definite articles when they are in the subject posi-
tion. The indefinite articles like "bir" (a, an) and "bazı" (some) are used as
they are used in English. For instance, “Bir avcı ormanda bir tavĢan gördü.”
“A hunter saw a rabbit in the forest.” Compare the following sentences:

O ben-i gördü. She saw me.

Ben onlar-ı gördüm. I saw them.
Biz Jack’-i gördük. We saw Jack.
Avcı tavĢan-ı gördü. The hunter saw the rabbit.
Çocuklar geldi. The children have arrived.

The indefinite articles, such as the ones in the following examples, “bir av-
cı”, “tüm avcılar”, “bazı avcılar” are the equivalents of “a hunter”, “all hunt-
ers”, and “some hunters” respectively. “Avcılar-dan bazı-lar-ı”, “bazı-mız”,
“bazı-lar-ı-mız”, “bazı-lar-ı-nız”, “bazı-lar-ı” are the equivalents of “some
of the hunters”, “some of us”, “some of you” and “some of them”.

As in all suffixes, one of the [i, ı, ü, u] allomorphs are attached to definite

nouns or pronouns following the vowel harmony rules when they are in the
object position:

ev-i (e*vi) (the house); et-i (e*ti) (the meat); arslan-ı (ars*la*nı) (the lion);
okul-u (o*ku*lu) (the school); telefon-u (te*le*fo*nu) (the telephone); tele-
vizyon-u (te*le*viz*yo*nu) (the television); ben-i (be*ni) (me); sen-i (se*ni)
(you); o-/n/u (o*nu) (him, her, it); biz-i (bi*zi) (us); siz-i (si*zi) (you); o/n/-
lar-ı (on*la*rı) (them), tüm avcılar-ı (tüm /av*cı*la*rı) (all the hunters),
bazılarımız (ba*zı*la*rı*mız) (some of us), bazılarımız-ı (ba*zı*la*rı*mı*zı)
(some of us), hepimiz (he*pi*miz) (all of us), hepimiz-i (he*pi*mi*zi) (all
of us), hepiniz (he*pi*niz) (all of you), hepiniz-i (he*pi*ni*zi) (all of you),
bazı-lar-ı (ba:*zı*la*rı) (some of them), bazıları-/n/ı (ba:*zı*la*rı*nı) (some
of them), kim-i (ki*mi) (who, whom). If noticed, some English expressions
are the same when they are in the subject or in the object position:

Some of us did not understand the lesson. Bazılarımız dersi anlamadı.

39
 TURKISH GRAMMAR

The teacher wanted to see some of us. Öğretmen bazılarımız-ı görmek istedi.
All of us were eager to go to the concert. Hepimiz konsere gitmeye istekliydik.
The teacher punished all of us. Öğretmen hepimiz-i cezalandırdı.

Consider and compare the Turkish sentences with the English ones:

Bazı öğrenciler dün okula gelmedi.

(ba: *zı / öğ*ren*ci*ler / dün / o*ku*la / gel*me*di↷)
Some students didn’t come to school yesterday.

Öğrencilerden bazıları dün okula gelmedi.

(öğ*ren*ci*ler*den / ba:*zı*la*rı / dün / o*ku*la / gel*me*di↷)
Some of the students didn’t come to school yesterday.

Öğretmen öğrencilerden bazıları-/n/ı görmek istedi.

(öğ*ret*men ~/ öğ*ren*ci*ler*den / ba:*zı*la*rı*nı / gör*mek / is*te*di↷)
The teacher wanted to see some of the students.

Öğretmen, bazılarımız-ı görmek istedi.

(öğ*ret*men~ / ba:*zı*la*rı*mı*zı / gör*mek / is*te*di↷)
The teacher wanted to see some of us.
.
Note: The (~) sign shows a sustained juncture (duraklama aralığı) in a
sentence. The syllables printed in bold type show the primarily stressed
syllables, and the syllables printed in italics show the secondarily stressed
ones. The primarily stressed syllables are far more important for the learn-
ers of Turkish. Therefore, they may ignore the secondarily stressed syllables
until they reach an advanced level.

If a noun stem or an infinitive ends with a vowel, the /y/ glide is inserted
between the vowel and the allomorphs of the morpheme [Ġ] to maintain the
harmonious link between the successive vowels:

araba-/y/ı, çanta-/y/ı, testi-/y/i, kaya-/y/ı, türkü-/y/ü, konuĢma-/y/ı, bek-

leme-/y/i, uçma-/y/ı, sözleĢme-/y/i, sevilme-/y/i, tartıĢma-/y/ı, ağlama-/y/ı

If a noun stem ends with /k/, it changes into its voiced counterpart /ğ/ when it
is attached to one of the allomorphs of the morpheme [Ġ]:

tüfek-i (tü*fe*ği) (the gun); köpek-i (kö*pe*ği) (the dog); bebek-i (be*be*ği)
(the baby); eĢek-i (e*şe*ği) (the donkey); yemek-i (ye*me*ği) (the meal);
ka-bak-ı (ka*ba*ğı) (the marrow); gözlük-ü (göz*lü*ğü) (the eyeglasses);
parmak-ı (par*ma*ğı) (the finger); çiçek-i (çi*çe*ği) (the flower); böcek-i
(bö*ce*ği) (the insect); yasak-ı (ya*sa*ğı) (the prohibition); tarak-ı (ta*ra*ğı)
(the comb); ek-mek-i (ek*me*ği) (the bread); küllük-ü (kül*lü*ğü) (the ash-
tray); bacak-ı (ba*ca*ğı) (the leg); bıçak-ı (bı*ça*ğı) (the knife); bardak-ı
(bar*da*ğı) (the glass); delik-i (de*li*ği) (the hole); çak-mak-ı (çak*ma*ğı)

40
 TURKISH GRAMMAR

(the lighter); yüzük-ü (yü*zü*ğü) (the ring); kaĢık-ı (ka*şı*ğı) (the spoon);
çocuk-u (ço*cu*ğu) (the child)

The noun stems ending with /p, t, ç/ phonemes also change into their voiced
counterparts /b, d, c/ respectively:

kebap-ı (ke*ba*bı) (the kebap); kasap-ı (ka*sa*bı) (the butcher); ağaç-ı (a*
ğa*cı) (the tree); öğüt-ü (ö*ğü*dü) (the advice); çorap-ı (ço*ra*bı) (the
sock); sebep-i (se*be*bi) (the reason)

However, most nouns ending with /t/ phonemes do not change:

saat-i (sa*a*ti) (the watch); sanat-ı (san*a*tı) (the art); hayat-ı (ha*ya:*tı)
(the life); demet-i (de*me*ti) (the bunch); kabahat-i (ka*ba*ha*ti) (the fault);
sepet-i (se*pe*ti) (the basket)

Although some borrowed words do not follow the Turkish harmony rules,
the allomorphs of morphemes are attached to their last syllables in accor-
dance with the usual harmony rules:

kanun-u (ka:*nu:*nu); ruhum-u (ru:*hu*mu); usul-ü (u*su:*lü); vicdan-ı

(vic*da:*nı); ahbap-ı (ah*ba:*bı); kitap-ı (ki*ta*bı); kaza-/y/ı (ka*za:*yı)

[E], [DE], [DEN] MORPHEMES

The [E], [DE], [DEN] morphemes are attached to noun stems, pronouns,
infinitives and noun compounds. The English equivalents of these mor-
phemes are different prepositions, but sometimes no prepositions are used
as those in the following examples. When these morphemes are attached to
nouns, pronouns, infinitives, noun compounds and nominalized sentences,
they function as adverbs. These adverbs are the “answers” to the following
questions, which are some of the fundamental language concepts of the uni-
versal grammar.

Nere-/y/e? (where?), Nere/y/e gitti? (Where did he go?), Okul-a. (To

school.) Nere-de? (Where?), O nere-de? (Where is he?) Okul-da. (In
school.) Nere-den? (From where?), O nere-den geliyor? Okul-dan. (From
where is he coming? (From school.)

As it is seen in the examples above, the [E], [DE], and [DEN] morphemes
follow nouns contrary to English prepositions, therefore, they can be called
postpositional allomorphs as all the suffixes of the Turkish language.

Okul-a gitti. “noun - [a]” (noun-morpheme)

Adverb

He went to school. “to + noun” (preposition + noun)

adverb

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

[E] allomorphs: [e, a]

The English equivalents of this morpheme are generally "to" or "at", but they
may differ according to different verbs of the English language. When Turk-
ish nouns ending with vowels are attached to [e, a] allomorphs, they take
/y/ glides, but when compounds ending with vowels are suffixed with them,
they take /n/ glides to maintain the harmony of the vowel link.

However, there is an important fact to keep in mind. While some English

verbs are transitive, which take direct objects; the equivalents of the same
verbs in Turkish are intransitive, which may take adverbs. Such verbs are
explained in parentheses:

Jack okul-a gitti.

(jack / o*ku*la / git*ti↷)
Jack went to school.

Ahmet ev-e geldi.

(ah*met / e*ve / gel*di↷)
Ahmet came home. (No preposition is used in English.)

Onu biz-e ver.

(o*nu / bi*ze / ver↷)
Give it to us.

Onu bana ver.

(o*nu / ba*na / ver↷)
Give it to me.
(As an exception, instead of *(ben-e), "bana" is used.)

Onu bura-/y/a getir.

(o*nu / bu*ra*ya / ge*tir↷)
Bring it here. (No preposition is used in English.)

Onu bahçe-/y/e götür.

(o*nu / bah*çe*ye / gö*tür↷)
Take it to the garden.

Onu ora-/y/a götür.

(o*nu / o*ra*ya / gö*tür↷)
Take it there. (No preposition is used in English.)

Onu bana getir.

(o*nu / ba*na / ge*tir↷)
Bring it to me.

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

Onlar okul-a koĢtular.

(on*lar / o*ku*la / koş*tu*lar↷)
They ran to school.

Ahmet vazoyu masa-/y/a koydu.

(ah*met / va*zo*yu / ma*sa*ya / koy*du↷)
Ahmet put the vase on the table.

O-/n/u masa-/n/ın üstü-/n/e koy.

(o*nu~ / ma*sa*nın / üs*tü*ne / koy↷)
Put it on the table.

Jack'le George otobüs durağı-/n/a koĢtular. (A noun compound is used.)

(jack*le / george~/ o*to*büs / du*ra*ğı*na / koş*tu*lar↷)
Jack and George ran to the bus stop.

Öğretmen bana baktı.

(öğ*ret*men / ba*na / bak*tı↷)
The teacher looked at me.

Jack topu bana attı.

(jack~ / to*pu / ba*na / at*tı↷)
Jack threw the ball to me.

Jack kedi-/y/e bir taĢ attı.

(jack / ke*di*ye / bir / taş / at*tı↷)
Jack threw a stone at the cat.

Jack, Mary’/n/in kedi-/s/i/-/n/e bir taĢ attı.

(jack~ / mary*nin / ke*di*si*ne / bir / taş / at*tı↷)
Jack threw a stone at Mary’s cat.

Öğretmen biz-e kızdı.

(öğ*ret*men / bi*ze / kız*dı↷)
The teacher got angry with us.

O bana âĢık. (“bana” is used instead of *”ben-e”

(o / ba*na / a:*şık↷)
She is in love with me.

Biz Allah'a inanırız.

(biz / al*la:*ha / i*na*nı*rız↷)
We believe in God.

Sana güveniyorum.
(sa*na / gü*ve*ni*yo*rum↷) I trust you.
("sana" is used instead of *"sen-e".)

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

O bana akıl verdi. (“Ver” is an intransitive verb in Turkish.)

(o / ba*na / a*kıl / ver*di↷)
He advised me. (“Advise” is transitive, so it does not need a preposition.)

O bana cevap vermedi.

( o / ba*na / ce*vap / ver*me*di↷)
He didn't answer me. He didn’t reply to me.

Biz Ģehir-e yaklaĢtık. (“YaklaĢ” is intransitive in Turkish)

(biz / şeh*re / yak*laş*tık↷)
We approached the city. (“Approach” is transitive, so it does not need a pre-
position.)

DüĢman biz-e saldırdı. (“Saldır” is an intransitive verb.)

(düĢ*man / bi*ze / sal*dır*dı↷)
The enemy attacked us. (“Attack” is transitive, so no preposition is needed.)

Onlar dağ-a tırmandılar. (“Tırman” is intransitive in Turkish.)

(on*lar / da*ğa / tır*man*dı*lar↷)
They climbed the mountain. (“Climb” is transitive in English.)

Bir avukat-a danıĢ. (“DanıĢ” is intransitive in Turkish.)

(bir / a*vu*ka*ta / da*nış↷)
Consult a lawyer. (“Consult” is transitive in English.)

ĠĢi tamamlama-/y/a karar verdiler.

(i*şi / ta*mam*la*ma*ya / ka*rar / ver*di*ler↷)
They decided to complete the work.

Deniz-e daldı.
(de*ni*ze / dal*dı↷)
He dived into the sea.

Onu bana açıkla.

(o*nu / ba*na / a*çık*la↷)
Explain it to me.

Onu bana tasvir et.

(o*nu / ba*na / tas*vi:*ret↷)
Describe it to me.

Ben oğlum-a yüzme öğrettim. (“Öğret” is intransitive in Turkish.)

(ben / oğ*lu*ma / yüz*me / öğ*ret*tim↷)
I taught my son to swim. (“Teach” is transitive in English.)

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

O ben-i tekmeledi.
(be*ni / tek*me*le*di↷)
He kicked me.

Köpek küçük kız-a saldırdı.

(kö*pek / kü*çük / kı*za / sal*dır*dı↷)
The dog rushed at the little girl.

Köpek, küçük kız-ın bacağı-/n/-ı ısırdı.

(kö*pek~ / kü*çük / kı*zın / ba*ca*ğı*nı / ı*sır*dı↷)
The dog bit the little girl’s leg.

Avcı kaplan-a ateĢ etti.

(av*cı / kap*la*na / a*teş / et*ti↷)
The hunter shot at the tiger.

Avcı kaplan-ı vurdu.

(av*cı / kap*la*nı / vur*du↷)
The hunter shot the tiger.

Annem bana bağırdı (beni azarladı).

(an*nem / ba*na / ba*ğır*dı↷)
Mother shouted at me.

Babam bana "Dikkatli ol!" diye bağırdı.

(ba*bam / ba*na / dik*kat*li / ol↷ / di*ye / ba*ğır*dı↷)
"Be careful!" father shouted to me.

Trafik Polisi sürücüler-e durmaları için iĢaret etti. (Turkish intransitive)

(tra*fik / po*li*si / sü*rü*cü*le*re / dur*ma*la*rı / i*çin / i*şa:*ret / et*ti↷)
The traffic police officer signaled the drivers to stop. (English transitive)

Çocuklar koĢma-/y/a baĢladı.

(ço*cuk*lar / koş*ma*ya / baş*la*dı↷)
The children started running (to run).

O biz-e dün telefon etti. (Turkish intransitive)

(o / bi*ze / dün / te*le*fon / et*ti↷)
He telephoned us yesterday. (English transitive)

Jack bana kızdı.

(jack / ba*na / kız*dı↷)
Jack got angry with me.

O bana güldü (Benimle alay etti.)

(o / ba*na / gül*dü↷)
She laughed at me.

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

Sana katılıyorum.
(sa*na / ka*tı*lı*yo*rum↷)
I agree with you.

Onlar dokuzda ev-e vardılar.

(on*lar / sa*at / do*kuz*da / e*ve / var*dı*lar↷)
They arrived home at nine. (No preposition)

Onlar, zamanında uçak alanı-/n/a vardılar.

(on*lar ~/ za*ma:*nın*da / u*çak / a*la*nı*na / var*dı*lar↷)
They arrived at the airport in time.

Erken kalkma-/y/a alıĢkınım.

(er*ken / kalk*ma*ya / a*lış*kı*nım↷)
I am accustomed to getting up early

Çocukları-/n/a düĢkündür.
(ço*cuk*la*rı*na / düş*kün*dür↷)
She is fond of her children. (“çocuklar-ı” is the second part of a noun com-
pound: “kendi çocuklar-ı”)

Onlar-a yardım etme-/y/e karar verdik.

(on*la*ra / yar*dım / et*me*ye / ka*rar / ver*dik↷)
We decided to help them.

Sigara içmem-e itiraz eder misin?

(si*ga*ra / iç*me*me / i:*ti*ra:z / e*der / mi*sin↷)
Do you object to my smoking?

Paranı gereksiz Ģeyler-e harcama.

(pa*ra*nı / ge*rek*siz / şey*le*re / har*ca*ma↷)
Don't spend your money on unnecessary things.

Cumhuriyetçiler-e oy verdi.
(cum*hu:*ri*yet*çi*le*re / oy / ver*di↷)
He voted for the Republicans.

Kazayı yaya-/n/ın üst-ü-/n/e attı.

(ka*za:*yı~ / ya*ya*nın / üs*tü*ne / at*tı↷)
He blamed the accident on the pedestrian.

Bu masa bana ait.

(bu / ma*sa / ba*na / a:*it↷)
This table belongs to me.

Bir öğrenci ödevi-/n/e odaklanmalıdır.

(bir / öğ*ren*ci / ö*de*vi*ne / o*dak*lan*ma*lı*dır↷)
A student should concentrate on his homework.

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

Tüm parasını araba-/s/ı-/n/a harcar.

(tüm / pa*ra*sı*nı ~/ a*ra*ba*sı*na / har*car↷)
He spends all his money on his car. (In this sentence, “arabası” is the
second part of a compound: “kendi arabası”.

Tüm sürücüler trafikte yoğun karbon diyoksit gaz-ı-/n/a ma:ruz kalırlar.

All drivers are exposed to dense carbon monoxide smoke in heavy traffic.

The noun compounds in the above sentences are all written in italics. When
the nouns, pronouns and infinitives above are attached to [e, a] allomorphs,
they form adverbs that generally show or imply the direction of a verb.

[DE] allomorphs: [de, da, te, ta]

The English equivalents of these allomorphs are "in", "at" or "on". However,
different prepositions may be used in English in place of the [DE] morpheme
of the Turkish language. This morpheme implies the place of a noun or an
infinitive. Read the example sentences:

Jack okul-da.
(jack / o*kul*da↷)
Jack is at (in) school.

KardeĢim ev-de.
(kar*de*şim / ev*de↷)
My brother is at home.

Mary masa-da oturuyor.

(mary / ma*sa*da / o*tu*ru*yor↷)
Mary is sitting at the table

Mr. Brown hastane-de.

(mis*tr / brown / has*ta:*ne*de↷)
Mr. Brown is in hospital. (He is there to be cured.)

Mrs. Brown kocasını görmek için hastaneye gitti.

(mi*sis / brawn / ko*ca*sı*nı / gör*mek / i*çin / has*ta:*ne*ye / git*ti↷)
Mrs. Brown went to the hospital to see her husband.

Postacı kapı-da.
(pos*ta*cı / ka*pı*da↷)
The mail carrier is at the door.

Onun baĢı dert-te.

(o*nun / ba*şı / dert*te↷)
He is in trouble.

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

Jack bura-da (burda).

(jack / bur*da↷)
Jack is here. (No preposition.)

Onlar ora-da (orda) değiller.

(on*lar / or*da / de*ğil*ler↷)
They are not there. (No preposition.)

Ben on yıldır Ġstanbul-da oturuyorum.

(ben / on / yıl*dır / is*tan*bul*da / o*tu*ru*yo*rum↷)
I have been living in Ġstanbul for ten years.

Kitaplar masa-da.
(ki*tap*lar / ma*sa*da↷)
The books are on the table.

Kalemler kutu-da.
(ka*lem*ler / ku*tu*da↷)
The pencils are in the box.

Papağan kafes-te.
(pa*pa*ğan / ka*fes*te↷)
The parrot is in the cage.

O hapis-te.
(o / ha*pis*te↷)
He is in jail.

Fiyat-ta uzlaĢtık (anlaĢtık).

(fi*yat*ta / uz*laş*tık↷)
We agreed on the price.

Kızlar, yabancı dil öğrenmek-te erkek çocuklardan daha yeteneklidirler.

(kız*lar~ / ya*ban*cı / dil / öğ*ren*mek*te ~/ er*kek / ço*cuk*lar*dan / da*ha /
ye*te*nek*li*dir*ler↷) (infinitive-[DE])
Girls are more talented than boys at learning foreign languages,

Hızlı sürmek-te ısrar etti.

(hız*lı / sür*mek*te / ıs*ra:r / et*ti↷) (infinitive-[DE])
He insisted on driving fast.

Ev-den (saat) sekiz-de ayrıldım.

(ev*den / se*kiz*de / ay*rıl*dım↷)
I left home at eight o’clock.

Okul-un kapı-/s/ı-/n/-da buluĢalım.

(o*ku*lun / ka*pı*sın*da / bu*lu*şa*lım↷) (noun compound-[DE])
Let’s meet at the door of the school.

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

[DEN] allomorphs: [den, dan, ten, tan]

These allomorphs generally show the starting point of a noun or an infinitive.

They are expressed in various prepositions in English. The compounds
ending with vowels take /n/ glides when they are attached to the allomorphs
of the morpheme [DEN]:

Jack okul-dan ev-e geldi.

(jack / o*kul*dan / e*ve / gel*di↷)
Jack came home from school.

Dün kütüphane-den birkaç kitap aldım.

(dün / kü*tü*pa:*ne*den / bir*kaç / ki*tap / al*dım↷)
I borrowed several books from the library yesterday.

Okul kütüphane-/s/i-/n/den birkaç kitap aldım.

(o*kul / kü*tü*pa:*ne*sin*den ~/ bir*kaç / ki*tap / al*dım↷)
I borrowed several books from the school library. (noun compound-[DEN])

Geç kaldığım için ondan özür diledim.

(geç / kal*dı*ğım /i*çin ~/ on*dan / ö*zür / di*le*dim↷)
I apologized to her for being late.

Çoğu kadınlar fare-den korkar.

(ço*ğu / ka*dın*lar / fa:*re*den / kor*kar↷)
Most women are afraid of mice.

Oğlum-un tembelliğ-i/n/-den rahatsızım.

(oğ*lu*mun / tem*bel*li*ğin*den / ra*hat*sı*zım↷)
I am annoyed at my son's laziness. (noun compound-[DEN)

Bizim şirketin sorunlar-ı/n/-dan haberin yok mu?

(bi*zim / Ģir*ke*tin / so*run*la*rın*dan / ha*be*rin / yok / mu↷)
Aren't you aware of the problems of our company?

Bir öğretmen, öğrencilerinin sorular-ı/n/-dan bıkmamalıdır.

(bir / öğ*ret*men / öğ*ren*ci*le*ri*nin / so*ru*la*rın*dan / bık*ma*ma*lı*dır↷)
A teacher shouldn't be tired of his students' questions. (noun comp-[DEN])

Onlar sabah-tan akĢam-a kadar çalıĢtılar.

(on*lar / sa*bah*tan / ak*şa*ma / ka*dar / ça*lış*tı*lar↷)
They worked from morning until night.

Su, hidrojenle oksijen-den oluĢmuĢtur.

(su~ / hid*ro*jen*le / ok*si*jen*den / o*luş*muş*tur↷)
Water is composed of oxygen and hydrogen.

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

Bu heykel mermer-den yapılmıĢtır.

(bu / hey*kel / mer*mer*den / ya*pıl*mış*tır↷)
This statue is made of marble.
Yoğurt süt-ten yapılır.
(yo*ğurt / süt*ten / ya*pı*lır↷)
Yogurt is made from milk.
Hapishane-den iki mahkûm kaçtı.
(ha*pi*sa:*ne*den / i*ki / mah*kûm / kaç*tı↷)
Two prisoners escaped from prison.
YanlıĢlık yapmak-tan kaçınman gerek.
(yan*lış*lık / yap*mak*tan / ka*çın*man / ge*rek↷)
You should avoid making mistakes. (infinitive-[DEN])
Kendin-den utanmalısın.
(ken*din*den / u*tan*ma*lı*sın↷)
You must be ashamed of yourself.

O ben-den özür diledi.

(o / ben*den / ö*zür / di*le*di↷)
He apologized to me.

Onlar-dan yardım istemek zorundayız.

(on*lar*dan / yar*dım / is*te*mek / zo*run*da*yız↷)
We have to ask them for help.

Ekonomi-den anlamam. (Turkish is intransitive.)

(e*ko*no*mi*den / an*la*mam↷)
I don’t understand economics. (English is transitive.)

Yalan söylemek-ten utanmıyor musun?

(ya*lan / söy*le*mek*ten / u*tan*mı*yor / mu*sun↷)
Aren’t you ashamed of lying? (infinitive-[DEN])

Gramer kitapları okumak-tan bıktım.

(gra*mer / ki*tap*la*rı / o*ku*mak*tan / bık*tım↷)
I’m tired of reading grammar books. (infinitive-[DEN])

“POSSESSOR + POSSESSED” NOUN COMPOUNDS

Ġsim Tamlamaları

These compounds play a considerable role in transforming Turkish simple

sentences to be used in Phrase Structures. Therefore, they have to be con-
sidered before going on with further explanations. Although these com-
pounds are called noun compounds, they naturally cover pronouns and infi-
nitives, as well. A noun compound is composed of two parts: the “posses-
sor” part and the “possessed” part. When a pronoun is used in the pos-

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

sessor part of a compound, its possessor suffixes change according to the

vowel and consonant harmony rules of the Turkish language as follows:

DEFINITE NOUN COMPOUNDS

Belirtili Ġsim Tamlamaları

Personal Suffixes Attached to the Possessor Parts of the Compounds:

ben-im (be*nim) (my), sen-in (se*nin) (your), o-/n/un (o*nun) (his, her, its),
biz-im (bi*zim) (our), siz-in (si*zin) (your), onlar-ın (on*la*rın) (their), okul-
un (o*ku*lun), sandalye-/n/in (san*dal*ye*nin)

As it is seen in these examples, the possessor morphemes following the

personal pronouns are “im”, “in”, “un”, “im”, “in”, “ın”. When these pronouns,
common nouns or proper nouns end with consonants, they take these suf-
fixes, but when they end with vowels, they need the /n/ glides to be attach-
ed to the same possessor morphemes to produce (possessive adjectives).
The following words are all possessive adjectives:

ben-im, sen-in, o-/n/un, biz-im, siz-in, onlar-ın, okul-un, araba-/n/ın, ev-in,

tencere-/n/in, kalem-in, silgi-/n/in, Ahmet’in, Mustafa’-/n/ın, yıl-ın, sene-
/n/in, öküz-ün, dana-/n/ın, karpuz-un, elma-/n/ın, çatal-ın, çorba-/n/ın.

All pronouns, common nouns, proper nouns, and infinitives can be used
in the possessor parts of noun compounds:

ben-im okul-um; okul-un kapı-/s/ı; Ali-/n/in çanta-/s/ı; çalıĢma-/n/ın sonucu

pronoun common N proper N infinitive

All common nouns, infinitives and transformed nominalized senten-ces

can be used in the possessed part of a noun compound, such as:

ben-im okul-um Ahmet’-in gelme-/s/i AyĢe-/n/in gülüĢ-ü Ben-im git-tik-im

common N infinitive infinitive infinitive

The transformed nominalized sentences are used as subjects and objects,

but the last “noun + infinitive” compound (ben-im git-tik-im) can be used
both as subjects, objects and as determiners in sentences:

Onun çalıĢ-tık-ı-/n/ı biliyorum. onun çalıĢ-tık-ı Ģirket

nominalized sent (obj) nominalized sent (det) noun

I know that he works. the company where he works

nominalized sent (obj) D noun nominalized sent (det)

(The /k/ phonemes in the Turkish sentences above change into the voiced
/ğ/: “çalıĢtığı”.)

Personal Suffixes Attached to the “possessed” Parts of the Compounds:

51
 TURKISH GRAMMAR

(ben): [im, ım, üm, um]: (benim sepet-im), (ben-im baba-ım)

When the nouns end with consonants, they are attached to the allo-morphs
above, but when they end with vowels, the first vowels of these allomorphs
drop, which are showed by double underlines:

(ben): ben-im sepet-im→ ben-im sepetim; ben-im okul-um→ ben-im oku-

lum; ben-im araba-ım → ben-im arabam; ben-im baba-ım →ben-im babam;
ben-im pencere-im → ben-im pencerem; ben-im masa-ım→benim masam;
ben-im turĢu-um→ben-im turĢum; ben-im çene-im→ben-im çenem.

(sen): [in, ın, ün, un]: senin defter-in (def*te*rin), sen-in mesele-in
(me*se*len), sen-in kutu-un (ku*tun), senin tarla-ın (tar*lan), senin ev-in
(e*vin), sen-in göz-ler-in (se*nin / göz*le*rin).

When the third person possessed nouns end with vowels, the /s/ glides are
inserted between the successive vowels to maintain a harmonious connec-
tion, but as an exception, the /y/ glide is inserted when the noun “su” is used:
(deniz-in su-/y/u ) (su*yu):

(o, a proper noun or a common noun): [i, ı, ü, u]: onun kalem-i (ka*le*mi);
onun araba-/s/ı (a*ra*ba*sı); (onun saç-ı) (sa*çı); Jack’in okul-u (o*ku*lu);
(evin kedi-/s/i) (ke*di*si); Ahmet’in papağan-ı (pa*pa*ğa*nı); köyün deli-/s/i
(de*li*si); bahçenin kapı-/s/ı (ka*pı*sı); okulun Ģarkı-/s/ı (Ģar*kı*sı); cümle-
/n/in son-u (cüm*le*nin / so*nu); satıcı-/n/ın ölüm-ü (sa*tı*cı*nın / ö*lü*mü).

(biz): [imiz, ımız, ümüz, umuz]: biz-im okul-umuz (o*ku*lu*muz); biz-im

tencere-imiz (ten*ce*re*miz); biz-im baba-ımız (ba*ba*mız); biz-im köy-
ümüz (bi*zim / kö*yü*müz). The double underlined vowels drop.

(siz): [iniz, ınız, ünüz, unuz]: (sizin davul-unuz) (da*vu*lu*nuz); (sizin ara-
ba-ınız) (a*ra*ba*nız); (sizin kız-ınız) (kı*zı*nız); (sizin kafa-ınız) (ka*fa*nız),
(siz-in bahçe-iniz) (siz-in / bah*çe*niz) The double underlined vowels drop.

(onlar): [i, ı, ü, u] or ([ler-i, lar-ı]): (onun okul-u), (onların okul-u), (onların

çiçek-ler-i); (onlar-ın anne-/s/i); (onların tarla-/s/ı); (onların ev-i); (onların
kedi-/s/i); (onların söz-ü); (onların kapı-/s/ı).

(ben-im) defter-im (be*nim / def*te*rim) (my notebook),

(ben-im) baĢ-ım (ba*şım) (my head)
(ben-im) göz-üm (gö*züm) (my eye)
(ben-im) sakal-ım (sa*ka*lım) (my beard)
(ben-im) sorun-um (so*ru*num) (my problem)
(ben-im) kuĢ-um (ku*şum) (my bird)
Jack’in okul-u (jack*in / o*ku*lu) (Jack’s school)

Since a personal morpheme in the possessed part of a compound is

enough to help someone understand the pronoun in the possessor part of

52
 TURKISH GRAMMAR

a compound, the parts in the brackets above may be ignored unless they are
thought to be necessary. One can say (ki*ta”bım) in place of (be*nim /
ki*ta*bım). If only the possessed part of the compound is used, the stress is
on “bım”. If both parts are used the stress goes onto “nim”.

If a possessed noun in a compound ends with a vowel, the first vowels of

all the personal morphemes drop:

ben-im araba-ım (be*ni*ma*ra*bam); (a*ra*bam) (my car)

ben-im mesele-im (be*nim / me*se*lem); (me*se*lem) (my problem)
ben-im tarla-ım (be*nim / tar*lam); (tar*lam) (my field)
ben-im kafa-ım (be*nim / ka*fam); (ka*fam) (my head)
ben-im sandalye-im (be*nim / san*dal*yem); (san*dal*yem) (my chair)
ben-im pipo-um (be*nim / pi*pom); (pi*pom) (my pipe)
ben-im karı-ım (be*nim / ka*rım); (ka*rım) (my wife)
ben-im deri-im (be*nim / de*rim); (de*rim) (my skin)
ben-im su-/y/um (be*nim / su*/y/um); (su*yum) (my water)
ben-im anne-im (be*ni*man*nem); (an*nem) (my mother)

All the double underlined vowels above drop.

If the possessed noun of a compound ends with unvoiced /p/, /k/, /ç/ or /t/
consonants, they change into their counterpart voiced phonemes /b/, /ğ/, /c/
or /d/ respectively:

bebek-im (be*be*ğim) (my baby) (The /k/ changes into /ğ/)

köpek-im (kö*pe*ğim) (my dog) (The /k/ changes into /ğ/)
çorap-ım (ço*ra*bım) (my sock) (The /p/ changes into /b/)
araç-ım (a*ra*cım) (my vehicle) (The /ç/ changes into /c/)
dert-im (der*dim) (my trouble) (The /t/ changes into /d/)

All the monosyllabic stems and most words ending with /t/ do not change
their last consonants when they are suffixed:

at-ım (a*tım) (my horse); süt-üm (sü*tüm) (my milk); kürk-üm (kür*küm)
(my fur); ip-im (i*pim) (my rope); saç-ım (sa*çım) (my hair); hap-ım
(ha*pım) (my pill); sepet-im (se*pe*tim) (my basket); saat-im (sa*a*tim)
(my watch); de-met-im (de*me*tim) (my bunch); kürk-ün (kür*kün) (your
fur); at-lar-ımız (at*la*rı*mız) (our horses).

When “senin” is used in the possessor position, the possessed nouns

are suffixed with [in, ın, ün, un] personal allomorphs:

defter-in (def*te*rin) (your notebook)

baĢ-ın (ba*şın) (your head)
göz-ün (gö*zün) (your eye)
tuz-un (tu*zun) (your salt)

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

baba-ın (ba*ban) (your father)

sandalye-in (san*dal*yen) (your chair)
(The double underlined vowels drop.)

If possessed nouns end with vowels or /p, t, k, ç/ phonemes, they undergo

the same changes as they do in the examples above:

köpek-in (kö*pe*ğin), çorap-ın (ço*ra*bın), gömlek-in (göm*le*ğin), bıçak-

ın (bı*ça*ğın); but “süt-ün (sü*tün)”, “sepet-in (se*pe*tin)”

The third person possessed nouns are suffixed with [i, ı, ü, u] allo-morphs:

ev-i (e*vi), okul-u (o*ku*lu), kalem-i (ka*le*mi), ceket-i (ce*ke*ti), düğün-ü

(dü*ğü*nü), göz-ü (gö*zü), baĢ-ı (ba*şı), kaĢ-ı (ka*şı).

When a third person possessed noun ends with a vowel, it takes an /s/
glide when it is attached to a personal suffix:

araba-/s/ı (a*ra*ba*sı) (his car); bahçe-/s/i (bah*çe*/s/i) (his garden); tarla-

/s/ı (tar*la*sı) (his farm); halı-/s/ı (ha*lı*sı) (his carpet); leke-/s/i (le*ke*si)
(its stain); öfke-/s/i (öf*ke*si) (his rage); kapı-/s/ı (ka*pı*sı) (his door); ga-
ga-/s/ı (ga*ga*sı) (its beak); anne-/s/i (an*ne*si); baba-/s/ı (ba*ba*sı); çeĢ-
me-/s/i (çeĢ*me*si) (its tap); yama-/s/ı (ya*ma*sı) (its patch)

If the possessive adjectives are used together with the possessed parts of
the compounds, the possessive adjectives become dominant and the stress
goes onto the possessive adjectives:

Onun arabası (o*nun / a*ra*ba*sı); onun bahçesi (o*nun / bah*çe*si)

The /p, t, k, ç / unvoiced phonemes change into their voiced counterparts /b,
d, ğ, c / respectively as in the examples below:

onun corap-ı (o*nun / ço*ra*bı) (his sock); onun dolap-ı (o*nun / do*la*bı)
(his cupboard); o-nun amaç-ı (o*nun / a*ma*cı) (his goal); onun sokak-ı
(o*nun / so*ka*ğı) (his street); onun ka-pak-ı, (o*nun / ka* pa*ğı) (its lid);
onun bacak-ı (o*nun / ba*ca*ğı) (his leg); onun ipi (o*nun / i*pi); onun süt-
ü; onun su-/y/u

A noun in a possessor position is used just like a third person possessor

pronoun. When a noun in the possessor position ends with a vowel, it needs
an /n/ glide to be attached to [in, ın, ün, un] allomorphs. As the third person
singular pronoun is “o”, which has only one vowel, it also needs the same
/n/ glide to be attached to [un] allomorph. Consider the following:

o-/n/un kapı-/s/ı (its door); oda-/n/ın kapı-/s/ı (the door of the room); o-
/n/un yakıt-ı (its fuel); araba-/n/ın yakıt-ı (the fuel of the car); okul-un
otobüs-ü (the bus of the school ); bahçe-/n/in kapı-/s/ı (the gate of the

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

garden); çifçi-/n/in tarla-/s/ı (the farm of the farmer); oda-/n/ın halı-/s/ı

(the carpet of the room); Jack’in karı-/s/ı (Jack’s wife); sokak-ın köpek-i
(so*ka*ğın / kö*pe*ği) (the dog of the street); Ģarabın rengi (the color of
the wine); bebeğin odası (The baby’s room); gömleğin kolları (the
sleeves of the shirt); çiçeğin güzelliği (the beauty of the flower); armudun
tadı (the taste of the pear); ceketin rengi (the color of the coat ); saatin pili
(the battery of the watch).

When the compounds ending with vowels are suffixed with the allomorphs
of the [Ġ], [E], [DE] and [DEN] morphemes, they take /n/ glides:

Jack, Mary’-/n/in köpek-i-/n/i ısırdı.

(jack ~/ mary*nin / kö*pe*ği*ni / ı*sır*dı↷)
Jack bit Mary’s dog.

Jack, Mary’/n/in köpek-i-/n/e bir taĢ attı.

(jack~ / mary*nin / kö*pe*ği*ne / bir / taş / at*tı↷)
Jack threw a stone at Mary’s dog.

Köpek, Mary’/n/in bahçesi/n/-de.

(kö*pek~ / mary*nin / bah*çe*sin*de↷)
The dog is in Mary’s garden.

Ben, Mary’/n/in okulu/n/-dan geliyorum.

(ben / mary*nin / o*ku*lun*dan / ge*li*yo*rum↷)
I’m coming from Mary’s school.

The plural allomorphs [ler, lar] are attached to noun stems first, and then
the other allomorphs follow:

çocuk-lar-ım, okul-lar-ımız, çiçek-ler-i, araba-lar-ınız, komĢu-lar-ımız

(neighbors), saat- ler-im, sepet-ler-iniz

The personal allomorphs below are attached to the plural allomorphs above:

(ben-im) kitap-lar-ım (ki*tap*la*rım) (my books); (sen-in) çiçek-ler-in (çi*-

çek*le*rin) (your flowers); (biz-im) oyuncak-lar-ımız (o*yun*cak*la*rı*mız)
(our toys).

As the possessor pronouns in the compounds are generally omitted, only

the possessed parts of the compounds are used. When the possessor
parts are used together with the possessed parts of a compound, the pos-
sessor parts are stressed. However, when only the possessed parts are
used, the stress goes onto the possessed part:

"ben-im kitaplar-ım" (be*nim / ki*tap*la*rım); → "kitaplar-ım (ki*tap*la*rım)

kitap-lar-ım (ki*tap*la*rım) (my books); kedi-ler-imiz (ke*di*le*ri*miz) (our

cats); köpek-ler-i (kö*pek*le*ri) (his dogs); sepet-ler-imiz (se*pet*le*ri*miz)

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

(our baskets); dost-lar-ım (dost*la*rım) (my friends); soru-lar-ım (so*ru*-

la*rım) (my questions); sorun-lar-ımız (so*run*la*rı*mız) (our problems);
kafa-ım (ka*fam) (my head); pencere-im (pen*ce*rem) (my window); kafa-
ın (ka*fan) (your head); pencere-in (pen*ce*ren) (your window); kafa-/s/ı
(ka*fa*sı) (his head); okul-u (o*ku*lu) (his school); elbise-/s/i (el*bi*se*-si)
(her dress); ara-ba-ınız (a*ra*ba*nız) (your car); kapı-ınız (ka*pı*nız) (your
door); yüz-ünüz (yü*zü*nüz) (your face).

Contrary to the English intonation, in a Turkish adjective + noun com-

pound, the stressed syllable is on the adjective, not on the noun:
In Turkish, sarı gül (sa*rı / gül); in English, "yellow rose" (ye*low / rose)
.
When the first, the second and the third person plural possessor pro-
nouns are used in the possessor part of a noun compound such as “bi-
zim”, ”sizin” and “onların”, both the singular and plural possessed nouns
can be used in the possessed part of a noun compound:

bizim arabamız, or bizim arabalarımız; sizin kediniz or sizin kedileriniz;

onlar- ın odası or onların odaları; bizim evimiz or bizim evlerimiz

INDEFINITE NOUN COMPOUNDS

Belirtisiz Ġsim Tamlamaları

The “possessor + possessed” compounds described above are all de-

finite. When “odanın kapısı” is said, it means “the door of the room”. How-
ever, when we say “kapı zili” instead of “kapının zili”, we mean “door bell”,
where “door” is indefinite. The indefinite Turkish noun compounds are struc-
turally different from the English indefinite noun compounds. For instance, in
Turkish compounds, the allomorphs of [Ġ] are attached to the second parts of
the compounds, such as “okul çanta-/s/ı”, but in English, only two nouns are
used as “school bag”. When the possessed parts end with consonants,
they take the allomorphs of [Ġ], but when they end with vowels they take /s/
glides together with the allomorphs of [Ġ]:

Here are some examples of the indefinite noun compounds:

Okul çanta-/s/ı (o*kul / çan*ta*sı) (school bag); sınav sorular-ı (sı*nav/

so*ru*la*rı) (examination questions); öğrenci kavga-/s/ı (öğ*ren*ci / kav*-
ga*sı) (student fight); otomobil yarıĢ-ı (o*to*mo*bil / ya*rı*şı) (car race);
insan haklar-ı (in*san / hak*la*rı) (human rights); elma reçel-i (el*ma /
re*çe*li) (apple jam); araba kaza-/s/ı (a*ra*ba / ka*za:*sı) (car accident);
kalem kutu-/s/u (ka*lem / ku*tu*su) (pencil box); kıĢ bahçe-/s/i (kış /
bah*çe*si) (winter garden); iĢsiz-lik sorun-u (iĢ*siz*lik / so*ru*nu) (unem-
ployment problem); yaz eğlence-/s/i (yaz / eğ*len*ce*si) (summer enter-
tainment); güneĢ gözlük-ler-i (gü*neş / göz*lük*le*ri) (sunglasses); patates
salata-/s/ı (pa*ta*tes / sa*la*ta*sı) (potato salad); hava kirliliğ-i (ha*va /

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

kir*li*li*ği) (air pollution); at yarıĢ-ı (at / ya*rı*şı) (horse race); baĢ ağrı-/s/ı
(ba*şağ*rı*sı) (headache); it dala-Ģı (it / da*la*şı) (dog fight); mürekkep
leke-/s/i (mü*rek*kep / le*ke*si) (ink stain); Eyfel Kule-/s/i (ey*fel / ku*le*si)
(The Eiffel Tower).The stresses are on the last syllables of the possessor
parts.

NOUN COMPOUNDS WITHOUT SUFFIXES

Takısız Tamlama

There are some other noun compounds made of two noun stems:

tahta kutu (tah*ta / ku*tu) (wooden box); altın bilezik (al*tın /bi*le*zik)
(golden bracelet); porselen fincan (por*se*len / fin*can) (china cup); de-
mir kapı (de*mir / ka*pı) (iron door); taĢ bina (taş / bi*na:) (stone build-
ing); plastik oyuncak (plas*tik / o*yun*cak) (plastic toy); bakır tel (ba*kır /
tel) (copper wire); mermer heykel (mer*mer / hey*kel) (marble statue); kız
arkaĢ (kı*zar*ka*daş) (girl friend); erkek arkadaĢ (er*ke*kar*ka*daş) (boy
friend); gümüĢ para (gü*müş / pa*ra) (silver coin); tahta köprü (tah*ta /
köp*rü) (wooden bridge); Beyaz Saray (be*yaz / sa*ray) (The White House)

The pronouns used in the possessor position of the noun compounds are
also used in place of “mine”, “yours”, “his”, “hers”, “ours”, ” theirs”
and “Jack’s” as in the following:

Bu kitap benim. This book is mine.

ġu ayakkabılar onun. Those shoes are hers.
Bu araba Jack’in. This car is Jack’s.
ġu gömlek senin. That shirt is yours.
ġu Ģeyler onların. Those things are theirs.
Bu yanlıĢlar bizim. These mistakes are ours.

This similarity could be seen in the following two sentences:

Bu benim kitabım. This is my book. Bu kitap benim. This book is mine.

Bu senin araban. This is your car. Bu araba senin. This car is yours.

Sometimes the [KĠ] morpheme, which does not follow the vowel harmony
rules and consequently has no allomorphs, is attached to “benim”, “senin”,
“o-nun”, “Jack’in” possessor pronouns. This morpheme generally means “this
one among others”:

Bu çanta benim-ki.
(bu / çan*ta / be*nim*ki↷)
This bag is mine among others.

ġu koltuk sizin-ki.
(şu / kol*tuk / si*zin*ki↷)
This seat is yours among others.

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

Bu masa Jack’in-ki. This table is Jack’s among others.

Bu araba Oğuz’un-ki. This car is Oğuz’s among others.

The first parts of the noun compounds are syntactically determiners. For
instance, in the expressions, “the car”, “this car”, “all cars”, “my car”; “the”
“this”, “all” and “my” have determining functions. Therefore, one cannot put
“a“, “an”,“the”, or “some” before these words, such as *“the this car”, *“the all
cars”, *“a my car”.

The possessor parts of the definite noun compounds are words like “the” and
“some”; therefore, in English, people say “ the gate of the garden”, but in
Turkish, people say “bahçe-/n/in kapı-/s/ı”, where “bahçe-/n/in” is a determin-
er, so we can formulate “bahce-/n/in kapı-/s/ı” as “D + N”.

“NOUN + INFINITIVE” COMPOUNDS

Ġsim + Mastar Tamlamaları

The infinitives, as they are nouns, are also used in the “possessor + pos-
sessed” compounds:

ben-im gitme-im (my going); o-(n)un bakıĢ-ı (her looking); siz-in git-
tik-iniz (git*ti*ği*niz) (that you went); biz-im buluĢ-ma-ımız (our meeting);
biz-im çalıĢ-ma-ımız-ın sonuç-u (bi*zim / ça*lış*ma*mı*zın / so*nu*cu) (the
result of our working); iĢsizlik-in art-ma-sı (iş*siz*li*ğin / art*ma*sı) (the in-
crease of the unemployment); okul-a geç kal-ma-/n/ın sonucu (o*ku*la /
geç / kal*ma*nın / so*nu*cu) (the result of coming to school late). In these
compounds, the double underlined vowels drop as usual.

The parallelism between the above compounds and those of the following
are obvious:

ben-im tencere-im, onun baĢ-ı, siz-in bilet-iniz, ben-im ev-im

As it is seen, the infinitives are nouns that are produced from verb stems and
verb frames by adding [me, ma], [iĢ, ıĢ, üĢ, uĢ], [dik, dık, dük, duk, tik, tık,
tük, tuk] and [mek, mak] allomorphs. These infinitives, except the [mek, mak]
infinitives, are used in noun compounds in sentences as Nominal Phrases
such as:

ben-im gül-me-im, sen-in gül-üĢ-ün, o-/n/un ağla-dık-ı, biz-im bekle-me-

miz, Ahmet’in çalıĢ-ma-ma/s/ı, onlar-ın gel-me-me-/s/i, çocuk-un bul-
un-ma-/s/ı, biz-im bul-uĢ-ma-mız, araba-/n/ın çal-ın-ma-/s/ı

It is possible in Turkish to lengthen the above noun compounds into chain

noun compounds as far as the word that ends the chain because all natural
languages are infinitely productive within the framework of the “NP + VP”
innate sentence pattern:

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

kasksız motorsiklet sürme-/n/in tehlike-/s/i-/n/in anla-Ģıl-ma-/s/ı

chain possessors possessed final word
NP
Gençler-in spor yap-ma-/s/-/n/ın önem-i-/n/ın anla-sıl-ma-/s/ı gerek-ir.
chain possessors possessed final word VP
NP

In Turkish, there is a saying that is used for describing a distant relative,

which can summarize the productivity of the chain noun compounds:

Dıdımın dıdısının dıdısının dıdısının dıdısı. A distant relative of mine.

chain possessors possessed final

(dı*dı*mın / dı*dı*sı*nın / dı*dı*sı*nın / dı*dı*sı*nın / dı*dı*sı↷)

PREPOSITIONS (ENG) and POSTPOSITIONS (TURK) (Edatlar)

The English prepositions “on”, “in”, “under”, “near”, “behind”, “in front
of” are all nouns in Turkish: üst (on), alt (under), yakın (near), iç (in), arka
(behind, back), ön (in front of) …

As all the above words can be attached to the allomorphs of the mor-
phemes [Ġ], [E], [DE] and [DEN], they are nouns, Besides these morphemes,
the allomorphs of [Ġ], which are also the allomorphs of the possessed mor-
pheme [Ġ], can be attached to the above nouns to form the possessed parts
of noun compounds:

masa-/n/ın üst-ü (ma*sa*nı*nüs*tü)

(the upper side, or the surface of the table)
kutu-/n/un iç-i (ku*tu*nu*ni*çi) (the inside of the box)
karyola-/n/ın alt-ı (kar*yo*la*nı*nal*tı) (the underside of the bed)
sandalye-/n/in arka-/s/ı (san*dal*ye*ni*nar*ka*sı) (the back of the chair)

The two parts of the compounds above can also be separately said:

(ma*sa*nın / üs*tü), (ku*tu*nun / i*çi), (kar*yo*la*nın / al*tı), (san*dal*ye* nin

/ ar*ka*sı).

When the above compounds are used as objects, they take the allo-
morphs of the defining [Ġ] suffix linked by the glides /n/:

Masa-/n/ın üst-ü-/n/ü temizledim.

(ma*sa*nın / üs*tü*nü / te*miz*le*dim↷)
I cleaned the surface of the table.

In the above sentence, the first /ü/ is the possessed allomorph, the second
/ü/ is the defining morpheme, and the /n/ phonemes are the glides linking the
successive /a/, /ı/ and /ü/, /ü/ vowels. In such compounds, either of the stres-
sable syllables of the possessor or the possessed parts of a compound can

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

be stressed. The dominant (primary) word syllables are symbolized in bold

type, and the secondarily stressed syllables are showed in italics. See how
the meanings of the sentences change when the primarily stressed words
change in the following sentences:

(ma*sa*nın / üs*tü*nü / te*miz*le*dim↷)

I have cleaned the upper side of the table, not the upper side of any other
furniture.
(ma*sa*nın / üs*tü*nü / te*miz*le*dim↷)
I have cleaned the upper side of the table, not the underside, or the legs of
it.
(ma*sa*nın / üs*tü*nü / te*miz*le*dim↷)
I have cleaned the upper side of the table, so I have done my duty.

PRIMARY STRESS, SECONDARY STRESS and INTONATION

The syllables printed in bold type in the above sentences are primarily
stressed syllables. The secondarily stressed syllables of the words are
slightly heard in speech, which are printed in italics. The final syllables of all
positive and negative sentences have junctures that have slightly rising and
sharply falling syllable stresses showed by rising and falling arrows (↷).

When the words of the Turkish language are considered independently, not
in sentences, we can see that each word can have only one primarily
stressed syllable. For instance:

(o*to*mo*bil), (ça*lı*Ģı*yor*lar*dı), (ke*di), (do*ku*zun*cu),

(öğ*ret*men), (san*dal*ye), (ki*raz), (gel*mi*ye*cek*ler),
(an*la *mı*yo*rum), (ka*za*na*ca*ğız), (de*mok*ra*tik*leĢ*-
ti*re*ce*ğiz), (kork*ma*ma*lı*sın), (kah*ve*ren*gi)

However, if a whole sentence is considered, we can hear that there may be

one or more primarily stressed words in a sentence. The secondarily
stressed syllables of the words are fixed and they are nearly always com-
bined to the suffixes following them. The last syllables of the words in sen-
tences, which are secondarily stressed, have slightly rising and falling into-
nations that imply the hearer the end of a word and the expectation of a fol-
lowing one.

(ba*bam~ / ge*çen / haf*ta~ / bur*sa*da / de*ğil*di↷)

In the above sentence, the word (ba*bam) is the subject of the sentence. If
we think none of the words are important or dominant in this sentence, we
use only a secondary stress on the “bam” syllable with a rising intonation
implying that another word will be following it, such as “biii~r, ikiii~, üç↷”

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

If we put a primary stress on the syllable (ba*bam), the sentence means

especially “my father” was not in Bursa”; someone else might have been
there. As a rule, if the subject of a sentence is rather far from the verb, a
colon is generally put after the subject in a text, but in speech a secondary
stress with a rising sustained intonation (~) is applied to the same word.

If the second syllable “çen”of the word (ge*çen) is primarily stressed, the
sentence means “only last week”, not weeks ago.

If the stressable syllable “bur” is primarily stressed in the word (bur*sa*da),

the sentence means “My father was not in Bursa last week, but perhaps he
was in any other city.

When the stressable syllable “ğil” of the word (de*ğil*di) is considered domi-
nant, the sentence means “You are mistaken; he was not there.”

In general, the last syllables of word stems are secondarily stressed when
they are not thought to be dominant (1), but if they are thought to be so,
these secondarily stressed syllables are turned into primarily stressed syl-
lables (2):

1. (çeĢ*me); (tes*ti); (Ģe*ker); (ço*cuk); (te*pe); (ar*mut); (ka*sap);

(yü*rek)
2. (çeĢ*me); (tes*ti); (Ģe*ker); (ço*cuk); (te*pe); (ar*mut); (ka*sap);
(yü*rek)

The second syllables in the above words are secondarily or primarily

stressed and they are printed in italics. When the inflectional morphemes are
suffixed to these words, these morphemes are also secondarily stressed
together with the last syllables of the word stems (3).

3. (çeĢ*me*yi), (çeĢ*me*ye), (çeĢ*me*de), (çeĢ*me*den), (çeĢ*me*nin),

(çeĢ*me*si), (çeĢ*me*si*nin), (çeĢ*me*sin*de), (çeĢ*me*sin*den), (çeĢ*-
me*le*rin*den)

If the words in the above sentences are thought to be dominant, the last
syllables of them are primarily stressed:

2. (çeĢ*me*yi); (çeĢ*me*ye); (çeĢ*me*de); (çeĢ*me*den); (çeĢ*me*si*-

nin); (çeĢ*me*sin*de); (çeĢ*me*sin*den); (çeĢ*me*le*rin*den)

If a word is monosyllabic, this syllable is naturally the last syllable, so it is

secondarily stressed if it is not thought to be dominant. Nevertheless, if it is
thought to be dominant, it may be primarily stressed.

3. (kuş),(ku*şu), (ku*şa), (kuş*ta), (kuş*tan); (taş), (ta*şı), (ta*şa),

(taş*ta), (taş*tan); (sen), (se*ni), (sa*na),(se*nin), (sen*de), (sen*den)

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

If these words are thought dominant, the last syllables are primarily
stressed:

(kuş), (ku*şu), (ku*şa), (kuş*ta), (ku*şun), (kuş*tan);

(ben), (be*ni), (ba*na), (ben*de), (ben*den).

When some monosyllabic words are suffixed with [Ġ] or [E] morphemes,
these words are divided into two syllables and they are both secondarily
stressed if the second syllables are not thought to be dominant:

biz-i (bi*zi), biz-e (bi*ze); ders-i (der*si), ders-e (der*se); kıĢ-ı (kı*şı)
(kı*şa); muz-u (mu*zu), (mu*za); kız-ı (kı*zı), (kı*za); ben-i (be*ni), (ba*na);
sen-i (se*ni), (sa*na); Ģeker-i (Ģe*ke*ri), (Ģe*ke*re).

Considering the above explanations, we have demonstrated nearly all the

syllables in sentences between parentheses so that the learners may see the
primarily and secondarily stressed syllables in sentences. By the way, a
learner should keep in mind that these are only example sentences and the
primarily stressed syllables may change according to a speaker’s choice:

(ba*bam∼ / ge*çen / haf*ta∼ / bur*sa*da∼ / de*ğil* di↷)

In the above sentence, there may be one or more secondarily stressed syl-
lables in each word printed in italics. The last syllables of the above words
can be primarily stressed in proportion to the main concern of a speaker. He
can use a primary stress on one, two or more words in a sentence. If he
wishes, he may leave all the words in a sentence without primarily stressed.
In short, we can say that the primarily stressed syllables completely depend
on the speaker’s choice. However, the secondarily stressable syllables of the
words in a sentence do not depend on the speaker’s choice; they are nearly
always fixed. The words that have several secondarily stressed syllables are
the verb compositions. Only one of the syllables in a verb composition can
be primarily stressed. To overcome this difficulty, nearly all the syllabication,
stress and intonation of the example sentences are given in parentheses.

In these example sentences, the words are separated by slashes (/). The
internal open junctures implying very short pauses with a rising sustained
intonation after subjects, objects or adverbs, etc. are showed by tildes (~).
The junctures symbolizing slightly rising and sharply falling terminal stops of
the indicative sentences are showed by rising and falling arrows (↷) in this
book. The interrogative sentences containing question words like “nereye?”,
“niçin?”, “nasıl?”, etc. are illustrated by rising (↝) arrows, but the interroga-
tive sentences, whose answers are “yes” or “no”, also have falling terminal
junctures in their last syllables. Therefore, they are also showed by rising
and falling arrows (↷). However, if a speaker wants to express astonish-
ment, these terminal junctures (↷) may change into rising (↝) arrows:

62
 TURKISH GRAMMAR

(ba*zı / kız*lar / ne*hir*de / yü*zü* yor↷)

Some girls are swimming in the river.
(None of the words in this sentence is primarily stressed.)

(ba*zı / kız*lar ~/ ne*hir*de / yü*zü*yor↷)

They are swimming in the river, not in the sea or in a lake.

(sa:*de*ce∼ / kız*lar / de*niz*de / yü*zü*yor↷)

Only the girls are swimming in the sea.

(de*niz*de / kız*lar↝/ mı / yü*zü*yor↝)

Are the girls swimming in the sea? (Surprise!)

(ço*cuk*lar ~/ ner↝de / oy*nu*yor*lar↝)

Where are the children playing?
(The question word “nerde” (where) is used.)

The stress and the intonation of some compounds are as follows:

Dolap-ın iç-i-/n/i boyadık.

(do*la*bın / i*çi*ni / bo*ya*dık↷)
We painted inside the cupboard.

Sandalye-/n/in arka-s/ı-/n/ı kırdı.

(san*dal*ye*nin / ar*ka*sı*nı / kır*dı↷)
He broke the back of the chair.

When the allomorphs of the [E], [DE] and [DEN] morphemes are at-tached to
the above compounds, these compounds become adverbs:

Çamurlu ayakkabı-lar-ın-la halı-/n/ın üst-ü-/n/e basma.

(ça*mur*lu / a*yak*ka*bı*la*rın*la~/ ha*lı*nı*nüs*tü*ne / bas*ma↷)
Don’t step on the carpet with your muddy shoes.

Dün küçük bir çocuk çukur-un iç-i-/n/e düĢtü.

(dün / kü*çük / bir / ço*cuk~ / çu*ku*ru*ni*çi*ne / düş*tü↷)
Yesterday a little boy fell into the ditch.

Top karyola-/n/ın alt-ı-/n/a gitti.

(top / kar*yo*la*nın / al*tı*na / git*ti↷)
The ball went under the bed.

Masa-/n/ın üst-ü-/n/de dansetti.

(ma*sa*nın / üs*tün*de / dan*set*ti↷)
She danced on the table.

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

Kedi, karyola-/n/ın alt-ı-/n/da uyuyor.

(ke*di ~/ kar*yo*la*nın / al*tın*da / u*yu*yor↷)
The cat is sleeping under the bed.

Çocuklar, ağaçlar-ın alt-ı-/n/da oynuyorlar.

(ço*cuk*lar~/ a*ğaç*la*rın / al*tın*da / oy*nu*yor*lar↷)
The children are playing under the trees.

Anahtar delik-i-/n/den bakma.

(a*nah*tar / de*li*ğin*den / bak*ma↷)
Don’t look through the key hole.

Bu masa-/n/ın üst-ü-/n/den atlayabilir misin?

(bu / ma*sa*nın / üs*tün*den / at*la*ya*bi*lir ↝/ mi*sin↷)
Can you jump over this table?

Koca-/s/ı-/n/ın homurdanma-/s/ı/n/-dan nefret eder.

(ko*ca*sı*nın / ho*mur*dan*ma*sın*dan / nef*ret / e*der↷)
She hates her husband’s grumbling.

The allomorphs of [Ġ] are [i, ı, ü, u]; of [E] are [e, a]; of [DE] are [de, da,
te,ta]; and of [DEN] are [den, dan, ten, tan]. The allomorphs of [Ġ] follow
nouns, pronouns, noun compounds, adjective compounds and nomi-
nalized sentences when they are used in the object position. The other
three morphemes [E], [DE] and [DEN], follow the same units to produce
adverbs. Consider the following sentences:

(Ben) masa-/n/ın üst-ü/n/-den atladım. Kedi masa/n/ın alt-ı/n/-da uyuyor.

NP noun compound - /n/ den V NP noun compound - /n/da V
adverb adverb

(Ben) masa-/n/ın üst-ü-/n/ü temizledim. I cleaned the upper side of the table.
NP noun compound (obj) NP V
(Biz) kutu-/n/un iç-i-/n/i boĢalttık. We emptied inside the box.
NP noun comp (obj) NP V

(The [ü] and [i] are the allomorphs of the defining morpheme [Ġ].)

When the possessor part of a compound ends with a consonant, it takes

one of the [in, ın, ün, un] allomorphs according to the vowel harmony rules;
but when it ends with a vowel, it takes one of the same allomorphs together
with the glide /n/:

Stems ending with consonants:

Ģeker-in (Ģe*ke*rin), dil-in (di*lin), hamal-ın (ha*ma*lın), sakal-ın

(sa*ka*lın), gül-ün (gü*lün), öküz-ün (ö*kü*zün), okul-un (o*ku*lun),
somun-un (so*mu*nun), armut -un (ar*mu*dun), kitap-ın (ki*ta*bın),
sokak-ın (so*ka*ğın), et-in(e*tin), süt-ün (sü*tün).

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

Stems ending with vowels:

tencere-/n/in (ten*ce*re*nin), gece-/n/in (ge*ce*nin), masa-/n/ın

(ma*sa*nın), kapı-/n/ın (ka*pı*nın), süngü-/n/ün (sün*gü*nün),
görgü-/n/ün (gör*gü*nün), kutu-/n/un (ku*tu*nun), soru-/n/un
(so*ru*nun), fare-/n/in (fa*re*nin), testi-/n/in (tes*ti*nin), vazo-/n/un
(va*zo*nun).

When the “possessed” part of a compound ends with a consonant, it takes

one of the allomorphs of [i, ı, ü, u] according to the vowel harmony rules; but
if it ends with a vowel, it takes one of the same allomorphs together with the
glide /s/:

Stems ending with consonants:

iç-i, ip-i, sap-ı, alt-ı, üst-ü, öküz-ü, okul-u, torun-u, at-ı, kusur-u, Ģeker-i,
sepet-i, çay-ı, nefret-i, duman-ı, hayran-ı, kurban-ı, tavan-ı, tav-Ģan-ı, ra-
por-u, teker-i, saman-ı, zaman-ı, kümes-i, motor-u, ot-u

Stems ending with vowels:

sevgi-/s/i, tencere-/s/i, atkı-/s/ı, baskı-/s/ı, süngü-/s/ü, görgü-/s/ü,

kor-ku-/s/u, koku-/s/u, kuĢku-/s/u, içki-/s/i, öfke-/s/i, tatlı-/s/ı, yavru-
/s/u, kuzu-/s/u, denge-/s/i, uyku-/s/u, duygu-/s/u, oda-/s/ı, tapu-/s/u,
boya-/s/ı, foya-/s/ı, dosya-/s/ı, çalıĢma-/s/ı, (but, su-/y/u)

When the possessor and the possessed parts are used together, the com-
pounds look like as follows:

dil-in uç-u (di*lin / u*cu) (the tip of the tongue); hamal-ın Ģaka-/s/ı (the joke
of the porter); sakal-ın boy-u (the length of the beard); kapı-/n/ın sürgü-
/s/ü (the bolt of the door); masa-/n/ın alt-ı (the underside of the table);
öküz-ün boynuz-lar-ı (the horns of the ox); gece-/n/in karanlık-ı (ka*ran*-
lı*ğı) (the darkness of the night); gül-ün koku-/s/u (the smell of the rose);
dolap-ın (do*la*bın) iç-i (inside the cupboard); sorun-un önem-i (the impor-
tance of the problem); tartıĢma-/n/ın sonuç-u (so*nu*cu) (the result of the
discussion); kedi-/n/in korku-/s/u (the fright of the cat).

Generally, the last syllables of the compounds are stressed; however, when
needed, the last syllables of the possessor parts of the compounds can also
be stressed.

As the above examples are all the third person singular, the possessive ad-
jectives should also be included in the examples above:

ben-im kedi-im (my cat); ben-im saç-ım (my hair); ben-im okul-um (my

65
 TURKISH GRAMMAR

school); ben-im kaygı-ım (my anxiety); ben-im deneyim-im (my experi-

ence); ben-im arzu-um (my wish); ben-im baba-ım (my father); benim
kusur-um (my fault).

sen-in amca-ın (your uncle); sen-in ev-in (your house); sen-in kız-ın)
(your daughter); ben-im rüya-ım (my dream); sen-in pantolon-un (your
trousers); sen-in kararın (ka*ra:*rın) (your decision); sen-in yardım-ın
(your help); sen-in konuĢma-ın (your talk); sen-in kulaklar-ın (your ears);
sen-in sabr-ın (sab*rın) (your patience); sen-in cesaret-in (ce*sa:*re*tin)
(your courage); sen-in güzellik-in (gü*zel*li*ğin) (your beauty); sen-in
anne-in (an*nen) (Your mother); sen-in para-ın (pa*ran) (your money).. The
double underlined vowels drop.

o-/n/un renk-i (ren*gi) (its color); o-/n/un cesaret-i (ce*sa:*re*ti) (his cou-
rage); o-/n/un araba/s/ı (his car); o-/n/un koku/s/u (its smell); o-/n/un ye-
tenek-i (ye*te*ne*ği) (his ability); o-/n/un gel-me-/s/i (his coming); o-/n/un
gülüĢ-ü (her way of smiling); gül-üĢ-ü (gü*lü*şü) (her way of smiling).

biz-im ev-imiz (our house); biz-im kitap-lar-ımız (our books); biz-im

ülke-imiz (our country); biz-im hürriyet-imiz (our freedom); biz-im çıkar-
lar-ımız (our interests); biz-im mülk-ümüz (our property); biz-im çocuk-
lar-ımız (our children).

siz-in arzu-unuz (your wish); siz-in okul-unuz (your school); siz-in bahçe-
iniz (your garden); siz-in kader-iniz (your destiny); siz-in gelme-iniz (your
coming); siz-in kahkaha-ınız (your laughter); siz-in proje-iniz (your pro-
ject).

onlar-ın araba-/s/ı (their car); onlar-ın ev-i (their house); onlar-ın ço-cuk-
lar-ı (their children); onlar-ın oyuncak-lar-ı (their toys); onlar-ın yiyecek-i
(yi*ye*ce*ği) (their food); onlar-ın at-lar-ı (their horses); onlar-ın yüzme
havuz-u (their swimming pool); siz-in amaç-ınız (a*ma*cı*nız) (your aim);
siz-in ticaret-iniz (your trade); onlar-ın ev-i (their house); onlar-ın güç-ü
(gü*cü) (their power); onlar-ın Ģaka-/s/ı (their joke); onlar-ın arzu-/s/u (their
wish); onlar-ın zara:r-ı (their harm); onlar-ın savun-ma-/s/ı (their defense);
onlar-ın istek-i (is*te*ği) (their wish); onlar-ın korku-/s/u (their fright).

The sentences containing the examples above, and their English equivalents
are in the examples below:

Vazo masa-/n/ın üst-ü-/n/de.

(va*zo / ma*sa*nın / üs*tün*de↷)
The vase is on the table.

Vazo-/y/u masa-/n/ın üst-ü-/n/e koy.

(va*zo*yu~ / ma*sa*nın / üs*tü*ne / koy↷)
Put the vase on the table.

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

Vazoyu masa-dan al.

(va*zo*yu~ / ma*sa*dan / al↷)
Take the vase from the table.

Kedi masa-/n/ın alt-ı-/n/da.

(ke*di ~ / ma*sa*nın / al*tın*da↷)
(ke*di ~/ ma*sa*nı*nal*tın*da↷)
The cat is under the table.

Top masanın alt-ı-/n/a gitti.

(top / ma*sa*nın / al*tı*na / git*ti↷)
The ball went under the table.

Vazoyu kutu-/n/un iç-i-/n/e koydu.

(va*zo*yu / ku*tu*nun / i*çi*ne / koy*du↷)
He put the vase into the box.

Tren tünel-in iç-i-/n/den geçiyor.

(tren / tü*ne*lin / i*çin*den / ge*çi*yor↷)
The train is going through the tunnel.

Ahmet deniz-e atladı.

(ah*met / de*ni*ze / at*la*dı↷)
Ahmet jumped into the sea.

Ben mikroskop-la baktım.

(ben ~ / mik*ros*kop*la / bak*tım↷)
I looked through the microscope.

Uçak bulutlar-ın üst-ü-/n/de.

(u*çak~ / bu*lut*la*rın / üs*tün*de↷)
The plane is above the clouds.

Masa-/n/ın üst-ü-/n/ü temizledi.

(ma*sa*nın / üs*tü*nü / te*miz*le*di↷)
She cleaned the surface of the table.

Jack, Mary ile Jane’in ara-/s/ı-/n/da oturuyor.

(Jack ~/ ma:*ri / i*le / jayn*in / a*ra*sın*da / o*tu*ru*yor↷)
Jack is sitting between Mary and Jane.

Gözlüklerim ayna-/n/ın ön-ü-/n/de.

(göz*lük*le*rim / ay*na*nın / ö*nün*de↷)
My glasses are in front of the mirror.

Hoparlörler perde-/n/in arka-/s/ı-/n/da.

(ho*par*lör*ler / per*de*nin / ar*ka*sın*da↷)
The loudspeakers are behind the curtain.

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

(The /n/, /s/ and /y/ glides above are showed between slashes, and the noun
compounds are printed in italics.)

The Turkish equivalents of the English adverbial particles are used as fol-
lows in Turkish:

"The cat went out." "Kedi diĢarı çıktı.” (ke*di / dı*şa*rı / çık*tı↷)
"The children came in." "Çocuklar içeri (içeri-/y/e) (i*çe*ri) geldi (girdi)."
"Look down." "AĢağı (aĢağı-/y/a) bak." (a*şa*ğı / bak↷)
"Look up." "Yukarı (yukarı/y/a) bak." (yu*ka*rı / bak↷)

As it is seen, the words "dıĢarı”, “içeri”, “aĢağı”, “yukarı", which are

nouns, can also be used as "dıĢarı-/y/a”, “içeri-/y/e”, “aĢağı-/y/a". In Tur-
kish, when nouns are suffıxed with [e, a] allomorphs, they become adverbs
such as "ev-e”, “okul-a”, “çarĢı-/y/a", “içeri-ye”, “dıĢarı-ya”

All the above noun compounds are printed in italics. If they are considered
together with the [E], [DE] or [DEN] morphemes, they become adverbs in
sentences.

ENGLISH PREPOSITIONS and TURKISH POSTPOSITIONS

As has been noted, most English prepositions are expressed in Turkish ei-
ther in nouns as "üst, alt, yan, iç", or in [E], [DE], [DEN] morphemes at-
tached to nouns. These nouns and morphemes, together with other nouns,
function as adverbs or determiners in sentences. These adverbs and deter-
miners are made up of prepositional phrases in English. As a grammar
term “preposition” means coming before nouns; in Turkish, this grammar
term should be used as “postposition” because such words or morphemes
are used after nouns:

adverbs:

Jack okul-da. Jack is at school.

pred adverb (prep phrs) pred adverb
Jack okul-a gitti. Jack went to school.
adverb (prep phrs) adverb
jack deniz-e düĢtü. Jack fell into the sea.
adverb (prep phrs) adverb
Biz bulutlar-a baktık. We looked at the clouds.
adverb (prep phrs) adverb
Jack okul-dan geldi. Jack came from school.
adverb (prep phrs) adverb
Top masa-/n/ın alt-ı-/n/a gitti. The ball went under the table.
noun compound -/n/[a] prep phrs
adverb adverb
Köpek çit-in üst-ü-/n/-den atladı. The dog jumped over the fence.
noun comp - /n/[den] prep phrs
adverb adverb

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

Tren tünel-den geçiyor. The train is passing through the tunnel.

adverb (prep phrs) adverb

Jack anahtar deliğ-i/n/-den bakıyor. Jack is looking through the key hole.
noun compound - /n/[den] (prep phrs) adverb
adverb

Büyük kamyon köprü-/n/ün alt-ı/n/-dan geçemedi.

noun compound - /n/[den]
adverb
The huge lorry couldn’t pass under the bridge.
(prep phrs) adverb

Dolap-ın iç-i-/n/e bak. Look into the cupboard.

noun compound - /n/[e] (prep phrs)
adverb adverb

In the above examples, the underlined English parts of the sentences are
structurally prepositional phrases, but they are syntactically adverbs as
they are in the Turkish sentences.

determiners:
Masa-nın üst-ü/n/-de-ki vazo çok güzel. The vase on the table is beautiful.
noun compound - /n/[de-ki] (prep phrs)
determiner determiner

Vazo-da-ki çiçekler soldu. The flowers in the vase have faded.

determiner N VP D N (prep phrs) deter VP
NP NP

Deniz-e düĢen çocuk kurtarıldı. The boy that fell into the sea has been rescued.
determiner N VP D N determiner VP
NP NP

Anahtar deliği/n/-den bakan çocuk Jack’ti.

determiner N predicate
NP VP

The boy looking through the key hole was Jack

D N (present participle) determiner VP
NP

Some Turkish words are used both as postpositions and as adverbs in the
following sentences. Compare and consider the following:

bile (adv):

BeĢ yaĢındaki bir çocuk bile iki dil konuĢabilir.

NP intens adv
Even a five year old child can speak two languages.
adv NP
Dondurma kıĢın bile yenilebilir.
adv adv

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

Icecream can be eaten even in the winter.

intens adv adv

Çok çalıĢ-sa-ım bile baĢarılı olamam.

synt adv of cond adv
I can't succeed even if I study hard.
intens adv syntactic adv clause of cond

dair (postp):

Oğlum gezegenler-e dair bir kitap okuyor.

NP postp phrs (determiner) D N
NP V
VP
My son is reading a book about (on) planets.
prep N
determiner

hakkında (postp):

(Ben) ekonomi hakkında birsey söyleyemem.

NP N postp N VP
determiner N
NP
I can't say anything about economics.

[e, a]-dek, [e, a] kadar (postp):

Sabah-a dek (kadar) ders çalıĢtım. I studied until morning.
postp phrase of time prep phrase of time

[den, dan, ten, tan] dolayı (postp):

Pilot, kötü hava Ģartlar-ı/n/-dan dolayı uçuĢu ertelemek zorunda kaldı.

postpositional phrase of cause
The pilot had to postpone the flight because of the bad weather conditions.
prepositional phrase of cause

diye (postp):

Gelecek (gelir) diye bekledim. I waited hoping that he would come.

postp phrase of reason (present participle) adv of reason

Yağmur yağar (yağacak) diye Ģemsiyesini aldı.

He took his umbrella thinking that it might rain.

[e, a] doğru (postp):

Otobüs durağı-/n/a dogru koĢtular. They ran towards the busstop.

noun compound - [E] + postp (prep phrs) adverb
postp phrase of direction

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

aĢağı yukarı (adv):

Aşağı yukarı on kilometre yürüdüler. Threy walked about ten kilometers.

intens adv adv V intens adv adv

üzere (üzre) (postp):

Onlar gelmek üzere(ler). They are about to arrive.
postp phrase (adverb) prep phrs (adverb)
ĠĢimi bitirmek üzereyim. I am about to finish my work.

gibi (postp):

Büroya gidince bir centilmen gibi davranmalısın.

postp phrs of manner
You should behave like a gentleman when you go to the office.
prep phrs of manner

Karım, bir milyoner gibi para harcar.

postp phrs of manner
My wife spends money like a millionaire.
prep phrs of manner

Uçak kocaman bir kuĢ gibi uçup gitti.

postp phrs of manner
The plane flew away like a huge bird.
prep phrs of manner

Doğum günü partisine gidince bir hanımefendi gibi davran.

postp phrs of manner
When you go to the birthday party, behave like a lady.
prep phrs of manner

Ġçin (postp):

Jack kompozisyonunu tamamla-mak için geç vakte kadar oturdu.

(noun + inf + postp) postp phrs of cause
Jack sat up late to complete his homework.
prep phrase of cause

Bu çiçekler sizin için. These flowers are for you.

postp phrs (predicate) prep phrs (predicate)

[e, a] nazaran (postp):

Benim arabam senin araban-a nazaran daha ekonomiktir.

(noun comp - [E] + postp) postp phrs adv of comparison
My car is more economical compared to yours. (prep phrs of comparison)

Sen öteki kızlar-a nazaran daha güzelsin.

You are more beautiful compared to other girls.

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

THE INFLECTIONAL MORPHEMES ATTACHED TO VERBS

Fiillere Eklenen Çekim Ekleri

Time and personal inflectional morphemes are attached to both nouns,

adjectives, prepositional phrases and verbs.

The grammar term “noun” includes “proper nouns” such as “Jack”,

“Mehmet”, “Ġstanbul”, “Germany”, “English”; “common nouns” such as
“book”, “table”, “school”, “television”, and “abstract nouns” such as “pover-
ty”, “laughter”, “happiness”, “kindness”, “bravery”, “curiosity”.

Pronouns are also considered as nouns because they occupy the places of
nouns and act as nouns in sentences.

Adjectives are words like “good”, “clever”, “hardworking”, “wealthy”, “attrac-

tive”, etc.

A prepositional phrase in English is a group of words that begins with a

preposition and ends either with a noun (a pronoun, or a gerund), or a
clause: “on the table", “at the table”, “in the box”, “at ten o’clock”, “at
school”, “at the door”, “behind the curtain”, “in front of the mirror”, “next to
the station”, “above the clouds”, “under the table”, “until morning”, “since
Sunday” are all prepositional phrases.

In Turkish, however, the equivalents of these prepositions are the [E], [DE]
and [DEN] morphemes, which follow nouns attached to them. When com-
pared, English prepositions are prepositional (they are used before nouns)
in the sentence order, but in Turkish, the [Ġ], [E], [DE] and [DEN] suffixes are
postpositional because they follow nouns.

The first category of time morphemes are used either with nouns, adjec-
tives or prepositional phrases, to which [dir, dır,dür, dur, tir, tır, tür, tur]
(present); [di, dı, dü, du ti, tı, tü, tu] (past), [miĢ, mıĢ, müĢ, muĢ] (rumor,
inference) morphemes are attached. The “olacak” word is separately used
to convey the meaning of “will be”.

The [dir, dır, dür, dur, tir, tır, tür, tur] allomorphs are not normally used in
Simple Present Tenses, but when they are used, they add different con-
cepts to such sentences. These sentences will be explained in the following
paragraphs.

The equivalents of these morphemes in English are “is”, “are”, “was”,

“were”, “has been”, “have been”, “will be”, “will have been”, “had
been” and “going to be” auxiliary verb.

THE SIMPLE PRESENT “BE”

The personal allomorphs used with verb “be” are as follows:

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

(ben): [im, ım, üm, um]; (sen): [sin, sın, sün, sun]; (o): [ø]; (biz): [iz, ız, üz,
uz]; (siz): [siniz, sınız, sünüz, sunuz]; (onlar): [ø (ler, lar)]

1. Nouns: Ben bir öğretmen-im. I am a teacher. Sen bir doktor-sun.

You are a doctor. O bir doktor. She is a doctor. Biz doktor-uz. We
are doctors. Siz bir öğretmen-siniz. You are a doctor. Onlar asker.
They are soldiers.

2. Adjective: Ben tembel-im. I am lazy. Sen çalıĢkan-sın. You are

hardworking. O mutlu (dur). She is happy. Biz iyi-/y/iz. We are
alright. Siz yorgun-sunuz. You are tired. Onlar istek-siz. They are
unwilling.

3. Prepositional phrase: The allomorphs [de, da, te, ta] are expressed in
English in the prepositions of “in”, “at” or “on”. For example:

ev-de (at home); okul-da (at school, in school); masa-da (on the table, at
the table); kapı-da (at the door); kutu-da (in the box); bahçe-de (in the gar-
den); hastane-de (in hospital, in the hospital); uçak-ta (on the plane).

The other [e, a] and [den, dan, ten, tan] allomorphs are not used with verb
“be”; they are used attached to action verbs like “go”, “come”, “wait“,
“sleep”, etc.

When the [de, da, te, ta] allomorphs or adjectives are used, the first person
singular and plural personal allomorphs are linked to them by the /y/ glides,
but the second person singular and plural morphemes are linked to them by
the /s/ glides:

Postacı kapı-da. The postman is at the door. Onlar Ģimdi uçak-ta. They
are on the plane now. Ben kapı-da-/y/ım. I am at the door. Sen akıllı-sın.
You are clever. O mutfak-ta. She is in the kitchen. Biz haklı-/y/ız. We are
right. Siz güzel-siniz. You are beautiful. Onlar çirkin. They are ugly.

The same [E], [DE] and [DEN] morphemes are also used attached to “ön”,
“arka”, “yan”, “üst”, “karĢı”, “sol”, “sağ”, “alt”, “bitiĢik” nouns such as “ön-e”,
“arka-/y/a”, “yan-a”, “üst-e”, “karĢı-/y/a”, “yukarı-/y/a”, “ön-de”, “arka-da”,
“yan-da”, “alt-ta”, “üst-te”, “karĢı-da”, “sağ-da”, “sol-da”, “bitiĢik-te”, “ön-den”,
“arka-dan”, “yan-dan”, “üst-ten”, “karĢı-dan”, “sağ-dan”, yakın-dan”.

These words are all nouns when they are without suffixes; if they were not,
the [E], [DE] and [DEN] morphemes would not be attached to them. When
they are together with these suffixes, they function as adverbs in sentences.

Consequently, as these words are all nouns, they are also used in noun
compounds like the simple noun compounds such as “oda-/n/ın kapı-/s/ı”;
“perde-/n/in arka-/s/ı”; “ayna-/n/ın ön-ü”; “vazo-/n/un yan-ı”; “yatağ-ın alt-ı”;
“bakkal-ın bitiĢiğ-i”; “koltuğ-un sağ-ı”; “bakkal-ın karĢı-/s/ı”; “ev-in arka-/s/ı”.

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

When the above [E], [DE] and [DEN] morphemes are attached to the above
noun compounds, they take the /n/ glides. Compare and consider the
following sentences:

Kedi perde-/n/in arka-/s/ı/-/n/da

noun compound - /n/da
predicate adverb
(ke*di / per*de*nin / ar*ka*sın*da↷).
The cat is behind the curtain.

Gözlüklerim ayna-/n/ın ön-ü-/n/de.

(göz*lük*le*rim / ay*na*nın / ö*nün*de ↷)
My glasses are in front of the mirror.

Terliklerin karyola-/n/ın alt-ı-/n/da.

(ter*lik*le*rin / kar*yo*la*nın / al*tın*da↷)
Your slippers are under the bed.

Benim ev-im bakkal-ın bitiĢik-i/n/-de.

(be*nim / e*vim / bak*ka*lın / bi*ti*şi*ğin*de↷).
My house is next to the grocer.

Sen-in dükkân-ın bakkal-ın karĢı-/s/ı-/n/da.

(se*nin / dük*kâ*nın / bak*ka*lın / kar*şı*sın*da↷)
Your shop is opposite (to) the grocer.

Ġstasyon sol-da.
(is*tas*yon / sol*da↷)
The station is on the left.

Ġstasyon, bakkal-ın sol-u-/n/da.

(is*tas*yon / bak*ka*lın / so*lun*da↷)
The station is on the left of the grocer.

Karım ev-de.
(ka*rım / ev*de↷)
My wife is at home.

Ben, postane-/n/in ön-ü-/n/de-/y/im.

(ben / pos*ta:*ne*nin / ö*nün*de*yim↷)
I am in front of the post office.

In the sentences above, there are no time morphemes attached to the

words “arkasında”, “önünde”, “karĢısında”, “evde”, etc. The absence of
these time morphemes in the above sentences implies that the time is
present. The other [E] and [DEN] morphemes are attached to action verbs:

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

Herkes pencere-/y/e bakıyor.

(her*kes / pen*ce*re*ye / ba*kı*yor↷)
Everybody is looking at the window.

Jane pencere-den bakıyor.

(jane / pen*ce*re*den / ba*kı*yor↷)
Jane is looking out of the window.

Jack okul-dan geliyor.

(Jack / o*kul*dan / ge*li*yor↷)
Jack is coming from school.

Öğrenciler okul-a koĢuyorlar.

(öğ*ren*ci*ler / o*ku*la / ko*şu*yor*lar↷)
The students are running to school.

When one of the allomorphs of the [DĠR] morpheme is attached to the last
words of one of the sentences above, the sentences mean either “per-
haps" or "I am sure". This difference of meaning can be heard in speech.

When the syllable printed in bold type is stressed, the sentence means “I am
sure”; when it is not, it means "perhaps". The allomorphs of this morpheme
are [dir, dır, dür, dur, tir, tır, tür, tur]:

(ka*rı*mev*de*dir↷) (perhaps); (ka*rı*mev*de*dir↷) (I am sure)

The personal morphemes used in this category are as follows:

(Ben) ev-de-/y/im. “I am at home”; (Sen) ev-de-sin. “You are at home”; (O)

ev-de-Ø. “She is at home”; (Biz) ev-de-/y/iz. “We are at home”; (Siz) evde-
siniz. “You are at home”; Onlar ev-de(ler). “They are at home”

"Bura”, "Ģura", "ora", “bu”, “Ģu”, “o” can all be used as nouns. When
these nouns are attached to [E], [DE], [DEN] morphemes, they become ad-
verbs; but if they are attached to the allomorphs of the phoneme [Ġ], they
can be used in the object positions in sentences:

O bura-da (burda).
( o / bur*da↷) or (o / bur*da↷)
He is here. (noun + [DE] = predicate adverb)

Ben bura-da-/y/ım
(ben / bur*da*yım↷) or (ben / bur*da*yım↷)
I am here.

Kedi Ģura-da (Ģurda).

(ke*di / şur*da↷) or (ke*di / şur*da↷)
The cat is there.

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

Onlar ora-da (or-da).

(on*lar / or*da↷) or (on*lar / or*da↷)
They are there.

Onlar bura-dan (burdan) gittiler.

(on*lar / bur*dan / git*ti*ler ↷)
They left here.

Bura-dan (burdan) ayrılma.

(bur*dan / ay*rıl*ma↷)
Don't leave here.

Onlar ora-dan ayrıl-ıyor-lar.

(on*lar / or*dan / ay*rı*lı*yor*lar↷)
They are leaving there.

Ben bura/y/ı hiç görmedim.

(ben / bu*ra*yı / hiç / gör*me*dim↷)
I have never seen here.
.
Ben bu-/n/u anlamadım.
(ben / bu*nu / an*la*ma*dım↷)
I didn’t understand this.

Ben bunlar-ı anlamadım.

(ben / bun*la*rı / an*la*ma*dım↷)
I didn’t understand these.

The same [DEN] morpheme can be used after “bu” and “o”:

“bu/n/-dan böyle” (bun*dan / böy*le) (from now on); “bu/n/-dan sonra”

(bun*dan / son*ra) (after this)

When the nouns or adjectives ending with vowels are attached to [de, da,
te, ta] allomorphs, they take /y/ glides when they are attached to the first
person singular and plural personal allomorphs:

Ben iyi-/y/im. I am all right. Ben burda-/y/ım. I am here.

Biz iyi-/y/iz. We are all right. Biz evde-/y/iz. We are at home.

However, the nouns and adjectives ending with consonants do not need the
/y/ glides when they are suffixed with personal allomorphs:

Ben öğretmen-im. (ben / öğ*ret*me*nim↷) I am a teacher.

Ben tem-bel-im. (ben / tem*be*lim↷) I am lazy.
Biz çalıĢkan-ız. (biz / ça*lıĢ*ka*nız↷) We are hardworking.

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

The personal allomorphs used in this tense are as follows:

ben  [im, ım, üm, um,]

sen  [sin, sın, sün, sun]
o  [Ø]
biz  [iz, ız, üz, uz]
siz  [siniz, sınız, sünüz, sunuz]
onlar  [Ø] ([ler, lar])

Ben (bir) öğretmen-im.

(ben / bi*röğ*ret*me*nim ↷)
I am a teacher.

Sen (bir) doktor-sun.

(sen / bir / dok*tor*sun↷)
You are a doctor.

O (bir) mi:mar.
(o / bir / mi: *mar↷)
She is an architect.

The /i:/ in the last example shows that the /i:/ vowel is lengthened, and the
hyphen (-) is used to separate morphemes, not syllables. The syllables are
separated by asterisks (*); and the syllables printed in bold type signify that
the syllable is primarily stressed in speech.

Biz öğretmen-iz.
(biz / öğ*ret”me*niz↷) or (bi*zöğ*ret*me*niz↷)
We are teachers.

Sizler öğretmen-siniz.
(siz*ler ~/ öğ*ret*men*si*niz↷) or (siz*le*röğ*ret*men*si*niz↷)
You are teachers.

Onlar öğretmen.
(on*lar / öğ*ret*men↷) or (on*la*röğ*ret*men↷)
They are teachers.

Ben iyi-/y/im.
(ben / iyi*/y/im↷) or (be*ni*yi*/y/im↷)
I am all right.
(The /y/ glide is inserted between the two successive /i/ vowels.)

Ben ev-de-/y/im.
(ben / ev*de*yim↷) or (be*nev*de*yim↷)
I am at home.
(The /y/ is a glide inserted between /e/ and /i/ vowels.)

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

Onlar tiyatro-da.
(on*lar / ti*yat*ro*da↷)
They are at the theater.

Biz Ġstanbul’-da-/y/ız.
(biz / is*tan*bul*da*yız↷) or (bi*zis*tan*bul*da*yız↷ )
We are in Ġstanbul.

Note: The liaisons (The linking of words by pronouncing the final of one
word as though it were the initial consonant of a following word. “Webster’s
New World Dictionary”) between syllables are sometimes used in the second
syllable divisions to show how the sentences are pronounced in ordinary
speech.

The /y/ glides in the above sentences are used to link the successive vowels
/i/ and /i/ in "iyi/y/im", /e/ and /i/ in "evde/y/im" and /a/ and /ı/ in "Ġstanbul-
da/y/ız" harmoniously.

The above Present Tense verb composition of the Turkish language is also
used to express The Present Perfect Tense time concept of the English
language.

In languages, tense and time are different notions. The tense is the physi-
cal composition of a verb; but time is an unsteady mental activity. In oth-
er words, one can use the same verb composition to express two different
time concepts. For instance, English people say, "I have been here for an
hour”, but Turkish people say "*I am here for an hour." This shows us that
Turkish people use The Simple Present verb form of the verb "be" both for
the Simple Present and for the Present Perfect tenses of the English lan-
guage. Compare and consider the following sentences:

(Ben) Ģimdi ev-de-/y/im.

(ben / şim*di / ev*de*yim↷)
I am at home now.

(Ben) iki saattir ev-de-/y/im.

(ben / i*ki / sa*at*tir / ev*de*yim↷)
I have been at home for two hours.

(Ben) saat sekiz-den beri ev-de-/y/im.

(ben / sa*at / se*kiz*den / be*ri / ev*de*yim↷)
I have been at home since eight o’clock.

AyĢe on senedir öğretmen.

(ay*şe / on / se*ne*dir / öğ*ret*men↷)
AyĢe has been a teacher for ten years.

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

(Ben) iki saattir bur(a)da-/y/ım.

(ben / i*ki / sa*at*tir / bur*da*yım↷)
I have been here for two hours.

As it is seen in the above sentences, two different concepts of time of the

English language are expressed in only one verb composition in Turkish.
“ġimdi”, “iki saattir” and “saat sekizden beri” expressions are enough to
convey the difference of time.

The personal pronouns in the above sentences are optional elements

because they can be understood from the personal morphemes attached to
the verbs of the sentences. However, when the third person singular or plu-
ral pronouns are used in place of proper nouns, one cannot understand who
those pronouns stand in for. For example, when I say, “I went to Ankara” you
do not need to ask, “Who went to Ankara?"

However, when I say, “She went to Ankara” you immediately ask who she is.
Therefore, in the sentence, “Ankara’ya gitti” the zero morpheme [Ø], which
stands for “O”, does not clearly express who the real person is being talked
about. However, if the name of the real person has already been mentioned,
the personal pronoun “O” can naturally be used.

To change the above sentences into the negative form, the word “değil” is
used together with personal morphemes:

“değil-im”, “değil-sin”, “değil”, “değil-iz”, “değil-siniz”, ”degil(ler)”

Ben doktor değil-im.

(ben / dok*tor / de*ği*lim↷)
I am not a doctor.

Çocuklar evde değil.

(ço*cuk*la*rev*de / de*ğil↷)
The children are not at home.

Bazı çocuklar bahçede değil.

(ba*zı / ço*cuk*lar / bah*çe*de / de*ğil↷)
Some boys are not in the garden.

Çocuklar evde-dir.
(ço*cuk*lar / ev*de*dir↷)
I’m sure the children are at home.

Çocuklar evde değil-dir.

(ço*cuk*lar / ev*de / de*ğil* dir↷)
The children may not (or "can't” ) be at home.

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

When one of the allomorphs of the morpheme [DĠR] is used, the sentence
gains the concepts of either “perhaps” or “ I’m sure”:

(ço*cuk*lar / ev*de*dir↷) (perhaps); (ço*cuk*lar / ev*de*dir↷) (I’m sure)

Bütün kızlar güzel-dir.

(bü*tün / kız*lar / gü*zel* dir↷)
I’m sure all girls are beautiful. (certainty)

Bütün kızlar güzel değil-dir.

(bü*tün / kız*lar/ gü*zel / de*ğil*dir↷)
In my opinion, all girls are not beautiful. (uncertainty)

Bütün kızlar güzel değildir.

(bü*tün / kız*lar / gü*zel / de*ğil*dir↷)
All girls are not beautiful. (certainty)

O bir öğretmen.
She is a teacher. (neutral)

O (bir) öğretmen değil.

(o / öğ*ret*men / de*ğil↷)
She is not a teacher. (certainty)

O bir öğretmen degil-dir. (de*ğil*dir↷)

Perhaps, she is not a teacher. (uncertainty)

Kocam yorgun. My husband is tired.

Kocam yorgun değil. (de*ğil↷) My husband is not tired.
Kocam yorgun-dur. (Kocam yorgun olabilir.) (possibility)
Perhaps my husband is tired, or he may be tired.

Ahmet evde değil-dir.

(ah*met / ev*de / de*ğil*dir↷)
I guess Ahmet is not at home.

Sanırım (o) o kadar aptal değil-dir.

(sa*nı*rım / o / ka*dar / ap*tal / de*ğil*dir↷)
I guess he is not so stupid.

THE PRESENT MODALS WITH VERB “BE”

must be (ol-malı)
When “ol-malı” is used after nouns, adjectives, or postpositional phrases it
means “must be”:

Kocam yorgun ol-malı.

(ko*cam / yor*gun / ol*ma*lı↷)
My husband must be tired. (I am sure he is tired.)

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

Bu araba pahalı ol-malı.

(bu / a*ra*ba / pa*ha*lı / ol*ma*lı↷)
This car must be expensive. (I am sure it is.)

(Sen) yorgun ol-malı-sın.

(yor*gun / ol*ma*lı*sın↷)
You must be tired. (I am sure you are tired.)

(Biz) saat sekizde okulda ol-malı-/y/ız.

(sa*at / se*kiz*de / o*kul*da / ol*ma*lı*yız↷)
We must be at school at eight. (obligation)

Zamanında hazır ol-malı-sın.

(za*ma:*nın*da / ha*zır / ol*malı*sın↷)
You must be ready in time. (obligation)

Onlar cahil ol-malı.

(on*lar / ca:*hil / ol*ma*lı↷)
They must be ignorant. (I am certain that they are ignorant.)

Sen saat dokuzda okulda ol-malı-sın.

(sen / sa*at / do*kuz*da / o*kul*da / ol*ma*lı*sın↷)
You must be at school at nine. (obligation or certainty)

Ben deli ol-malı-/y/ım!

(ben / de*li / ol*ma*lı*yım↷)
I must be crazy. I am certain that I am crazy.

Bu araba pahalı-dır. = Bu araba pahalı ol-malı.

This car must be expensive.

Sen bir öğretmen ol-malı-sın.

I guess you are a teacher.

As one can see, both the concepts of obligation and certainty can be ex-
pressed by using the same modal sentence structure. This proves that the
semantic component chooses the most suitable and available sentence
pattern in its store to transfer one of these two different thoughts into a sur-
face structure.

can’t be ( ol-a-ma-ız) (impossibility)

To change the “ol-malı” sentences into he negative form, “ol-a-ma-ız”
(can’t be) is used:

Kocam yorgun ol-a-ma-ız.

(ko*cam / yor*gun / o*la*maz↷)
My husband can’t be tired. (impossibility)

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

Çocuklar bahçede ol-malı.

(ço*cuk*lar / bah*çe*de / ol*ma*lı↷)
The children must be in the garden. (certainty)

Çocuklar bahçede ol-a-ma-ız.

(ço*cuk*lar / bah*çe*de / o*la*maz↷)
The children can’t be in the garden. (impossibility)

Film ilğinç ol-malı.

(film / il*ginç / ol*ma*lı↷)
The film must be interesting. (certainty)

O film ilginç ol-a-ma-ız.

(o / film / il*ginç / o*la*maz↷)
That film can’t be interesting. (impossibility)

Ben tembel ol-a-ma-ım.

(ben / tem*bel / o*la*mam↷)
I can’t be lazy. (impossibility)

Biz o saatte okulda ol-a-ma-/y/ız.

(biz / o /sa*at*te / o*kul*da / o*la*ma*yız↷)
We can’t be at school at that hour. (impossibility)

Onlar haklı ol-a-ma-ız-lar.

(on*lar / hak*lı / o*la*maz*lar↷)
They can’t be right. (impossibility)

(Sen) saat dokuzda büroda ol-a-ma-ız mı-sın?

(sen / sa*at / do*kuz*da / bü*ro*da / o*la*maz / mı*sın↷)
Can't you be at the office at nine? (Isn't it possible?)

O bir geri zekâlı ol-a-ma-ız.

( o / bir / ge*ri / ze*kâ:*lı / o*la*maz↷)
She can’t be a fool.

may be ( ol-a-bil-ir) (possibility)

When “ol-a-bil-ir” (o*la*bi*lir) is used after a noun, an adjective, or a noun-

[DE], it means “may be”. The [ir] allomorph conveys the present time, which
has no allomorphs as a result of the [ebil, abil] allomorphs preceding it.

Çocuklar bahçede ol-a-bil-ir.

(ço*cuk*lar / bah*çe*de / o*la*bi*lir↷)
The children may be in the garden. (possibility)

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

Bu çiçek demeti sizin için ol-a-bil-ir.

(bu / çi*çek / de*me*ti~ / si*zi*ni*çin / o*la*bi*lir↷)
This bunch of flowers may be for you. (possibility)

Konser ilginç ol-a-bil-ir.

(kon*ser / il*ginç / o*la*bi*lir↷)
The concert may be interesting. (possibility)

Kedi, kapı-/n/ın arka-/s/ı/n/-da ol-a-bil-ir.

(ke*di / ka*pı*nın / ar*ka*sın*da / o*la*bi*lir↷)
The cat may be behind the door. (possibility)

Uçak bulut-lar-ın üzeri/n/-de ol-a-bil-ir.

(u*çak / bu*lut*la*rın / ü*ze*rin*de / o*la*bi*lir↷)
The plane may be above the clouds. (possibility)

(Ben) mutsuz ol-a-bil-ir-im.

(mut*suz / o*la*bi*li*rim↷)
I may be unhappy. (possibility)

Sen inatçı ol-a-bil-ir-sin.

(sen / i*nat*çı / o*la*bi*lir*sin↷)
You may be obstinate. (possibility)

Onlar yanıl-mıĢ ol-a-bil-ir-ler.

(on*lar / ya*nıl*mış / o*la*bi*lir*ler↷)
They may be wrong. (possibility)

Saat dokuzda büroda ol-a-bil-ir mi-sin?

(sa*at / do*kuz*da / bü*ro*da / o*la*bi*lir ↝ / mi*sin↷)
Can you be at the office at 9? (Is it possible for you?)

Saat onda bana telefon et-e-bil-ir mi-sin?

(sa*at / on*da / ba*na / te*le*fon / e*de*bi*lir ↝/ mi*sin↷)
Can you ring me up at 10?

Bu mektubu Ģimdi daktilo et-e-bil-ir mi-sin?

Can you type this letter now?

may not be (ol-ma-/y/a-bil-ir) (ol*ma*ya*bi*lir) (negative possibility)

To put the above sentences into the negative possibility form, “ol-ma/y/a-bil-
ir-im”, “ol-ma-/y/a-bil-ir-sin”, “ol-ma-/y/a-bil-ir”, “ol-ma-/y/a-bil-ir-iz”, “ol-ma-
/y/a-bil-ir-siniz”, and “ol-ma-/y/a-bil-ir-ler” words are separately used:

Sen haklı ol-ma-/y/a-bil-ir-sin.

(sen / hak*lı / ol*ma*ya*bi*lir*sin↷)
You may not be right. (negative possibility)

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

Sen haklı ol-a-ma-ız-sın.

(sen / hak*lı / o*la*maz*sın↷)
You can’t be right. (impossibility)

Yarın hava iyi ol-a-bil-ir.

(ya*rın / ha*va / i*yi / o*la*bi*lir↷)
It may be fine tomorrow. (possibility)

Yarın hava iyi ol-ma-/y/a-bil-ir.

(ya*rın / ha*va / i*yi / ol*ma*ya*bi*lir↷)
It may not be fine tomorrow. (negative possibility)

Biz yarın Ġstanbul’da ol-ma-/y/a-bil-ir-iz.

(biz / ya*rın / is*tan*bul*da / ol*ma*ya*bi*li*riz↷)
We may not be in Ġstanbul tomorrow. (negative possibility)

THE QUESTION FORMS OF VERB “BE”

To put the above sentences into the question form, “miyim?, misin?, mi?,
miyiz?, misiniz?, ler mi?” words or their allomorphs (mi/y/im, mı-/y/ım, mü-
/y/üm, mu-/y/um, etc.) are separately used. Although these question words
are separately written, they follow the vowel harmony rules:

Çocuklar okulda mı?

(ço*cuk*lar / o*kul*da / mı↷)
Are the children at school?

Saat dokuzda evde misin?

(sa*at / do*kuz*da / ev*de / mi*sin↷)
Are you at home at nine?

Deli misin?
(de*li*mi*sin↷)
Are you crazy?

Cocuklar evde ol-a-bil-ir mi?

(ço*cuk*lar / ev*de / o*la*bi*lir*mi↷)
Can the children be at home? (possibility)

O haklı ol-a-bil-ir.
(o / hak*lı / o*la*bi*lir↷)
He can be or may be right.

O haklı ol-a-bil-ir mi?

(o / hak*lı / o*la*bi*lir* mi↷)
Can he be right? (possibility)

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

Ben haklı ol-a-ma-ız mıyım?

(ben / hak*lı / o*la*maz / mı*yım↷)
Can’t I be right?

Zamanında evde ol-a-ma-ız mısın?

(za*ma:*nın*da / ev*de / o*la*maz / mı*sın↷)
Can’t you be home in time?

Hava yarın iyi ol-a-bil-ir mi?

(ha*va / ya*rın / i*yi / o*la*bi*lir ↝ mi↷)
Is it likely to be fine tomorrow?

“have to be, should be (ought to be), needn’t be”

Consider and compare the following examples:

Yorgun ol-malı-sın.
(yor*gun / ol*ma*lı*sın↷)
You must be tired. (I am sure you are tired.)

Yarın saat dokuzda okulda ol-malı-sın.

(ya*rın / sa*at / do*kuz*da / o*kul*da / ol*ma*lı*sın↷)
You must be at school at nine. (I want you to be at school at 9.) (obligation)

Sen saat dokuzda burda ol-ma-malı-sın.

(sa*at / do*kuz*da / bur*da / ol*ma*ma*lı*sın↷)
You mustn’t be here at nine.
(I don’t want you to be here at nine.) (obligation)

Saat dokuzda okulda ol-malı-/y/ım.

(sa*at / do*kuz*da /o*kul*da / ol*ma*lı*yım↷)
I must be at school at nine. (internal obligation) (I myself want to be at
school at nine.)

Ben saat dokuzda okulda ol-a-ma-ım.

(sa*at / do*kuz*da / o*kul*da / o*la*mam↷)
I can’t be at school at nine. (impossibility)

“have to be” (ol-mak + zorunda-[/y/ım, -sın, -Ø, -/y/ız, -sınız, -lar ])

Saat dokuzda okulda ol-mak zorunda-/y/ım. I have to be at school at nine.
infinitive infinitive
(sa*at / do*kuz*da~ / o*kul*da / ol*mak / zo*run*da*yım↷)
(They want me to be at school at nine; this is the rule.) (external obligation)

Öğrenciler, çalıĢkan ol-mak zorunda.

(öğ*ren*ci*ler ~/ ça*lıĢ*kan / ol*mak / zo*run*da↷)
Students have to be hardworking. (This is their duty.) (external obligation)

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

(Ben) saat dokuzda okulda ol-mak zorunda değil-im.

(ben~ / sa*at / do*kuz*da / o*kul*da / ol*mak / zo*run*da / de*ği*lim↷)
I don't have to be (or “needn’t be”) at school at nine tomorrow. (absence of
external obligation)

Saat dokuzda okulda ol-mak zorunda mı/y/ız?

(sa*at / do*kuz*da / o*kul*da / ol*mak / zo*run*da / mı*yız↷)
Do we have to be at school at nine?

Bu yeni sözcükleri öğrenmek zorunda/y/ım.

(bu / ye*ni / söz*cük*le*ri / öğ*ren*mek / zo*run*da*yım↷)
I have to learn these new words. (external obligation)

“needn’t be” (possessed infinitive - [e, a] + gerek yok )

Ben okul-da olur-um. ↻ “ben-im okul-da ol-ma-ım”

abstract sentence transformed nominalized sent.
(Ben-im) saat dokuzda okulda ol-ma-ım-a gerek yok
noun + infinitive compound (synt noun)
(be*nim / sa*at / do*kuz*da / o*kul*da / ol*ma*ma / ge*rek / yok↷)
I needn’t be at school at nine. I don’t have to be at school at nine.

(The double underlined /ı/ in “ım” drops. The last [a] is one of the allomorphs
of the morpheme [E].) (lack of external obligation)

(Ben-im) yarın öğleden sonra büroda ol-ma-ım-a gerek yok.

(be*nim ~/ ya*rın / öğ*le*den / son*ra / bü*ro*da / ol*ma*ma /
ge*rek / yok↷)
I needn’t be at the office tomorrow afternoon. I don’t have to be…

(Siz-in) hazır ol-ma-ın-ız gerek(iyor.

(ha*zır / ol*ma*nız / ge*re*ki*yor↷)
You have to be ready. You should be ready. You ought to be ready.
(external obligation)

(Sen-in) kaygılan-ma-ın-a gerek yok.

(se*nin / kay*gı*lan*ma*na / ge*rek / yok↷)
You needn’t be anxious.

Yeni bir araba almamıza gerek yok.

(ye*ni / bir / a*ra*ba / al*ma*mı*za / ge*rek / yok↷ )
We needn’t buy a new car.

Kızmana gerek yok.

(kız*ma*na / ge*rek / yok↷)
You needn’t be angry.

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

Bağırmana gerek yok; sağır değilim.

(ba*ğır*ma*na / ge*rek / yok↷) (sa*ğır / de*ği*lim↷)
You needn’t shout; I am not deaf.

THE SIMPLE PAST VERB “BE”

The past morpheme of [DĠR] is [DĠ], which has eight allomorphs [di, dı, dü,
du, ti, tı, tü, tu]. These allomorphs are naturally followed by personal allo-
morphs:

(ben) : [im, ım, üm, um]

(sen) : [in, ın, ün, un]
(o) : [Ø]
(biz) : [ik, ık, ük, uk]
(siz) : [iniz, ınız, ünüz, unuz]
(onlar) : [ø] (ler, lar)

Note: There are two kinds of first person plural personal morphemes, [ĠZ]
and [ĠK] attached to time morphemes in Turkish. The time morphemes end-
ing with consonants are attached to the [iz, ız, üz, uz] allomorphs such as
“gid-er-iz”, kal-ır-ız”, “öksür-ür-üz”, “gel-iyor-uz”, etc. The time allo-
morphs ending with vowels [di, dı, dü, du, ti, tı, tü, tu] and condition allo-
morphs [se, sa] are attached to [ik, ık, ük, uk] allomorphs such as “gel-di-
ik”, “gör-dü-ük”, “aldı-ık”, “gel-se-ik”, “oku-sa-ık”, “geç-ti-ik”, “sat-tı-
ık”.

As a general rule, when the personal allomorphs whose first phonemes are
all vowels, are attached to the allomorphs of the morphemes [DĠ] and [SE],
their first vowels drop. These vowels are double underlined in the examples:

“gel-ir-iz”, “gel-iyor-uz”, “gel-ecek-iz”, “gel-miĢ-iz”, “gel-meli-/y/iz”,

“gel-ebil-ir-iz”, “çalıĢ-ma-lı-/y/ız”, “düĢün-ür-üz”

“gel-di-ik” (gel*dik), “gel-iyor-du-uk” (ge*li*yor*duk), “gel-meli/y/-di-ik”

(gel*me*liy*dik), “gel-se/y/-di-ik” (gel*sey*dik), “gel-miĢ-se-ik” (gel*miş*-
sek), “ça-lıĢ-sa-ık” (ça*lış*sak)

Dün hasta/y/-dı-ım.
(dün / has*tay*dım↷)
I was ill yesterday.
(The /y/ is a glide, and the double underlined /ı/ vowel drops.)

Siz dün sinema-da/y/-dı-ınız.

(siz / dün / si*ne*ma*day*dı*nız↷)
You were at the cinema yesterday. (The /y/ is a glide.)

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

Oyun ilginç-ti.
(o*yun / il*ginç*ti↷)
The play was interesting.

Biz hazır-dı-ık.
(biz / ha*zır*dık↷)
We were ready.

Onlar zengin-di-ler.
(on*lar / zen*gin*di*ler↷)
They were wealthy.

To put the above sentences into the negative form “değildim”, “değildin”,
“değildi”, “değildik”, “değildiniz”, “değillerdi” words are separately add-
ed to the sentences:

Dün hasta değil-di-im.

(dün / has*ta / de*ğil*dim↷)
I wasn’t ill yesterday.

Siz dün okulda değil-di-iniz.

(siz / dün / o*kul*da / de*ğil*di*niz↷)
You weren’t at school yesterday.

Dün hava güzel değil-di.

(dün / ha*va / gü*zel / de*ğil*di↷)
It wasn’t fine yesterday.

Biz geçen hafta Bursa’da değil-di-ik.

(biz / ge*çen / haf*ta ~ / bur*sa*da / de*ğil*dik↷)
We weren’t in Bursa last week.

Onlar birkaç yıl önce varlıklı değil-ler-di.

(on*lar / bir*kaç / yıl / ön*ce / var*lık*lı / de*ğil*ler*di↷)
They weren’t wealthy a few years ago.

The following words are used to put t he above example sentences into
the positive question form:

(ben) : “mi/y/-di-im”, “mı/y/-dı-ım”, “mü/y/-dü-üm”, “mu/y/-du-um”

(sen) : “mi/y/-di-in”, “mı/y/-dı-ın”, “mü/y/-dü-ün”, “mu/y/-du-un”
(o) : “mi/y/-di”, “mı/y/-dı”, “mü/y/-dü”, “mu/y/-du”
(biz) : “mi/y/-di-ik”, “mı/y/-dı-ık”, “mü/y/-dü-ük”, “mu/y/-du-uk”
(siz) : “mi/y/-di-iniz”, “mı/y/-dı-ınız”, “mü/y/-dü-ünüz”, “mu/y/-du-unuz”.
(onlar) : “mi/y/-di-ler”, “mı/y/-dı-lar”, “mü/y/-dü-ler”, “mu/y/-du-lar”

All the double underlined vowels above drop.

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

Although these words follow the vowel harmony rule patterns when they are
articulated and written, they are considered to be words and so they are
separately written. The /y/ phonemes used above are all glides.

Dün hasta mı/y/-dı-ın?

(dün / has*ta / mıy*dın↷)
Were you ill yesterday?

Maç sıkıcı mı/y/-dı?

(maç / sı*kı*cı / mıy*dı↷)
Was the match boring?

Çocuklar mutlu mu/y/-du-(lar)?

(ço*cuk*lar / mut*lu / muy*du*lar↷)
Were the children happy?

Sorular zor mu/y/-du?

(so*ru*lar / zor / muy*du↷)
Were the questions difficult?

Onlar zengin mi/y/-di-(ler)?

(on*lar / zen*gin / miy*di*ler↷)
Were they wealthy?

Mutlu mu/y/-du-un?
(mut*lu / muy*dun↷)
Were you happy?

The [mi, mı, mü, mu] question allomorphs can also be used after the pri-
marily stressed words:

(dün↝mü / has*tay*dın↝); (so*ru*lar↝mı / zor*du↝); (so*ru*lar / zor*muy*du↷)

In order to form negative questions, “değil” and the above “miydim”,

“miydin”, “miydi”, “miydik”, “miydiniz”, “miydiler” words are separately
used:

Dün okulda değil mi/y/-di-in?

(dün / o*kul*da / de*ğil / miy*din↷)
Weren’t you at school yesterday?

Maç heyecanlı değil mi/y/-di?

Wasn’t the match exciting?
Manzara güzel değil mi/y/-di?
Wasn’t the scenery beautiful?

ArkadaĢların toplantıda değiller mi/y/-di (değil mi/y/-di-ler)?

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

(ar*ka*daş*la*rın / top*lan*tı*da / de*ğil*ler / miy*di↷)

Weren’t your friends at the meeting?

Konser pahalı değil mi/y/-di?

(kon*ser / pa*ha*lı / de*ğil / miy*di↷)
Wasn’t the concert expensive?

Sen evde değil mi/y/-di-in?

(sen / ev*de / de*ğil / miy*din↷)
Weren’t you at home?

The Turkish Past form of “be” is also used in place of Past Perfect “be” “had
been”. Compare the following:

Babam öldüğünde ben yirmi beĢ yıldır öğretmendim.

(ba*bam / öl*dü*ğün*de ~/ ben / yir*mi / beş / yıl*dır / öğ*ret*men*dim↷)
I had been a teacher for twenty- five years when my father died.

Ġkinci Dünya SavaĢı sona erdiğinde ben yedi yıldır öğrenciydim.

(i*kin*ci / dün*ya: / sa*va*şı / so*na / er*di*ğin*de~ / ben / ye*di / yıl*dır /
öğ*ren*ciy*dim↷)
I had been a student for seven years when the second World War ended.

INTERROGATIVE WORDS

Kim? (who?) (noun, asks about the subject); ne? (what?) (noun, asks about
the subject or the object); niçin?, neden? (why?) (adverb, asks the cause of
the action); nasıl? (how?) (adverb, asks about in what way, by what means,
in what condition or health the subject is); nere-de?, nere/y/e? (where?)
(adverb of place); kim-i (who?, whom?) (noun, asks about the object); han-
gi-/s/i?, hangi-/s/i-/n/i (which?); kim için? (for whom?); kime? (to whom?);
kim-le? (with whom?); kim hakkında? (about whom?); kim-den? (from
whom?); kim tarafından? (by whom?); ne zaman-dan beri? (since when?);
saat kaçtan beri? (since what time?); Ne-/y/in üst-ü/n/-de? (What is it
on?); Neyin alt-ı/n/-da? (What is it under?); Ne-/y/in iç-i/n/-de? (What is it
in?).

Sen kim-sin?
(sen / kim↝ sin↝)
Who are you?

Ben Jack’im.
(ben / Ja* kim↷)
I’m Jack.

Sen-in meslek-in ne?

(se*nin / mes*le*ğin↝ / ne↝)
What are you? What is your profession?

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

Ben öğrenci-/y/im.
(ben / öğ*ren*ci*yim↷)
I am a student. (The /y/ is a glide.)

Anneniz nasıl?
(an*ne*niz↝ / na*sıl↝)
How is your mother?

Çok iyi, teĢekkür ederim.

(ço*ki*yi↷ / te*şek*kür / e*de*rim↷)
She is quite well, thank you.

Ġstanbul’da hava nasıl?

(is*tan*bul*da / ha*va↝ / na*sıl↝)
What is the weather like in Ġstanbul?

Yağmurlu.
(yağ*mur*lu↷)
Rainy.

Kız kardeĢinin adı ne?

(kız / kar*de*şi*nin / a*dı ↝/ ne↝)
What is your sister’s name?

Onun adı Jane.

(o*nu*na*dı /Jane↷)
Her name is Jane.

Bu çiçekler kim için?

(bu / çi*çek*ler / ki↝ mi*çin↝)
Who are these flowers for?

Onlar annem için.

(on*lar~ / an*nem / i*çin↷)
They are for my mother.

Vazo ne-/y/in üstünde?

(va*zo / ne*yin↝ / üs*tün*de↝)
What is the vase on?

Köpek ne-/y/in arkasında?

(kö*pek / ne*yin↝ / ar*ka*sın*da↝)
What is the dog behind?

Dün sen kim-le/y/-di-in?

(dün / sen / kim↝ley*din↝)
Who were you with yesterday?

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

Ne zaman-dan beri burdasın?

(ne ↝/ za*man*dan / be*ri / bur*da*sın↝)
Since when have you been here?

Ne kadar zaman-dır bur(a)dasın?

( ne ↝/ ka*dar / za*man*dır / bur*da*sın↝)
How long have you been here?

Hangi kitap senin?

(han↝gi / ki*tap /se*nin↝)
Which book is yours?

Hangi-/s/i senin?
(han↝gi*si / se*nin↝)
Which is yours?

Hangi-/s/i daha hesaplı?

(han↝gi*si / da*ha / he*sap*lı↝)
Which is more economical?

Kedi ne-/y/in alt-ı/n/da?

(ke*di / ne*yin↝ / al*tın*da↝)
What is the cat under?

Çiçekler ne-/y/in iç-i-/n/de-/y/di ?

(çi*çek*ler / ne*yin↝ / i*çin*dey*di↝)
What were the flowers in?

Hangi-/s/i-/n/i tercih edersin?

(han↝gi*si*ni / ter*cih / e*der*sin↝)
Which do you prefer?

Nerede-/s/in (nerdesin)?
(ner↝de*sin↝)
Where are you?

Okulun nasıl?
(o*ku*lun↝ / na*sıl↝)
What is your school like?

Araban ne renk?
(a*ra*ban / ne ↝/ renk↝)
What color is your car?

Hangi kitap daha iyi?

(han↝gi / ki*tap / da*ha / i*yi↝)
Which book is better?

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

Kim-le beraber-sin?
(kim↝ le /be*ra:*ber*sin↝)
Who are you with?

Jack niçin evde değil?

(Jack / ni↝ çin / ev*de / de*ğil↝)
Why isn’t jack at home?

Ġstanbul’da ne kadar kalmayı plânlıyorsun?

(is*tan*bul*da / ne↝ / ka*dar / kal*ma*yı / plân*lı*yor*sun ↝)
How long do you plan to stay in Ġstanbul?

Hangimiz daha yakıĢıklıyız?

(han↝ği*miz / da*ha / ya*kı*şık*lı*yız↝)
Which one of us is more handsome?

[MĠġ] (RUMOR, INFERENCE) (SÖYLENTI, ANLAM ÇIKARMA)

This morpheme gives the predicates the meaning of rumor or inference. It

has four allomorphs [miĢ, mıĢ, müĢ, muĢ], and the usual personal allo-
morphs follow them:

O bir mimar-mıĢ.
(o / bir / mi:*mar*mış↷)
They say that he is (was) an architect.

O mahkûm suçsuz-muĢ.
(o / mah*kûm~ / suç*suz*muş↷)
They say that the prisoner is (was) innocent.

O tembel-miĢ.
(o / tem*bel*miş↷)
People say that he is (was) lazy.

Okul-da/y/-mıĢ.
(o*kul*day*mış↷)
They say that he is (was) at school.

O bir casus-muĢ.
( o / bir / ca:*sus*muş↷)
They say that he is (was) a spy.

Ben tembel-miĢ-im.
(ben / tem*bel*mi*şim↷)
They say that I am (was) lazy.

Ben eskiden tembel-miĢ-im.

(ben / es*ki*den~ / tem*bel*mi*şim↷)
They say that I was lazy in the past.

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

Senin kızların yaramaz-mıĢ.

(se*nin / kız*la*rın~ / ya*ra*maz*mış↷)
They say that your daughters are naughty.

Siz okulda/y/-mıĢ-sınız.
(siz / o*kul*day*mış*sı*nız↷)
They say that you were at school.

In the above sentences, who says is either unknown or unimportant, or the

speaker does not want to mention his or her name.

If “who says” is unknown or unimportant, such sentences can also be used

in indirect speech:

Sınavlarını geçmiĢ. They say that he has passed his examinations.

Arabası satılmıĢ. They said that his car had been sold.

“Kim-miĢ?”, “nere-de/y/-miĢ?”, “nere-de/y/-miĢ-sin?”, “ne/y/-miĢ?” and

the like question words are naturally used in these sentences:

O ne/y/miĢ?
(o / ney↝miş↝)
What do they say he (is) was?

Mimar-mıĢ.
(mi:*mar*mış↷)
They say he (is) was an architect.

Ben ne/y/-miĢ-im?
(ben / ney↝ mi*şim↝)
What do they say I am (was)?

Tembel-miĢ-sin.
(tem*bel*miş*sin↷)
They say you are (were) lazy.

Kim-in kız-lar-ı yaramaz-mıĢ?

(ki*min ↝ / kız*la*rı / ya*ra*maz*mış↝)
Whose daughters do they say are (were) naughty?

Jack nerde/y/miĢ?
(Jack / ner↝ dey*miş↝)
Where do they say Jack is (was)?

Kim haklı/y/mıĢ?
(kim ↝ / hak*lıy*mış ↝)
Who do they say is (was) right?

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

THE FUTURE FORM OF “BE”: “WILL BE”

The future form of the verb “be” is “ol-[acak]-pers” in Turkish:

Yarın hava güneĢ-li ol-acak.

(ya*rın / ha*va / gü*neş*li / o*la*cak↷)
It will be sunny tomorrow. It is going to be sunny tomorrow.

Bir gün zengin ol-acak-sın.

(bir / gün / zen*gin / o*la*cak*sın↷)
You will be wealthy some day.

Yarın okulda ol-ma-/y/acak-ım.

(ya*rın / o*kul*da / ol*ma*ya*ca*ğım↷)
I won’t be at school tomorrow.

Saat sekizde hazır ol-acak mı-sın (olur musun)?

( sa*at / se*kiz*de / ha*zır / o*lur / mu*sun↷)
Will you be ready at eight o’clock tomorrow? (request)

Saat kaçta hazır ol-acak-sınız?

(sa*at / kaç*ta ↝/ ha*zır / o*la*cak*sı*nız↝)
What time will you be ready?

As the verb stem is always “ol”, only the [acak] allomorph is used. The other
[ecek] allomorph is used with action verbs: “gel-ecek”, “kal-acak”.

“THERE IS”, “THERE ARE”; “HAVE”, “HAVE GOT”

Var & Yok

The equivalents of the above expressions in Turkish are “-de var”, “-da
var”, and “ben-im, sen-in, o-/n/un var”. Consider the following sentences:

Garaj-da bir araba var.

(ga*raj*da / bir / a*ra*ba / var ↷)
There is a car in the garage. (exist)

Garajda (ben-im) sadece bir araba-ım var.

noun compound
(ga*raj*da / sa:*de*ce / bir / a*ra*bam / var↷)
I have (got) only one car in the garage. (possess)

Uçak-ta on yolcu var.

(u*çak*ta / on / yol*cu / var↷)
There are ten passengers on the plane. (exist)

(Ben-im) iki kız-ım var. (be*nim / i*ki / kı*zım / var↷)

noun compound
I’ve (got) two daughters. (possess)

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

(Senin) kaç erkek kardeĢ-in var?

noun compound
(se*nin~/ kaç↝ / er*kek / kar*de*şin / var↝)
How many brothers have you?

(Senin) kaç para-ın var?

noun compound
(se* nin / kaç↝ / pa*ran / var↝)
How much money have you got? (possess)

The negative of “var” is “yok”:

Garajda hiç araba yok.

(ga*raj*da / hiç / ar*ra*ba / yok↷)
There aren’t any cars in the garage. (not exist)

(Ben-im) araba-ım yok.

noun compound
(be*nim / a*ra*bam / yok↷)
I haven’t got a car.

The past form of the above expression is “var-dı”; “there was”, “had got”:

Garajda sadece bir araba var-dı.

(ga*raj*da / sa:*de*ce / bir / a*ra*ba / var*dı↷)
There was only one car in the garage. (exist)

(Ben-im) çok para-ım var-dı. I had (got) a lot of money. (possess)

noun compound
Uçakta on yolcu var-dı. There were ten passengers on the plane. (exist)

The negative form of “var-dı” is “yok-tu”: “there wasn’t”, “didn’t have”

Yirmi sene önce (ben-im) çok para-ım yoktu.

noun compound
I didn’t have much money twenty years ago. (not possess)

Mutfakta bir masa yoktu.

(mut*fak*ta / bir / ma*sa / yok*tu↷)
There wasn’t a table in the kitchen. (not exist)

Duvarlarda hiç resim yoktu.

(du*var*lar*da / hiç / re*sim / yok*tu↷)
There weren’t any pictures on the walls. (not exist)

Onun hiç çocuğu yoktu.

(o*nun / hiç / ço*cu*ğu / yok*tu↷)
He didn’t have any children.

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

THERE USED TO BE, USED TO HAVE

The Turkish equivalent of “there used to be” is also “var-dı”:

KöĢede bir postane vardı.

(kö*şe*de / bir / pos*ta:*ne / var*dı↷)
There used to be a post office on the corner. (existed in the past, not now)

Sınıflarda çok öğrenci vardı.

(sı*nıf*lar*da / çok / öğ*ren*ci / var*dı↷)
There used to be a lot of students in classes. (existed in the past, not now)

(Ben-im) çok para-ım vardı.

noun compound
(be*nim~ / çok / pa*ram / var*dı↷)
I used to have a lot of money. (possessed in the past, not now)

THERE MUST (MAY) (SHOULD) BE, THERE CAN’T BE, THERE IS

GOING TO BE

“Ol-malı” (there must be); “ol-a-ma-ız” (there can’t be); “ol-acak” (there is
going to be, there will be); "ol-a-bil-ir" (there may be); “ol-ma-/s/ı gerekir”
(there should be) expressions must also be included in the above sentence
types:

Ġlerde bir kaza ol-malı.

(i*ler*de / bir / ka*za: / ol*ma*lı↷)
There must be an accident ahead.

Bir yanlıĢ anlama ol-malı.

(bir / yan*lış / an*la*ma / ol*ma*lı↷)
There must be a misunderstanding.

Bu mektupta bir yanlıĢlık ol-a-ma-ız.

(bu / mek*tup*ta / bir / yan*lış*lık / o*la*maz↷)
There can’t be a mistake in this letter.

Kavga çıkacak (olacak).

(kav*ga / çı*ka*cak↷)
There is going to be a fight.

Bir hava saldırısı olacak.

(bir / ha*va / sal*dı*rı*sı / o*la*cak↷)
There is going to be an air raid.

Bu mektupta bazı yanlıĢlar ol-a-bil-ir.

(bu / mek*tup*ta~ / ba:*zı / yan*lış*lık*lar / o*la*bi*lir↷)
There may be some mistakes in this letter.

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

Burada bir trafik polisi olması gerekir.

(bur*da / bir / tra*fik / po*li*si / ol*ma*sı / ge*re*kir↷)
There should be a traffic police officer here.

IMPERATIVES and WISHES

Direct orders are given to a second person by using a verb stem without
using any suffixes such as "Bura/y/a gel" (Come here); "KuĢ-lar-a bak"
(Look at the birds); "Süt-ü-/n/ü iç” "(Drink your milk); "Pencere-den bak"
(Look out of the window); "Bir fincan kahve buyur!" (Have a cup of coffee!);
"Eğlenmene bak!" ( Have a nice time!) (Enjoy yourself!)

One cannot usually give orders to himself or herself, so there is not a first
person order form. Orders are given to the second person as a rule. How-
ever, an order may also be given to the third person indirectly. A speaker
gives orders to the second person to be transferred to a third person. The
last syllable of an imperative sentence is primarily stressed and dropped
sharply, which is symbolized with a falling arrow (↷):

Git-sin. (git*sin↷)
Tell him to go; let him go.

Arabamı yıka-sın. (a*ra*ba*mı / yı*ka*sın↷)

Tell him to wash my car.

Gürültüyü kes-sin-ler! (gü*rül*tü*yü / kes*sin*ler↷)

Tell them to stop making a noise!

The orders that are given with the verb "ol" and “et” (be) are widely used in
both English and Turkish. In such sentences the primarily stressed syllables
are the last syllables of the adjectives and adverbs:

Sabırlı ol!
(sa*bır*lı / ol↷)
Be patient!

Dikkat et! (Dikkatli ol!)

(dik*ka*tet↷) (dik*kat*li / ol↷)
Be careful!

Hemen hazır ol!

(he*men / ha*zır / ol↷)
Be ready soon!

Hemen hazır ol-sun-lar!

(he*men / ha*zır / ol*sun*lar↷)
Tell them to be ready soon!

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Negative orders are given by attaching [me, ma] allomorphs to verb stems
or frames:

Pencereden sark-ma!
(pen*ce*re*den / sark*ma↷)
Don't lean out of the window!

Caddeyi koĢarak geç-me!

(cad*de*yi / ko*şa*rak / geç*me↷)
Don't run across the street!

Geç kal-ma!
(geç / kal*ma↷)
Don't be late!

IĢıkları kapat-ma-/y/ı unut-ma!

(ı*şık*la*rı / ka*pat*ma*yı / u*nut*ma↷)
Don't forget to turn off the lights!

Sabır-sız ol-ma!
(sa*bır*sı*zol*ma↷)
Don't be impatient!

Çanta-ın çal-ın-ma*sın!
(çan*tan / ça*lın*ma*sın↷)
Be careful not to have your handbag stolen!

The [me, ma] negation allomorphs are added to verb stems followed by the
third person personal allomorphs [sin, sın] to change the verb into the nega-
tive form:

Buraya gel-me-sin.
(bu*ra*ya / gel*me*sin↷)
Tell him not to come here. "Don't let him come here."

For the third person plural [ler, lar] allomorphs are added to the negative
verbs: "Gel-me-sin-ler" (gel*me*sin*ler↷). "BaĢla-ma-sın-lar" (baş*la*-
ma*sın*lar↷).

WISH (Ġstek)

To turn a verb stem into the wish mood, [e, a] and the personal allo-
morphs are added:

Al-a-/y/ım. (a*la*yım↷) Let me take.

Bak-a-/y/ım! (ba*ka*yım↷) Let me see! (Let me have a look!)
Git-e-/y/im. (gi*de*yim↷) Let me go.

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

All the verb stems used above end with consonants, but when they end
with vowels, the /y/ glides are inserted between their last vowels and the [e,
a] allomorphs:

Bekle-/y/e-/y/im. (bek*le*ye*yim↷) or (bek*li*ye*yim↷) Let me wait.

However, in speech, the “/y/e” syllable attached to “bekle” is dropped, and

the word becomes (bek*le*yim↷).

Bekle-/y/e-/y/im. (bek*le*yim↷) Let me wait.

Ertele-/y/e-/y/im. (er*te*le*yim↷) Let me postpone.

For the first person plural, [li-im, lı-ım] personal allomorphs are used after
the [e, a] allomorphs:

Al-a-lı-ım. (a*la*lım↷) Let us take (buy).

Seç-e-li-im. (se*çe*lim↷) Let us choose.
BaĢla-/y/a-lı-ım. (baş*la*ya*lım↷) Let us begin.
Oku-/y/a-lı-ım. (o*ku*ya*lım↷) Let us read.
Bekle-/y/e-li-im (bek*le*ye*lim↷) Let us wait.

The verb stems above ending with vowels, such as "baĢla", "oku" and
"bekle" are attached to the [e, a] wish allomorphs with the /y/ glides.

Sometimes "gidem", "olam", "gidesin", "olasın", "gide", "ola" words are

heard in prayers and curses, such as "Cehenneme gidesin!" (Go to Hell!),
"Tut-tuğun altın ola!" (I wish what you hold be gold!)

To make the verbs negative, [me, ma] allomorphs are added as usual:

"Bekle-me-/y/e-lim" (bek*le*me*ye*lim↷) (Let us not wait.); "Git-me-/y/e-

lim." (git*me*ye*lim↷) Let us not go. “Bekle-me-/y/e-/y/im.” (bek*le*mi*-
ye*/y/im↷) Let met not wait.

When the question forms of the wish mood are used, the wish form
changes into an offer:

Televizyonu aç-a-/y/ım mı?

(te*le*viz*yo*nu / a*ça*yım↝ / mı↷)
Shall I turn the TV on?

If the above sentence ends with a rising intonation (↝), (te*le*viz*yo*nu /

a*ça*yım*mı↝), the sentence means “I didn’t understand you well; please
repeat what you said.”

Bu sözcükleri tahtaya yaz-a-/y/ım mı?

(bu / söz*cük*le*ri / tah*ta*ya / ya*za*yım↝ / mı↷)
Shall I write these words on the blackboard?

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

Bir restoranda akĢam yemeği ye-/y/e-li-im mi?

(bir / res*to*ran*da / ak*şam / ye*me*ği / yi*ye*lim↝ / mi↷)
Shall we have dinner at a restaurant?
What about having dinner at a restaurant?"

Sana bir fincan kahve yapayım mı?

(sa*na / bir / fin*can / kah*ve / ya*pa*yım↝ / mı↷)
Shall I make you a cup of coffee?

Çiçekleri sulayım mı?

(çi*çek*le*ri / su*la*yım↝ / mı↷)
Shall I water the flowers?

THE SIMPLE PRESENT TENSE

GeniĢ Zaman

The Turkish Simple Present Tense is generally used like the English Simple
Present Tense with only some exceptions. They will be dealt with after the
general explanations. The time morpheme of this tense is [ĠR], which has
the allomorphs of [ir, ır, ür, ur, er, ar]. These allomorphs are followed by the
personal allomorphs as usual:

(Ben) : [im, ım, üm, um]

(Sen) : [sin, sın, sün, sun]
(O) : [Ø] morpheme. (No personal morphemes are attached.)
(Biz) : [iz, ız, üz, uz]
(Siz) : [siniz, sınız, sünüz, sunuz]
(Onlar) : [ler, lar]

When the verb stems or frames ending with vowels are attached to the
above simple present allomorphs, the simple present allomorphs drop
their first vowels:

bekle-ir-im (bek*le*rim); baĢla-ır-ım (baş*la*rım); yürü-ür-üm

(yü*rü*rüm); koru-ur-um (ko*ru*rum); bekle-ir-sin (bek*ler*sin); baĢla-ır
(baş*lar); bek-le-ir-iz (bek*le*riz); baĢla-ır-sınız (baş*lar*sı*nız); yürü-ür-
ler (yü*rür*ler)

The double underlined vowels above drop. The verb stems ending with con-
sonants and vowels are attached to the simple present tense allomorphs as
follows:

(Ben) yüz-er-im. (yü*ze*rim↷) I swim.

(Ben) bekle-ir-im. (bek*le*rim↷) I wait.
(Ben) anla-ır-ım. (an*la*rım↷) I understand.
(Ben) al-ır-ım. (a*lı*rım↷) I take or buy.
(Ben) götür-ür-üm. (gö*tü*rü*rüm↷) I take ... to.
(Ben) otur-ur-um. (o*tu*ru*rum↷) I sit.

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

(Ben) seç-er –im. (se*çe*rim↷) I choose.

(Ben) kaç-ar-ım. (ka*ça*rım↷) I run away.
(Ben) seç-il-ir-im (şe*çi*li*rim↷) I am elected, chosen. (passive)

(Sen) yüz-er-sin. (yü*zer*sin↷) You swim.

(Sen) al-ır-sın. (a*lır*sın↷) You take, you buy.
(Sen) götür-ür-sün (gö*tü*rür*sün↷) You take ... to
(Sen) anla-ır-sın. (an*lar*sın↷) You understand.
(Sen) otur-ur-sun. (o*tu*rur*sun↷) You sit.
(Sen) yakala-ır-sın. (ya*ka*lar*sın↷) You catch.
(Sen) sat-ar-sın. (sa*tar*sın↷) You sell.
(Sen) seç-il-ir-sin. (se*çi*lir*sin↷) You are elected, chosen. (passive)

(O) yüz-er. (yü*zer↷) He swims.

(O) al-ır. (a*lır↷ ) He takes. He buys.
(O) götür-ür. (gö*tü*rür↷) He takes ... to.
(O) otur-ur. (o*tu*rur↷) He sits.
(O) bak-ar. (ba*kar↷) He looks.
(O) bekle-ir. (bek*ler↷) He (or “she and it”) waits.
(O) gör-ül-ür. (gö*rü*lür↷) It is seen. (passive)

(The "he", "she", and "it" pronouns are all expressed in "o" pronoun in Turk-
Ish.)

(Biz) yüz-er-iz. (yü*ze*riz↷) We swim.

(Biz) al-ır-ız. (a*lı*rız↷) We take or buy.
(Biz) götür-ür-üz. (gö*tü*rü*rüz↷) We take ... to.
(Biz) otur-ur-uz. (o-tu-ru-ruz↷) We sit.
(Biz) bekle-ir-iz. (bek*le*riz↷) We wait.
(Biz) baĢla-ır-ız. (baş*la*rız↷) We start.
(Biz) yen-il-ir-iz. (ye*ni*li*riz↷) We are beaten, defeated. (passive)

(Siz) yüz-er-siniz. (yü*zer*si*niz↷) You swim.

(Siz) al-ır-sınız. (a*lır*sı*nız↷) You take or buy.
(Siz) götür-ür-sünüz. (gö*tü*rür*sü*nüz↷) You take ... to
(Siz) otur-ur-sunuz. (o*tu*rur*su*nuz↷) You sit.
(Siz) oku-ur-sunuz. (o*kur*su*nuz↷) You read.
(Siz) uç-ar-sınız. (u*çar*sı*nız↷) You fly.
(Siz) anla-ıĢ-ır-sınız. (an*la*şır*sı*nız↷) You reach an agreement. (reciprocal)

(Onlar) yüz-er-ler. (yü*zer*ler↷) They swim.

(Onlar) al-ır-lar. (a*lır*lar↷) They take or buy.
(Onlar) sakla-ır-lar. (sak*lar*lar↷) They hide.
(Onlar) götür-ür-ler. (gö*tü*rür*ler↷) They take ... to
(Onlar) otur-ur-lar. (o*tu*rur*lar↷) They sit.
(onlar) yürü-ür-ler. (yü*rür*ler↷) They walk.
(onlar) kaç-ar-lar. (ka*çar*lar↷) They run away.

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

(Onlar) anla-ıĢ-ır-lar. (an*la*şır*lar↷) They reach an agreement. (reciprocal)

The verbs that are used in this and the following tenses are of two kinds:
Transitive verbs and intransitive verbs. Transitive verbs need objects,
which may be pronouns, nouns, or noun clauses. Intransitive verbs do not
need them. They are preceded by adverbs or nouns attached to [E], [DE],
[DEN] morphemes, which also produce adverbs:

Kızım saat dokuz-da okul-a git-er.

subj adverb adverb intr verb
(kı*zım / sa*at / do*kuz*da / o*ku*la / gi*der↷).
My daughter goes to school at nine. (intransitive)

Ben genellikle yedi-de kalkar-ım.

subj adverb adverb intr verb
(ben / ge*nel*lik*le / ye*di*de / kal*ka*rım↷)
I generally get up at 7. (intransitive)

KardeĢim her sabah oda-/s/ı-/n/ı düzenle-ir.

subj adverb object transitive verb
(kar*de*şim / her / sa*bah / o*da*sı*nı / dü*zen*ler↷)
My sister tidies her room every morning. (transitive)

In Turkish, the order of a “VP” is different from that of an English “VP”. In

English, its order is “VP  V + NP”, but in Turkish the order is “VP  NP +
V”. For instance:

Ben elma sev-er-im. I like apples

NP NP V NP V NP
VP VP

(Ben) kitap oku-ur-um. I read books.

NP NP V NP V NP
VP VP

As it is noticed, in the above Turkish sentences, the words “elma” and “ki-
tap” are not in plural form as they are used in their English equivalents. This
is because, if a common noun represents all its own kind and covers all
books or apples, these nouns do not need plural allomorphs [ler] or [lar]
attached to them when they are used in the object or subject position. For
instance:

Benim kızım kitap okumaz. My daughter doesn’t read books.

Halbuki, kitap faydalıdır. Books are useful, however.

Gömleklerim-i ben ütülerim. I iron my shirts.

In the last example above, the pronoun “ben” is not in the beginning of

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

the sentence, which is its normal position. It is used after the object to em-
phasize the subject, and it is also stressed in speech. In English, this is
done with “myself", which is possible in Turkish by putting “kendim” after
“ben”. However, if someone does so; ”Gömleklerimi ben kendim ütülerim”
you may think that he is boasting about his abilities.

The “subject + object + verb” order of the same sentence “Ben gömlekler-
im-i (göm*lek*le*ri*mi) ütülerim” can also change places in poetry and litera-
ture:

Although, “Ütülerim ben gömleklerimi” , “Ütülerim gömleklerimi ben” and

“Gömleklerimi ütülerim ben” sentences are quite understandable and ac-
ceptable in Turkish, such sentences are generally used in poetry.

THE VERBS ENDING WITH VOWELS

When the verb stems ending with vowels are attached to [ir, ır, ür, ur,
er, ar] Simple Present Tense allomorphs, the first vowels of these allo-
morphs drop:

Ütüle-ir-im. (ü*tü*le*rim↷) I iron.

Ertele-ir-iz. (er*te*le*riz↷) We postpone.
Yakala-ır-lar. (ya*ka*lar*lar↷) They catch.
Ara-ır-ız. (a*ra*rız↷) We search, look for
Uyu-ur-uz. (u*yu*ruz↷) We sleep.
All the double underlined vowels drop.

Some frequently used verbs that end with vowels are as follows:

sergile (ser*gi*le) (exhibit); gülümse (gü*lüm*se) (smile); tuzla (tuz*la)

(salt); oku (o*ku) (read); baĢla (baş*la) (begin); kovala (ko*va*la) (chase,
run after); kekele (ke*ke*le) (stutter); atla (at*la) (jump); temizle (te*miz*le)
(clean); den-gele (den*ge*le) (balance); yumurtla (yu*murt*la) (lay eggs);
tara (ta*ra) (comb); eĢitle (e*şit*le) (equalize); elle (el*le) (touch); kapla
(kap*la) (cover); gözle (göz*le) (observe); besle (bes*le) (feed); yükle
(yük*le) (load); yürü (yü*rü) (walk); doku (do*ku) (weave); boya (bo*ya)
(paint); gizle (giz*le) (hide); bombala (bom*ba*la) (bomb); çalkala (çal*ka*-
la) (stir); durula (du*ru*la) (rinse); bıçak-la (bı*çak*la) (stab); tekmele (tek*-
me*le) (kick); çimdikle (çim*dik*le) (pinch); lekele (le*ke*le) (stain); yuvarla
(yu*var*la) (roll).

Note: The English words in brackets are all verbs. Some of them, however,
can also be used as nouns.

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

SOME NOUN STEMS USED TOGETHER WITH “ET”, “YAP”, “ĠġLE”,

“OL”, “AL” TO PRODUCE VERBS

In Turkish, some noun stems (which are generally borrowed words) are
used together with the verbs “et”, “ol”, “yap”, “al” or “iĢle” to produce
verbs.

et:

acele et (make haste, hurry), Ben acele et-er-im. (e*de*rim↷) (I hurry).

alay et (a*la*yet) (make fun of), affet (af*fet) (forgive), armağan et (ar*-
ma*ga*net) (present as a gift), baĢet (ba*şet) (manage, cope with), beraat
et (be*ra*a*tet) (be acquitted), beyan et (be*ya:*net) (declare), buyur et
(bu*yu*ret) (invite someone to), davet et (da:*ve*tet) (invite), dahil et
(da:*hi*let) (include something in), daktilo et (dak*ti*lo / et) (type), dans et
(dan*set) (dance), deli et (de*li / et) (make someone mad), dert et (der*-
det) (occupy oneself with problems), devam et (de*va:*met) (continue),
dikkat et (dik*ka*tet) (pay attention to, be careful), dua et (du*a: / et) (pray,
say one’s prayers), elde et (el*de / et) (obtain), gayret et (gay*re*tet) (try
hard, do one’s best), göç et (gö*çet) (migrate), haberdar et (ha*ber*-
da:*ret) (inform someone), hakaret et (ha*ka:*re*tet) (insult), hapset
(hap*set) (put in prison, imprison), hareket et (ha*re*ke*tet) (act, behave,
start), hata et (ha*ta: / et) (make a mistake), hayâl et (ha*yâ:*let) (dream,
imagine, picture in one’s mind), hazmet (haz*met) (digest), hizmet et
(hiz*me*tet) (serve, assist), idare et (i*da:*re* / et) (manage, control), iftira
et (if*ti*ra: / et) (slander), ihanet et (i*ha:*ne*tet) (betray), ikram et (ik*ra:-
*met) (offer someone to eat or drink something), ihlâl et (ih*lâ:*let) (violate),
ikna et (ik*na:/ et) (convince, persuade), ihraç et (ih*ra:*cet) (export, expel),
ikaz et (i:*ka:*zet) (warn), Imza et (im*za: / et) (sign), imâl et (I:*mâ:*let)
(manufacture), intihar et (in*ti*ha:*ret) (commit suicide), iptal et (ip*ta:*let)
(cancel), isabet et (I*sa:*be*tet) (hit the mark), israf et (is*ra:*fet) (vaste),
istifa et (is*ti*fa:/et) (resign), istifade et (is*ti*fa:*de / et) (benefit from), isti-
rahat et (is*ti*ra*ha*tet) (have a rest), itaat et (i*ta:*a*tet) (obey), ithâl et
(it*hâ:*let) (import), itiraf et (i:*ti*ra:*fet) (confess), iyi et (I*yi / et) (cure, do
the right thing), iyilik et (I*yi*li*ket) (do a favor), kabalık et (ka*ba*lı*ket) (be
rude), kabul et (ka*bu:*let) (accept), kâr et (kâ:*ret) (profit from), kavga et
(kav*ga / et) (fight, quarrel), kontrol et (kon*trol / et) (check), koordine et
(ko*or*di*ne/et) (coordinate), küfür et (küf*ret) (swear), mecbur et
(mec*bu:*ret) (oblige), meĢgul et (meş*gu:*let) (occupy someone), mem-
nun et (mem*nu:*net) (make someone happy), muhafaza et (mu*ha:*fa*za
/ et) (keep, preserve), mutlu et (mut*lu / et) (make happy), nefret et
(nef*re*tet) (hate), niyet et (ni*ye*tet) (intend), önderlik et (ön*der*li*ket)
(lead), razı et (ra:*zı / et) (persuade), sabret (sab*ret) (be patient), sakat et
(sa*ka*tet) (make physically disabled), seyret (sey*ret) (watch, observe),
sohbet et (soh*be*tet) (chat, talk), söz et (sö*zet) (talk about), tamir et
(ta:*mi:*ret) (repair, mend, fix), tahsil et (tah*si:*let) (be educated), takip et
(ta:*ki:*bet) (follow), taklit et (tak*li:*det) (imitate), taciz et (ta:*ci:*zet) (dis-
turb), tasarruf et (ta*sar*ru*fet) (economize on), tasvir et (tas*vi:*ret) (de-

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

scribe), tavsiye et (tav*si*ye / et) (recommend), tedavi et (te*da:*vi: /et)

(cure), teklif et (tek*li:*fet) (offer), telefon et (te*le*fo*net) (telephone, make
a telephone call, ring up), tembellik et (tem*bel*li*ket) (act or behave lazily),
tembih et (tem*bi:*het) (warn), tekraret (tek*ra:*ret) (repeat), tenkit et
(ten*ki:*det) (criticize), tercih et (ter*ci:*het) (prefer), terk et (ter*ket) (aban-
don, leave, desert), tesadüf et (te*sa:*dü*fet) (meet by chance, come
across), teslim et (tes*li:*met) (deliver, hand over), teĢebbüs et
(te*şeb*bü*set) (make an attempt), teĢekkür et (te*şek*kü*ret) (thank),
teĢvik et (teş*vi:*ket) (encourage), traĢ et (tra*şet) (shave), yardım et
(yar*dı*met) (help, assist). yemin et (ye*mi:*net) (swear to do something),
yaramazlık et (ya*ra*maz*lı*ket) (behave naughtily), ziyaret et (zi*ya:*re*-
tet) (visit)

When the above "et" verbs are attached to the allomorphs of [ER], [ĠYOR],
[ECEK], which all begin with vowels, the /t/ phonemes change into the
voiced /d/; but when they are attached to the allomorphs of [DĠ] and [MĠġ],
which begin with consonants, they do not change. For example:

acele eder, acele ediyor, acele edecek, acele etti, acele etmiĢ, teklif etti,
teklif etmiĢ, istifa etti, istifa etmiĢ, tercüme etti, tercüme etmiĢ.

Ġf the [me] negation allomorph is used, the stress goes onto the verb “et”.

alay etme (a*lay / et*me) (a*la*yet*me), af etme (af*fet*me), armağan

etme (ar*ma*ğa*net*me), yardım etme (yar*dı*met*me), terk etme (ter*-
ket*me).

yap:

alıĢveriĢ yap (do shopping), arama yap (carry out a search), büyü yap
(cast a spell on someone), çay yap, kahve yap (make tea or coffee), cümle
yap (make a sentence), elinden geleni yap (do your best), ev iĢi yap (do
housework), giriĢ yap (enter), hazırlık yap (get ready), hesap yap (calcu-
late), iĢ yap (do work, do business with), iĢbirliği yap (work together), iyilik
yap (do a favour), kaza: yap (have an accident), konuĢma yap (make a
speech), makyaj yap (do one’s make up), ödev yap (do homework), rejim
yap (go on a diet), Ģaka yap (make a joke), tatil yap (have a holiday, vaca-
tion), tica:ret yap (trade), toplantı yap (hold a meeting), yanlıĢlık yap
(make a mistake), yatak yap (make the bed), yemek yap (cook, do the
cooking), yorum yap (comment on something).

The other verbs that are used together with nouns are “ol”, “iĢle”, and
“kaydet”. Their examples are as follows:

ol:

abone ol (a*bo*ne / ol) (subscribe to), destek ol (des*te*kol) (support, back

up), gerçek ol (ger*çe*kol) (come true) kayıt ol (kay*dol) (enroll), razı ol

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

(ra:*zı / ol) (be willing to, consent to), sahip ol (sa:*hi*bol) (possess), Ģahit
ol (şa:*hi*tol) (witness), Ģehit ol (şe*hi:*dol) (die while fighting for Islam or
his country), teslim ol (tes*li:*mol) (surrender to), üye ol (ü*ye / ol) (be a
member).

“iĢle”, “kaydet”, “sağla”:

baĢarı sağla (succeed), cinayet iĢle (commit murder) günaha gir
(gü*na:*ha / gir) (commit a sin), ilerleme kaydet (make a progress), suç
iĢle (commit a crime), ün kazan (be famous), yarıĢa gir (take part in a race)

THE NEGATIVE FORM OF THE SIMPLE PRESENT TENSE:

The vowels and consonants used in the negative form of this tense undergo
some changes. The composition of this tense is as follows:

In the first person singular, the verb stem or the verb frame is used first,
and then the negation allomorphs either [mez] or [maz] are attached to the
verb stems, and they are followed by personal allomorphs: “gel-mez-im”.

Although this verb configuration is acceptable in some dialects, in modern

Turkish the /z/ and naturally the /i/ phonemes drop. When this happens, the
verb chain becomes “gel-mem”:

Gel-me-im. (gel*mem↷) I don’t come.

Oku-ma-ım. (o*ku*mam↷) I don’t read.
ÇalıĢ-ma-ım. (ça*lış*mam↷) I don’t work.
Yürü-me-im. (yü*rü*mem↷) I don’t walk.
KonuĢ-ma-ım. (ko*nuş*mam↷) I don’t speak.
TartıĢ- ma-ım. (tar*tış*mam↷) I don’t discuss.
Ütüle-me-im. (ü*tü*le*mem↷) I don’t iron.
Yaz-ma-ım. (yaz*mam↷) I don’t write.
Yen-il-me-im. (ye*nil*mem↷) I am not defeated. (passive)

In the second person singular, one of the [mez] or [maz] allomorphs is

used after the verb first, which is followed by one of the personal allomorphs
[sin, sın, sün, sun]:

Gel-mez-sin. (gel*mez*sin↷) You don’t come.

ÇalıĢ-maz-sın. (ça*lış*maz*sın↷) You don’t work.
Oku-maz-sın. (o*ku*maz*sın↷) You don’t read.
Ko-nuĢ-maz-sın. (ko*nuş*maz*sın↷) You don’t speak.
Atla-maz-sın. (at*la*maz*sın↷) You don’t jump.
Ağla-maz-sın. (ağ*la*maz*sın↷) You don’t cry.
Kaç-ın-maz-sın. (ka*çın*maz*sın↷) You don’t avoid. (reflexive)

As the third person singular takes a [Ø] zero personal morpheme, only the
negation allomorphs [mez, maz] are used:

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

ÇalıĢ-maz. (ça*lış*maz↷) He doesn’t work.

Oku-maz. (o*ku*maz↷) He doesn’t read.
Yaz-maz. (yaz*maz↷) He doesn’t write.
Gör-mez. (gör*mez↷) He doesn’t see.
Anla-maz. (an*la*maz↷) He doesn’t understand.
Gül-mez. (gül*mez↷) He doesn’t laugh.
Ye-mez. (ye*mez↷) He doesn’t eat.
Ġç-mez. (iç*mez↷) He doesn’t drink.
Uyu-maz. (u*yu*maz↷) He doesn’t sleep.
Kaç-ın-maz. (ka*çın*maz↷) He doesn’t avoid. (reflexive)

The negative form of the first person plural takes [me, ma] negation allo-
morphs followed by [/y/iz, /y/ız] personal allomorphs:

TaĢı-ma-/y/ız. (ta*şı*ma*yız↷) We don’t carry.

Aç-ma-/y/ız. (aç*ma*yız↷) We don’t open.
Ağla-ma-/y/ız. (ağ*la*ma*yız↷) We don’t cry.
Düzenle-me-/y/iz. (dü*zen*le*me*yiz↷) We don’t arrange.
Kaç-ma-/y/ız. (kaç*ma*yız↷) We don’t escape.
Ka-çın-ma-/y/ız. (ka*çın*ma*yız↷) We don’t avoid. (reflexive)
Ertele-me-/y/iz. (er*te*le*me*yiz↷) We don’t postpone.
Ġç-me-/y/iz. (iç*me*yiz↷) We don’t drink.
Öv-ün-me-/y/iz. (ö*vün*me*yiz↷) We don’t boast. (reflexive)

The negative form of the second person plural takes [mez, maz] allo-
morphs according to the vowel harmony rules, and they are followed by [si-
niz, sınız] personal allomorphs:

Gel-mez-siniz. (gel*mez*si*niz↷) You don’t come.

Oku-maz-sınız. (o*ku*maz*sı*nız↷) You don’t read.
ÇalıĢ-maz-sınız. (ça*lış*maz*sı*nız↷) You don’t work.
TaĢı-maz-sınız. (ta*şı*maz*sı*nız↷) You don’t carry.
Seyret-mez-siniz. (sey*ret*mez*si*niz↷) You don’t watch.
Ara-maz-sınız (a*ra*maz*sı*nız↷) You don’t search.
Seç-il-mez-siniz. (se*çil*mez*si*niz↷) You are not elected. (passive)

The third person plural form takes [mez, maz] negation allomorphs fol-
lowed by [ler, lar] personal allomorphs:

Gel-mez-ler. (gel*mez*ler↷) They don’t come.

Kal-maz-lar. (kal*maz*lar↷) They don’t stay.
Dinle-mez-ler. (din*le*mez*ler↷) They don’t listen.
KonuĢ-maz-lar. (ko*nuş*maz*lar↷) They don’t speak.
Bak-maz-lar. (bak*maz*lar↷) They don’t look.
Yürü-mez-ler. (yü*rü*mez*ler↷) They don’t walk.
Ağla-maz-lar. (ağ*la*maz*lar↷) They don’t cry.
Ertele-mez-ler (er*te*le*mez*ler↷) They don’t postpone.

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

Kız-maz-lar. (kız*maz*lar↷) They don’t get angry.

Çek-in-mez-ler. (çe*kin*mez*ler↷) They don’t avoid. (Turkish is reflexive.)

THE SIMPLE PRESENT POSITIVE QUESTION

In the positive question forms of this tense [ir, ır, ür, ur, er, ar] simple
present allomorphs are used after verb stems and verb frames. Then, the
interrogative allomorphs [mi, mı, mü, mu] and the personal allomorphs fol-
low:

(ben) : “mi/y/im?, mı/y/ım?, mü/y/üm?, mu/y/um?”

(sen) : “misin?, mısın?, müsün?, musun?”
(o) : “mi?, mı?, mü?, mu?”
(biz) : “mi/y/iz?, mı/y/ız?, mü/y/üz?, mu/y/uz?”
(siz) : “misiniz?, mısınız?, müsünüz?, musunuz?”
(onlar) : “ler mi?, lar mı?”

The /y/ and /s/ phonemes above are all glides; and although these words
follow the vowel harmony rules, they are considered words, and therefore,
they are separately written:

Bekle-ir mi/y/im? (bek*ler / mi*yim↷) Do I wait?

Öksür-ür mü/y/üm? (ök*sü*rür / mü*yüm↷) Do I cough?
Bekle-ir misin? (bek*ler / mi*sin↷) Do you wait?
Gel-ir mi? (ge*lir / mi↷) Does he come?
Git-er mi/y/iz? (gi*der / mi*yiz↷) Do we go?
Yüz-er misiniz? (yü*zer / mi*si*niz↷) Do you swim?
Anla-ır-lar mı? (an*lar*lar / mı↷) Do they understand?
TaĢı-ır-lar mı? (ta*şır*lar*/ mı↷) Do they carry?

The double underlined vowels drop.

THE SIMPLE PRESENT NEGATIVE QUESTION

To form a Simple Present negative question verb composition, [mez, maz]

negation allomorphs are used after verb stems; then “miyim?, misin?,
mi?, miyiz?, misiniz?, ler mi?” words are separately written:

Sana yardım et-mez mi/y/im?

(sa*na / yar*dım / et*mez / mi*yim↷)
Don’t I help you?

Gün boyunca çalıĢ-maz mısın?

(gün / bo*yun*ca / ça*lış*maz / mı*sın↷)
Don’t you work all day long?

Although the above sentences are grammatically acceptable, Turkish people

generally prefer using “ġimdiki Zaman” The Present Continuous English
Tense verb composition in place of the Turkish sentences above:

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

Sana yardım et-me-iyor muyum?

(sa*na / yar*dım / et*mi*yor / mu*yum↷)
Don’t I help you?

Gün boyunca çalıĢ-ma-ıyor musun?

(gün / bo*yun*ca~ / ça*lış*mı*yor / mu*sun↷)
Don’t you work all day long?

Klasik müzik sev-me-iyor musun?

(klâ*sik / mü*zik~/sev*mi*yor / mu*sun↷)
Don’t you like classical music?

KardeĢin seninle oyna-ma-ıyor mu?

(kar*de*şin / se*nin*le~/ oy*na*mı*yor / mu↷)
Doesn’t your sister play with you?

As it is seen, The Turkish Present Continuous verb formation is used more

frequently than the usual Simple Present Tense. Compare the following sen-
tences:

Her gün ırmakta yüzüyorum or yüzerim.

I swim in the river everyday.
EĢim Ġngilizce öğretiyor.
My wife teaches English.
Patates püresi sevmiyorum or sevmem.
I don’t like mashed potatoes.
Öğretmenler yaramaz çocuklardan hoĢlanmaz(lar).
Teachers don’t like naughty children.
Bazen bir lokantada akĢam yemeği yiyoruz or yeriz.
Sometimes we have dinner at a restaurant.
Pop müzik seviyor musun?
Do you like pop-music?
Okula yürüyerek mi gidiyorsun?
Do you walk to school?

The position of the question word “mi” can be changed and put after an
important and stressed word in a sentence:

Okula otobüsle mi gidiyorsun?

(o*ku*la / o*to*büs*le / mi / gi*di*yor*sun↷)
Do you go to school by bus?

Otobüsle okula mı gidiyorsun)?

(o*to*büs*le / o*ku*la / mı / gi*di*yor*sun↷)
Do you go to school by bus?

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

Okula otobüsle gidiyor musun?

(o*ku*la / o*to*büs*le / gi*di*yor / mu*sun↷)
Do you go to school by bus?

However, when the (GeniĢ Zaman) The Simple Present Tense question form
is used, the sentence changes into an offer:

Okula otobüsle gider misin?

(o*ku*la / o*to*büs*le / gi*der↝ / mi*sin↷)
How about going to school by bus? (offer)

Benimle sinemaya gider misin?

(be*nim*le / si*ne*ma*ya /gi*der↝ / mi*sin↷)
How about going to the cinema with me? (offer)

THE QUESTION WORDS USED IN THE SIMPLE PRESENT TENSE

The question words “kim?” (who?); “kim-i?” (whom?, who?); “nasıl?”

(how?); “nere-de, nere-/y/e?” (where?); “kim-in?” (whose?); “ne sıklık-
ta?" (how often?); “ne zaman?” (when?); “saat kaç-ta?” (what time?);
“niçin?”, “ne-den?” (why?); “ne çeĢit?” (what kind of?) can be used in
this tense as they are used in the other tenses. The morphemes attached to
these words are the defining allomorph [i] in “kim-i”, the allomorphs of the
phoneme [DE] in “nere-de”, “ne sıklık-ta”, “kaç-ta”, the possessor allomorph
[in] in “kim-in” and the [den] allomorph in “kim-den” and “ne-den”.

When these questions words are used in a sentence, the rest of the sen-
tence remains unchanged in Turkish because the rest of the sentence
does not need to be in question form as it does in English. Literally written,
the Turkish sentences containing question words are like *“How you go to
your office?”

Bürona nasıl gidiyorsun?

(bü*ro*na / na↝ sıl / gi*di*yor*sun↝)
(not “*nasıl gidiyor musun”) How do you go to your office? Otobüsle. By bus.

Nerde Ġngilizce öğretiyorsun?

(ner↝ de / Ġn*gi*liz*ce / öğ*re*ti*yor*sun↝)
Where do you teach English?

Nerde Ġngilizce öğretirsin?” is an offer. It means “Where do you want to teach

English?”

Bu soruya kim cevap vermek istiyor?

(bu / so*ru*ya~ / kim↝ / ce*vap / ver*mek / is*ti*yor↝)
Who wants to answer this question?

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

Tiyatroya ne sıklıkta gidersin (gidiyorsun)?

How often do you go the theatre?

Her sabah saat kaçta kalkarsın (kalkıyorsun)?

( her / sa*bah / sa*at / kaç*ta↝ / kal*kar*sın↝)
What time do you get up every morning?

In traditional Turkish grammars, some consonants represent personal allo-

morphs like /m/, /n/, /k/, /z/, which are inconsistent with the rest of the bound
morphemes and syllables of the Turkish language. The Turkish bound mor-
phemes and their allomorphs are all made up of at least “one vowel” such
as“[Ġ]”; “consonant + vowel” such as [DĠ]; “vowel + consonant” such as
[ĠL]; “vowel + consonant + consonant” such as “art”, “ört” “consonant +
vowel + consonant” such as [MĠġ], or “consonant + vowel + consonant
+ consonant” like “tirt”, “dırt”, “dirt”, “türt”, or they are made of two syl-
lables such as [Ġ*YOR], [ME*LĠ], [E*CEK]. To shorten these syllable struc-
tures, the first letters of them can be used as; “v”, “c+v”, “v+c”, “v+c+c”,
“c+v+c” or “c+v+c+c”. The only exception to this rule is the [T] morpheme
used in the causative verb frames as in "getirt", "aldırt”. In this sort of
suffıxation, the last syllables of the verbs are combined with the [T] mor-
phemes to form “c+v+c+c” syllables like “dırt”, “tirt”, dirt”, Ģirt”, “tırt”. All
Turkish syllables are formed of one of these six syllable types.

One important rule to add to the explanations above is that the morphemes
and syllables in Turkish do not follow a parallel pattern. While the words are
divided into syllables, the morphemes comply with the syllable rules of the
Turkish language. For instance:

kuĢ-u (ku*şu), ben-i (be*ni), oda-ım-a (o*da*ma), defter-im (def*te*rim),

tarla-ım (tar*lam), gör-ül-mek (gö*rül*mek), kes-iĢ-mek (ke*siş*mek), etc.

Furthermore, The Simple Present Tense allomorphs are [ir, ır, ür, ur, er, ar]
such as in “gel-ir”, “al-ır”, “gör-ür”, “otur-ur”, “geç-er”, “aç-ar”, bekle-
in-ir. The Simple Present Tense allomorphs above are all attached to the
verb stems and verb frames ending with consonants. However, when they
end with vowels, the first vowels of the Simple Present Tense allomorphs,
which follow the vowels of the last syllables of the verb stems drop. Such as:

bekle-ir (bek*ler), incele-ir (in*ce*ler), hazırla-ır (ha*zır*lar), yakala-ır

(ya*ka*lar), yürü-ür (yü*rür), u*yu-ur (u*yur), yakala-ır-ım (ya*ka*la*rım)

Likewise, the personal allomorphs such as [im, ım, üm, um], [in, ın, ün, un],
[ik, ık, ük, uk] drop their first vowels when they are attached to the Simple
Past Tense allomorphs [di, dı, dü, du, ti, tı, tü, tu], whose second phonemes
are vowels. For instance:

Gel-di-im (gel*dim), al-dı-ım (al*dım), gör-dü-üm (gör*düm), otur-du-um

(o*tur*dum), bekle-di-in (bek*le*din), konuĢ-tu-un (ko*nuş*tun), öpüĢ-tü-
ün (ö*püş*tün), bekle-di-ik (bek*le*dik), otur-du-uk (o*tur*duk), konuĢ-tu-

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

unuz (konuş*tu*nuz), kaç-tı-ınız (kaç*tı*nız). All the double underlined

vowels above drop.

THE PRESENT CONTINUOUS

and
THE PRESENT PERFECT CONTINUOUS

The Present Continuous (ġimdiki Zaman) time morpheme is [ĠYOR], which

has four allomorphs [iyor, ıyor, üyor, uyor]. When these allomorphs are
attached to verb stems or frames ending with consonants, they are attached
to them following the vowel harmony rules. However, when they are at-
tached to the verb stems or frames ending with vowels, the end vowels of
them drop, so the allomorphs of the [ĠYOR] morpheme follow the vowels
that precede the dropped vowels:

The verb stems or frames ending with consonants:

gel-iyor (ei), bak-ıyor (aı), otur-uyor (uu), öksür-üyor (üü),

yanaĢ-ıyor (aı), bekleĢ-iyor (ei), bekle-in-iyor-lar (e→i), art-ıyor
(aı), it-iyor (i→i)

The verb stems ending with vowels:

bekle-iyor (ei), ertele-iyor (ei), yürü-üyor (üü), atla-ıyor (aı), çal-

kala-ıyor (aı), akla-ıyor (aı), dengele-iyor (ei), oku-uyor (ou), taĢı-
ıyor (aı), oku-uyor (o→u)

The last vowels of the above verbs are double underlined. When these last
vowels drop, the first vowels of the [ĠYOR] phoneme follow the vowels pre-
ceding the dropped vowels according to the vowel harmony rules:

bekliyor, erteliyor, yürüyor, atlıyor, çalkalıyor, aklıyor, dengeliyor,

bakıyor, oturuyor, okuyor, besleniyor, etc.

When one of the allomorphs of the phoneme [ĠYOR] is attached to the nega-
tion allomorphs [me, ma], these negation allomorphs also drop their last
vowels, and the [ĠYOR} morphemes follow the vowels preceding the dropped
vowels according to the vowel harmony of the language:

gel-me-iyor (e→i) gelmiyor, oku-ma-uyor (u→u) okumuyor, bekle-me-

iyor (e→i) beklemiyor, çalıĢ-ma-ıyor (ı→ı) çalıĢmıyor, gül-me-üyor
(ü→ü) gül-müyor, ertele-me-iyor (e→i) ertelemiyor

The [ĠYOR] morpheme is composed of two syllables: “i*yor”. The second

syllable of this morpheme “yor” never follows the vowel harmony rules, and
consequently, the personal morphemes that follow them have no allo-
morphs:

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

gel-iyor-um, baĢla-ıyor-/s/un, koĢ-uyor, gez-iyor-uz, çalıĢ-ıyor-

sunuz, gül-üyor-lar, bekle-iyor, anla-ıyor, kovala-ıyor, besle-iyor,
terle-iyor

The Present Continuous and The Present Perfect Continuous tenses of

the English language are both expressed in Ģimdiki zaman (The Present
Continuous Tense) in Turkish. Compare the following sentences:

O gel-iyor.
(ge*li*yor↷)
He is coming. (now or later)

O bir mektup yaz-ıyor.

(o / bir / mek*tup / ya*zı*yor↷)
He is writing a letter. (now)

O bir saattir mektup yaz-ıyor.

(o / bir / sa*at*tir / mek*tup / ya*zı*yor↷)
He has been writing letters for an hour.

Jack bahçede oyna-uyor.

(Jack / bah*çe*de / oy*nu*yor↷)
Jack is playing in the garden. (The /a/ drops.)

Jack sabahtan beri bahçede oyna-uyor.

(Jack / sa*bah*tan / be*ri / bah*çe*de / oy*nu*yor↷)
Jack has been playing in the garden since morning.

Mehmet bahçede koĢ-uyor.

(meh*met / bah*çe*de / ko*şu*yor↷)
Mehmet is running in the garden. (now)

Mary nehirde yüz-üyor.

(ma*ri / ne*hir*de / yü*zü*yor↷)
Mary is swimming in the river. (now)

Okulun önünde bekle-iĢ-iyor-uz.

(o*ku*lun / ö*nün*de / bek*le*şi*yo*ruz↷)
We are waiting together in front of the school. (reciprocal)

Jack boyuna televizyon seyrediyor.

(Jack ~/ bo*yu*na / te*le*viz*yon / sey*re*di*yor↷)
Jack is always watching television. (complaint)

(Ben) televizyon seyret-iyor-um.

(ben / te*le*viz*yon / sey*re*di*yo*rum↷)
I am watching television.
(The /t/ phoneme is replaced by its voiced counterpart /d/.)

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

(Biz) bahçede oyna-uyor-uz.

(biz / bah*çe*de / oy*nu*yo*ruz↷)
We are playing in the garden.

(Biz) Türkçe öğren-iyor-uz.

(biz / Türk*çe / öğ*re*ni*yo*ruz↷)
We are learning Turkish. (now)

(Biz) üç aydır Türkçe öğren-iyor-uz.

(biz / ü*çay*dır / türk*çe / öğ*re*ni*yo*ruz↷)
We have been learning Turkish for three months.

Martılar gökyüzünde uç-uyor-lar.

(mar*tı*lar / gök*yü*zün*de / u*çu*yor*lar↷)
The seagulls are flying in the sky. (now)

Onlar seni bekle-iyor-lar.

(on*lar / se*ni / bek*li*yor*lar↷)
They are waiting for you. (now)

(Biz) öğle yemeği ye-iyor-uz.

(biz / öğ*le / ye* me*ği / yi*yo*ruz↷)
We are having lunch. (now)

Öğrenciler saat sekizden beri öğretmenlerini bekle-iyor-lar.

The students have been waiting for their teacher since eight.

Nekadar zamandır televizyon seyrediyorsun?

(ne ↝/ ka*dar / za*man*dır / te*le*viz*yon / sey*re*di*yor*sun↝)
How long have you been watching television?

Günler uza-uyor.
(gün*le*ru*zu*yor↷)
Days are getting longer.

Oğlum ev ödevini yap-ıyor.

(oğ*lum / e*vö*de*vi*ni / ya*pı*yor↷)
My son is doing his homework.

Üç saattir çalıĢıyorum.
(üç / sa*at*tir / ça*lı*şı*yo*rum↷)
I have been studying for three hours.

Bir saattir seni bekliyorum.

(bir / sa*at*tir / se*ni / bek*li*yo*rum↷)
I have been waiting for you for an hour.

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

Sabahtan beri ne yapıyorsun?

(sa*bah*tan / be*ri / ne ↝ / ya*pı*yor*sun↝)
What have you been doing since morning?

ġimdi ne yap-ıyor-sun?
(şim↝ di / ne / ya*pı*yor*sun↝)
What are you doing now?

The allomorph [dir] can also be used after The Present Continuous Tense
(ġimdiki Zaman) in Turkish to express estimation:

Jack ne yapıyor?
(jack / ne↝ / ya*pı*yor↝)
What is Jack doing?

Ders çalıĢ-ıyor-dur.
(ders / ça*lı*şı*yor*dur ↷)
I think (guess) he is studying.

The near future concept can also be expressed in the Present Continuous
Tense (ġimdiki Zaman) in Turkish as it is used in English:

Uçak birazdan havalan-ıyor.

(u*çak / bi*raz*dan / ha*va*la*nı*yor↷)
The plane is taking off soon.

Misafirler yarın gel-iyor-lar.

(mi*sa:*fir*ler / ya*rın / ge*li*yor*lar↷)
The visitors are coming tomorrow.

Misafirler birazdan gel-iyor.

(mi*sa:*fir*ler / bi*raz*dan / ge*li*yor↷)
The visitors are coming soon.

Yarın Londra’/y/a gidiyoruz.

(ya*rın / Lon*dra*ya / gi*di*yo*ruz↷)
We are going to London tomorrow.

Birazdan çıkıyoruz.
(bi*raz*dan / çı*kı*yo*ruz↷)
We are leaving soon.

Yarın yeni bir araba satın alıyorum.

(ya*rın / ye*ni / bi*ra*ra*ba / sa*tı*na*lı*yo*rum↷)
I’m going to buy a new car tomorrow.

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

Yarın taĢınıyoruz.
(ya*rın / ta*şı*nı*yo*ruz↷)
We are moving tomorrow.

THE VERBS THAT ARE NOT USED IN THE SIMPLE PRESENT TENSE
IN TURKISH

Some verbs that are not normally used in continuous tenses in English are
especially used in The Present Continuous Tenses in Turkish. And
strange to say, these verbs are not generally used in The Simple Present
Tense. These verbs are as follows:

adore, appreciate, believe, care, desire, forgive, hate, hear, know, like,
love, mean, mind, miss, recall, refuse, remember, see, smell, seem,
trust, understand, want, wish.

Consider and compare the following sentences:

Seni affet-iyor-um.
(se*ni / af*fe*di*yo*rum↷)
I forgive you. (The /t/ changes into /d/.)

Seni sev-iyor-um.
(se*ni / se*vi*yo*rum↷)
I love you.

Sana tap-ıyor-um.
(sa*na / ta*pı*yo*rum↷)
I adore you.

Hepinizi hatırla-ıyor-um.
(he*pi*ni*zi / ha*tır*lı*yo*rum↷)
I remember all of you.

Hepinize güven-iyor-um.
(he*pi*ni*ze / gü*ve*ni*yo*rum↷)
I trust all of you.

Sizi anla-ıyor-um.
(si*zi / an*lı*yo*rum↷)
I understand you.

Sizi anla-ma-ıyor-um.
(si*zi / an*la*mı*yo*rum↷)
I don’t understand you.

Bir fincan kahve iste-iyor-um.

(bir / fin*can / kah*ve / is*ti*yo*rum↷)
I want a cup of coffee.

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

Gramer kitapları okunaktan nefret ediyorum.

(gra*mer / ki*tap*la*rı / o*ku*mak*tan / nef*re*te*di*yo*rum↷)
I hate reading grammar books.

Beni özle-üyor musun?

(be*ni / öz*lü*yor / mu*sun↷)
Do you miss me?

Senin haklı olduğuna inan-ma-ıyor-um.

(se*nin / hak*lı / ol*du*ğu*na / i*nan*mı*yo*rum↷ )
I don’t believe that you are right.

Hiçbir Ģey iĢit-me-iyor-um.

(hiç*bir / şey / i*şit*mi*yo*rum↷)
I don’t hear anything.

Umursa-ma-ıyor-um.
(u*mur*sa*mı*yo*rum↷)
I don’t care.

Bu proje uygulanabilir görünüyor.

(bu / pro*je / uy*gu*la*na*bi*lir / gö*rü*nü*yor↷)
This project seems feasible.

Sizi takdir ediyorum. (si*zi / tak*di:r / e*di*yo*rum↷)

I appreciate you.

The verb stems that are given above can be used with The Simple Present
Tense (GeniĢ Zaman) in conditional sentences:

Tekrar geç kalmamaya söz verirsen seni affederim.

(tek*rar / geç / kal*ma*ma*ya / söz / ve*rir*sen / se*ni / af*fe*de*rim↷)
If you promise not to be late again, I will forgive you.

Bana yeni bir araba alırsan seni daha çok severim.

(ba*na / ye*ni / bir / a*ra*ba / a*lır*san / se*ni / da*ha / çok / se*ve*rim↷)
If you buy me a new car, I will love you more.

TURKISH VERB FRAMES

The suffixes that form Turkish verb frames make them indivisible units and
they are used as if they were verb stems. The other suffixes, such as ne-
gation, time and personal allomorphs follow them. There are five kinds of
verb frames:

Transitive verbs (geçiĢli fiiller), intransitive verbs (geçiĢsiz fiiller), passive

verbs (edilgen fiiller), reflexive verbs (dönüĢlü fiiller) and reciprocal verbs
(iĢteĢ fiiller).

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

TRANSITIVE AND INTRANSITIVE VERBS

Transitive verbs are the verbs that take direct objects:

Annem her hafta ev-i temizler. Mother cleans the house every week.
subj adv obj tran verb subj tran verb obj adv
Ahmet bir hikâye kitab-ı okuyor. Ahmet is reading a story book.
subj obj tran.verb subj tran verb obj
Ben her sabah odam-ı tertiplerim. I tidy my room every morning.
subj adv obj tran verb tran verb obj adv

Intransitive verbs do not take objects:

Ben bazan nehir-de yüzerim. I sometimes swim in the river.

subj adv of time adv of place intr verb adv of time intr verb adv of place
Oğlum günde sekiz saat uyur. My son sleeps eight hours a day.
subj adv adv intr verb intr verb adv
Oğlum okul-a her sabah otobüs-le gider.
subj adv adv adv intr verb
My son goes to school by bus every morning.
subj intr verb adv adv adv

REFLEXIVE VERBS (DÖNÜġLÜ FIILLER)

A reflexive verb is a verb whose action in a sentence has its effect on a

person or thing that does the action. One of the morphemes of this inflec-
tional suffix is [ĠN], which is followed by the verb stems ending with vocals
(vowels and voiced consonants). It has four allomorphs [in, ın, ün, un]. The
other one is [ĠL], which is followed by the verbs ending with unvoiced con-
sonants. It has also four allomorphs [il, ıl, ül, ul]. When the verb stems
ending with vowels are attached to these allomorphs, which all begin with
vowels, the first vowels of them drop.

Oğlum yıka-ın-ıyor.
(oğ*lum / yı*ka*nı*yor↷)
My son is having a bath. (He is washing himself.)
(The double underlined /ı/ drops.)

AyĢe tara-ın-ıyor.
(ay*şe / ta*ra*nı*yor↷)
The meaning is “AyĢe is combing herself”.

BaĢım kaĢı-ın-ıyor.
(ba*şım / ka*şı*nı*yor↷)
My head is itching.

Kedi masa-/n/ın altı-/n/da kaĢı-ın-ıyor.

(ke*di / ma*sa*nın / al*tın*da / ka*şı*nı*yor↷)
The cat is scratching under the table. (The first two /n/ phonemes are
glides.) (It is scratching itself.)

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

Öv-ün-üyor.
(ö*vü*nü*yor↷)
He is boasting, or praising himself.

AyĢe saçını tara-ıyor.

(ay*şe ~/ sa*çı*nı / ta*rı*yor↷)
AyĢe is combing her hair. (The double underlined /a/ drops.) (transitive)

Dükkânlar saat yedide kapa-ın-ır.

(dük*kân*lar / sa*at / ye*di*de / ka*pa*nır↷)
Shops close at seven o’clock. (They close themselves.)

AyĢe kapı/n/ın arka-/s/ı/n/a sakla-ın-ıyor.

(ay*şe / ka*pı*nın / ar*ka*sı*na / sak*la*nı*yor↷)
AyĢe is hiding behind the door. (She is hiding herself.)

Yer sars-ıl-ıyor.
(yer / sar*sı*lı*yor↷ )
The ground is shaking. (It is shaking itself.)

Üz-ül-ecek-sin.
(ü*zü*le*cek*sin↷)
You will be sorry.

The allomorphs that are used in forming reflexive verbs are also used with
verbs when they are transformed into the passive voice. As these allo-
morphs sometimes cause confusion, one should be careful when one de-
fines them:

Kara gör-ün-dü.
(ka*ra / gö*rün*dü↷) (reflexive)
The land has showed itself.

Kara gör-ül-dü.
(ka*ra / gö*rül*dü↷) (passive)
It has been seen by someone.

THE PASSIVE TRANSFORMATION OF THE INTRANSITIVE VERBS

Some Turkish intransitive verbs can also be transformed into the passive
forms without being put into the passive voice. While these verbs are being
shaped, passive transformation allomorphs are attached to these verb
stems. In doing this, the verb stems ending with vowels and /L/ pho-
names names are attached to [in, ın, ün, un] allomorphs; the others, ending
with consonants, are attached to [il, ıl, ül, ul] allomorphs. This form does
not exist in English. Consider the following:

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

Deniz-de yüz-ül-ür. (de*niz*de / yü*zü*lür↷) “It is possible (natural) to

swim in the sea”, or "The sea is a place where naturally one can swim."
(passive shaped intransitive)

ĠĢe saat sekizde baĢla-ın-ır.

(i*şe / sa*at / se*kiz*de / baş*la*nır↷)
It is a rule to start working at eight. (passive shaped intransitive)

Pazar günleri dinlen-il-ir.

(pa*zar / gün*le*ri / din*le*ni*lir↷)
It is customary to have a rest on Sundays. (passive shaped intransitive)

Böyle güneĢli bir günde pikniğe git-il-ir.

(böy*le / gü*neş*li / bir / gün*de~/ pik*ni*ğe / gi*di*lir↷)
It is advisable (natural) to go for a picnic on such a sunny day.
(passive shaped intransitive)

Güzel-e bak-ıl-ır.
(gü*ze*le / ba*kı*lır↷)
It is natural to look at the beautiful.
(passive shaped intransitive)

Pazartesi günleri erken kalk-ıl-ır.

(pa*zar*te*si / gün*le*ri / er*ken / kal*kı*lır↷)
It is a custom to get up early on Mondays.
(passive shaped intransitive)

To use the negative forms of the above sentences, [mez, maz] allomorphs
are used after the verb frames:

Böyle bir gürültü-de uyu-un-maz.

(böy*le / bir / gü*rül*tü*de ~/ u*yun*maz↷)
It is impossible to sleep in such a noise. (passive shaped intransitive)

Bu sokak-ta yürü-ün-mez.
(bu / so*kak*ta~ / yü*rün*mez↷)
It is impossible to walk in this street. (passive shaped intransitive)

Onun lafına bak-ıl-maz.

(o*nun / lâ*fı*na / ba*kıl*maz↷)
It is natural (advisable) not to mind what he says. (passive shaped intr.)

Bu otel-de kal-ın-maz.
(bu / o*tel*de / ka*lın*maz↷)
It is impossible to stay in this hotel. (passive shaped intransitive)

Onun aklına uy-ul-maz.

(o*nun /ak*lı*na /u*yul*maz↷)
It is inadvisable to follow his advice. (passive shaped intransitive)

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

Bu gölde yüz-ül-ür mü?

(bu / göl*de / yü*zü*lür↝/ mü↷)
Is it possible to swim in this lake? (passive shaped intransitive)

Ġngiltere’ye trenle gidilmez mi?

(in*gil*te*re*ye / tren*le / gi*dil*mez↝ / mi↷)
Isn’t it possible to go to England by train?

RECIPROCAL VERBS (ĠġTEġ FĠĠLLER)

1. A reciprocal verb expresses an action which is exchanged between two

or more people. The reciprocal morpheme is [Ġġ], which has [iĢ, ıĢ, üĢ, uĢ]
allomorphs. When the verbs that end with vowels are attached to these
allomorphs, the first vowels of these allomorphs drop:

Onlar bak-ıĢ-ıyor-lar.
(on*lar / ba*kı*şı*yor*lar↷)
They are looking at each other.

Kucakla-ıĢ-ıyor-lar.
(ku*cak*la*şı*yor*lar↷)
They are hugging each other.

Tokala-ıĢ-ıyor-lar.
(to*ka*la*şı*yor*lar↷)
They are shaking hands.

Döv-üĢ-üyor-lar.
(dö*vü*şü*yor*lar↷)
They are fighting.

Öp-üĢ-üyor-lar.
(ö*pü*şü*yor*lar↷)
They are kissing.

Onlar Pazar günleri gör-üĢ-ür-ler.

(on*lar / pa*zar / gün*le*ri / gö*rü*şür*ler↷)
They meet and talk on Sundays.

2. Some verbs that are attached to reciprocal allomorphs convey the con-
cept of “(all) together”:

Haberi duyunca bağır-ıĢ-tı-lar.

(ha*be*ri / du*yun*ca~ / bağ*rış*tı*lar↷)
They shouted all together when they heard the news.
(“bağırıĢtılar” or “bağrıĢtılar” are both acceptable.)

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

Polisi görünce kaç-ıĢ-tı-lar.

(po*li*si / gö*rün*ce / ka*çış*tı*lar↷)
They ran away all together when they saw the police-officer.

Çocuklar futbol takımları hakkında tart-ıĢ-ıyor-lar.

(ço*cuk*lar / fut*bol / ta*kım*la*rı / hak*kın*da / tar*tı*şı*yor*lar↷)
The boys are discussing about their football teams.

Bazı çocuklar kapıda bekle-iĢ-iyor-lar.

(ba*zı / ço*cuk*lar / ka*pı*da / bek*le*şi*yor*lar↷)
Some children are waiting together at the door.

3. Some other verbs that are attached to the above allomorphs convey the
idea of “about”:

KuĢlar gökyüzünde uç-uĢ-uyor-du.

(kuĢ*lar / gök*yü*zün*de / u*çu*şu*yor*du↷)
The birds were flying about in the sky.

Çocuklar bahçede koĢ-uĢ-uyor-lar.

(ço*cuk*lar / bah*çe*de / ko*şu*şu*yor*lar↷)
The children are running about in the garden.

Ördekler havuzda yüz-üĢ-üyor-lar.

(ör*dek*ler / ha*vuz*da / yü*zü*şü*yor*lar↷)
The ducks are swimming about in the pool.

BOTH TRANSITIVELY AND INTRANSITIVELY USED ENGLISH VERBS

Some English verbs are both transitive and intransitive. There are few verbs
used in this fashion in Turkish. Therefore, those who are studying English or
Turkish as a second language face some difficulties in learning them. In the
following list, you can find frequently used English verbs that are used both
transitively and intransitively. The Turkish equivalents of them and how their
suffixes are changed are given in the examples below:

As it has already been said, the double underlined vowels drop:

Yumurtalar kayna-ıyor.
(yu*mur*ta*lar / kay*nı*yor↷)
The eggs are boiling.
(The Turkish and English verbs are intransitive.)

Fatma yumurta kaynat-ıyor.

(fat*ma / yu*mur*ta / kay*na*tı*yor↷)
Fatma is boiling eggs. (transitive)

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

In the first sentence, the intransitive verb “kayna” has changed into “kay-
nat” transitive verb frame to be able to take the object “yumurta”. However,
the English verb “boil” has not changed. This shows us that the English verb
“boil” can be used both transitively and intransitively. In the following sen-
tences, the explanations in parentheses are about the Turkish sentences.
However, when necessary, both Turkish and English verbs are explained:

AteĢ yan-ıyor.
(a*teş / ya*nı*yor↷)
The fire is burning. (intr.)

AteĢ parmaklarını yak-ar.

(a*teş / par*mak*la*rı*nı / ya*kar↷)
Fire burns your fingers. (tran.)

Dükkânlar saat yedide kapa-ın-ır.

(dük*kân*lar / sa*at / ye*di*de / ka*pa*nır↷ )
Shops close at seven. (reflexive) (They close themselves.)

Onlar dükkânları yedide kapat-ır-lar.

(on*lar / dük*kân*la*rı / sa*at / ye*di*de / ka*pa*tır*lar↷)
They close the shops at seven. (tran.)

Dükkânlar saat yedide kapat-ıl-ır.

(dük*kân*lar / sa*at / ye*di*de / ka*pa*tı*lır↷)
The shops are closed at seven. (passive)

Renkler sonbaharda değiş-ir.

(renk*ler / son*ba*har*da / de*ği*şir↷)
The colors change in the autumn. (intr)

O elbiselerini değiş-tir-iyor.
(o ~/ el*bi*se*le*ri*ni / de*ğiş*ti*ri*yor↷)
He is changing his clothes. (tran.)

ġimdi mutfakta yemek piş-ir-iyor.

(Ģim*di / mut*fak*ta / ye*mek / pi*şi*ri*yor↷)
She is cooking in the kitchen now. (Turkish tran.) (English intr.)

O, balık piş-ir-iyor.
(o / ba*lık / pi*şi*ri*yor↷)
She is cooking fish. (tran.)

Yemek piş-ti.
(ye*mek / piş*ti↷)
The meal has cooked. (intr)

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

Meyveler olgunlaĢınca ağaçlardan düş-er.

(mey*ve*ler / ol*gun*la*şın*ca / a*ğaç*lar*dan / dü*şer↷ )
Fruits drop from trees when they ripen. (intr.)

Kalemini düş-ür-dü.
(ka*le*mi*ni / dü*şür*dü↷)
She dropped her pencil. (tran.)

Bazı nehirler yazın kuru-ur.

(ba*zı / ne*hir*ler / ya*zın / ku*rur ↷)
Some rivers dry up in the summer. (intr.)

Ellerini benim havlumda kuru-la-ma.

(el*le*ri*ni / be*nim / hav*lum*da / ku*ru*la*ma↷)
Don’t dry your hands on my towel. (tran.)

SavaĢ sona er-di.

(sa*vaş / so*na / er*di↷)
The war ended. (intr.)

SavaĢı sona er-dir-di-ler.

(sa*va*şı / so*na / er*dir*di*ler↷)
They ended the war. (tran.)

Bir bomba patla-dı.

(bir / bom*ba / pat*la*dı↷) (intr.)
A bomb exploded.

Onlar bir bomba patla-ıt-tı-lar.

(on*lar / bir / bom*ba / pat*lat*tı*lar↷)
They exploded a bomb. (tran.)

İnekler tarlada besle-in-iyor-lar.

(i*nek*ler / tar*la*da / bes*le*ni*yor*lar↷)
The cows are feeding (grazing) in the field. (reflexive)

Köpeğimi her sabah besle-ir-im.

(kö*pe*ği*mi / her / sa*bah / bes*le*rim↷)
I feed my dog every morning. (tran.)

Sokaklar kıĢın çamurla dol-ar.

(so*kak*lar / kı*şın / ça*mur*la / do*lar↷)
The streets fill up with mud in winter. (intr.)

Kalemimi siyah mürekkeple dol-dur.

(ka*le*mi*mi / si*yah / mü*rek*kep*le / dol*dur↷)
Fill my pen with black ink. (tran.)

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

ĠĢ henüz bit-me-di.
(iş / he*nüz / bit*me*di↷)
The work hasn’t finished yet. (intr.)

ĠĢimi henüz bit-ir-me-di-im.

(i*şi*mi / he*nüz / bi*tir*me*dim↷)
I haven’t finished my work yet. (tran.)

KuĢlar havada uç-ar.

(kuş*lar / ha*va*da / u*çar↷)
Birds fly in the sky. (intr.)

Çocuklar uçurtma uç-ur-uyor-lar.

(ço*cuk*lar / u*çurt*ma / u*çu*ru*yor*lar↷)
The boys are flying kites. (tran.)

Patatesler kızar-ıyor.
(pa*ta*tes*ler / kı*za*rı*yor↷)
The potatoes are frying. (intr.)

O, balık kızart-ıyor.
(o~ / ba*lık / kı*zar*tı*yor↷)
She is frying fish. (tran.)

Pamuk Adana’da yetiş-ir.

(pa*muk / a*da*na*da / ye*ti*şir↷)
Cotton grows in Adana. (intr.)

Adana’da pamuk yetiş-tir-ir-ler.

(a*da*na*da / pa*muk / ye*tiş*ti*rir*ler↷)
They grow cotton in Adana. (tran.)

Kapı-/n/ın arka-/s/ı-/n/a sakla-ın-ıyor.

(ka*pı*nın / ar*ka*sı*na / sak*la*nı*yor↷)
He is hiding behind the door. (reflexive) (He is hiding himself.)

Mektup-lar-ı-/n/ı sakla-ır.
(mek*tup*la*rı*nı / sak*lar↷)
She hides her letters. (tran.)

Zorluk-lar-ımız art-ıyor.
(zor*luk*la*rı*mız / ar*tı*yor↷)
Our difficulties are increasing. (intr.)

Hız-ı/n/ı art-ır-ma.
(hı*zı*nı / ar*tır*ma↷)
Don’t increase your speed. (tran.)

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

Çiçekler sabahleyin aç-ar.

(çi*çek*ler / sa*bah*le*yin / a*çar↷)
Flowers open in the morning. (intr.)

Sabahleyin pencereleri aç-ar-ız.

(sa*bah*le*yin / pen*ce*re*le*ri / a*ça*rız↷)
We open the windows in the morning. (tran.) ( The verb "aç" is used both
transitively and intransitively in Turkish as it is in English.)

Atlar yarış-ıyor.
(at*lar / ya*rı*şı*yor↷)
The horses are racing. (intr.)

Atları yarış-tır-ıyor-lar.
(at*la*rı / ya*rış*tı*rı*yor*lar↷)
They are racing the horses. (tran.)

Elmalar sıcak havada olgunlaş-ır.

(el*ma*lar / sı*cak / ha*va*da / ol*gun*la*şır↷)
Apples ripen in warm weather. (intr.)

Sıcak hava elmaları olgunlaş-tır-ır.

(sı*cak / ha*va / el*ma*la*rı / ol*gun*laş*tı*rır↷)
Warm weather ripens the apples. (tran.)

Zil çal-ıyor.
(zil / ça*lı*yor↷)
The bell is ringing. (intr.)

Zili çal.
(zi*li / çal↷) Ring the bell. (tran.) (Both "çal " and "ring" verbs are used both
transitively and intransitively in Turkish and English.)

Bazan kayalar tepelerden aĢağı yuvarla-ın-ır.

(ba:*zan / ka*ya*lar ~/ te*pe*ler*den / a*Ģa*ğı / yu*var*la*nır↷)
Sometimes rocks roll down the hills.) (reflexive)

Bazı kimseler tepeden aĢağı kayaları yuvarla-ıyor-lar.

(ba:*zı / kim*se*ler~ / te*pe*den / a*Ģa*ğı / ka*ya*la*rı / yu*var*lı*yor*lar↷)
Some people are rolling rocks down the hill. (tran.)

Bazı kızlar nehirde yüz-üyor-lar.

(ba:*zı / kız*lar / ne*hir*de / yü*zü*yor*lar↷)
Some girls are swimming in the river. (intr.)

Çocuklar model kayıklarını yüz-dür-üyor-lar

(ço*cuk*lar / mo*del / ka*yık*la*rı*nı / yüz*dü*rü*yor*lar↷)
The children are sailing their modal boats. (tran.)

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

Yer sars-ıl-ıyor.
(yer / sar*sı*lı*yor↷)
The ground is shaking. (reflexive)

Ġlacı içmeden önce ĢiĢeyi çalkala (sars).

(i*la*cı / iç*me*den / ön*ce / Ģi*şe*yi / çal*ka*la↷)
Shake the bottle before taking the medicine. (tran.)

Ġkinci Dünya SavaĢı’nda birçok gemi bat-tı.

(i*kin*ci / dün*ya: / sa*va*şın*da / bir*çok / ge*mi / bat*tı↷)
A lot of ships sank during The Second World War. (intr.)

Ġkinci Dünya SavaĢı’nda birçok gemi bat-ır-dı-lar.

(i*kin*ci / dün*ya: / sa*va*şın*da / bir*çok / ge*mi / ba*tır*dı*lar↷)
They sank a lot of ships during The Second World War. (tran.)

Gömleğime çay dök-ül-dü.

(göm*le*ği*me~ / çay / dö*kül*dü↷)
Tea spilled on my shirt. (reflexive) (In this sentence the word “çay” is the
subject.)

Seyhan Nehri Akdeniz'e dökül-ür.

(sey*han / neh*ri / ak*de*ni*ze / dö*kü*lür↷)
The Seyhan River pours into the Mediterranean Sea. (reflexive)

Limonatayı yere dök-tü-üm.

(li*mo*na*ta*yı / ye*re / dök*tüm↷)
I have spilled (spilt) the lemonade on the floor. (tran.)

Arabalar dur-du.
(a*ra*ba*lar / dur*du↷)
The cars stopped. (intr.)

Polis arabaları dur-dur-du

(po*lis / a*ra*ba*la*rı / dur*dur*du↷)
The police officer stopped the cars. (tran.)

Tekerlekler dön-üyor.
(te*ker*lek*ler / dö*nü*yor↷)
The wheels are turning. (intr.)

Motor tekerlekleri dön-dür-ür.

(mo*tor / te*ker*lek*le*ri / dön*dü*rür↷)
The engine turns the wheels. (tran.)

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

Parmağına bir iğne bat-tı.

(par*ma*ğı*na / bir / iğ*ne / bat*tı↷)
A needle stuck in her hand. (intr.)

Parmağına bir iğne bat-ır-dı.

(par*ma*ğı*na / bir / iğ*ne / ba*tır*dı↷)
She stuck a needle into her finger. (tran.)

Bu pul iyi yapış-ma-ıyor.

(bu / pul / i*yi / ya*pış*mı*yor↷)
This stamp doesn’t stick well. (intr.)

Mektubun üstüne bir pul yapış-tır.

(mek*tu:*bun / üs*tü*ne / bir / pul / ya*pış*tır↷)
Stick a stamp on the letter. (tran.)

THE SIMPLE PAST and THE PRESENT PERFECT

DĠ’li GeçmiĢ Zaman

The Simple Past and The Present Perfect tenses are both expressed in “Di’li
GeçmiĢ Zaman” in Turkish. In other words, the Turkish “Di’li GeçmiĢ Za-
man” covers these two English tenses. The time morpheme of this tense is
[DĠ], which has eight allomorphs [di, dı, dü, du, ti, tı, tü, tu]. One of these
allomorphs is used to follow verb stems or verb frames in accordance with
the Turkish vowel and consonant harmony rules.The verbs ending with
vowels and voiced consonants are followed by the allomorphs written in
bold type; the verbs followed by unvoiced consonants are written in regu-
lar type.

The personal allomorphs attached to the allomorphs of the [DĠ] morpheme

are as follows:

ben  [im, ım, üm, um]

sen  [in, ın, ün, un]
o  [Ø]
biz  [ik, ık, ük, uk]
siz  [iniz, ınız, ünüz, unuz]
onlar  [ler, lar]

Naturally, as all the allomorphs of the [DĠ] morpheme [di, dı, dü, du, ti, tı, tü,
tu] end with vowels, and the personal allomorphs [“im, ım, üm, um”; “in, ın,
ün, un”; “ik, ık, ük, uk”; “iniz, ınız, ünüz, unuz”] start with vowels, the first
vowels of the personal allomorphs drop; such as in di-im (dim), dı-ım (dım),
dü-üm (düm), du-um (dum), ti-im (tim), tü-ün (tün), ti-ik (tik), tü-ük (tük),
tü-ünüz (tünüz), etc.

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

(Ben) iki saat önce iĢimi bitir-di-im.

(ben / i*ki / sa*at / ön*ce / i*şi*mi / bi*tir*dim↷)
I finished my work two hours ago.

(Ben) iĢimi bitir-di-im.

(ben / i*şi*mi / bi*tir*dim↷)
I have finished my work. (My work is ready now.)

Onlar geçen hafta sinemaya git-ti.

(on*lar / ge*çen / haf*ta / si*ne*ma*ya / git*ti↷)
They went to the cinema last week.

Onlar sinemaya git-ti.

(on*lar / si*ne*ma*ya / git*ti↷)
They have gone to the cinema.
(They are at the cinema or on the way to the cinema.)

O kitabı geçen sene oku-du-um.

(o / ki*ta*bı / ge*çen / se*ne / o*ku*dum↷)
I read that book last year.

Kitabı okudu-um.
(ki*ta*bı / o*ku*dum↷)
I have read the book. (I have finished reading it.)

BulaĢıklar sabahleyin yıka-dı-ım.

(bu*la*şık*la*rı / sa*bah*le*yin / yı*ka*dım↷)
I washed the dishes in the morning.

BulaĢıkları yıka-ın-dı bile.

(bu*la*şık*lar / yı*kan*dı / bi*le↷)
The dishes have already been washed. (The dishes are clean now.) (passive)

negative:

The negation allomorphs [me, ma] are put after verb stems or verb frames,
and these allomorphs are followed by [di, dı] time allomorphs and personal
allomorphs respectively. The other time allomorphs that are used in positive
forms [dü, du, ti, tı, tü, tu] are not used here as a result of the [me, ma] nega-
tion allomorphs:

Fatma’yı pazar’dan beri gör-me-di-im.

(fat*ma*yı / pa*zar*dan / be*ri / gör*me*dim↷)
I haven’t seen Fatma since Sunday.

Fatma’yı bir haftadır gör-me-di-im.

(fat*ma*yı / bir / haf*ta*dır / gör*me*dim↷)
I haven’t seen Fatma for a week.

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

Fatma’yı geçen hafta gör-me-di-im.

(fat*ma*yı / ge*çe*naf*ta / gör*me*dim↷)
I didn’t see Fatma last week.

Daha ev ödevimi yap-ma-dı-ım.

(da*ha / e*vö*de*vi*mi / yap*ma*dım↷)
I haven’t done my homework yet.

Dün bu odayı temizle-me-di-ler.

(dün / bu / o*da*yı / te*miz*le*me*di*ler↷)
They didn’t clean this room yesterday.

Bu odayı üç gündür temizle-me-di-ler.

(bu / o*da*yı / üç / gün*dür / te*miz*le*me*di*ler↷)
They haven’t cleaned this room for three days.

Geçen hafta futbol oyna-ma-dı-ık.

(ge*çen / haf*ta / fut*bol / oy*na*ma*dık↷)
We didn't play football last week.

Kayıp çocuk daha bul-un-ma-dı.

(ka*yıp / ço*cuk / da*ha / bu*lun*ma*dı↷)
The lost child hasn’t been found yet.

positive question:

The question allomorphs [mi, mı, mü, mu], which are separately written, are
used after either the verbs, or they may be used after the stressed words in
sentences:

Ahmet mi okula otobüsle gitti?

(ah*met↝ / mi / o*ku*la / o*to*büs*le / git*ti↷)
Has Ahmet gone to school by bus?

Ahmet okula otobüsle mi gitti?

(ah*met / o*ku*la~ / o*to*büs↝le / mi / git*ti↷)
Has Ahmet gone to school by bus?

Ahmet otobüsle okula mı gitti?

(ah*met / o*to*büs*le∼ /o*ku*la↝ / mı / git*ti↷)
Has Ahmet gone to school by bus?

Ahmet okula gitti mi?

(ah*met / o*ku*la / gi*ti / mi↷)
Has Ahmet gone to school? (All are “yes”, “no” questions.)

If the last syllable in a sentence is used with a rising intonation (↝), the sen-
tence means “I am surprised to hear it”, or “I could not hear you well”. If it is
used with a falling intonation (↷), the question is a “yes”, “no” question.

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

Mektupları at-tı-ın mı?

(mek*tup*la*rı / at*tın / mı↷)
Have you posted the letters?

Pazar günü futbol maçına git-ti-in mi?

(pa*zar / gü*nü / fut*bol / ma*çı*na / git*tin / mi↷)
Did you go to the football match on Sunday?

Pazar günü futbol maçına mı git-ti-in?

(pa*zar / gü*nü / fut*bol /ma*çı*na↝ /mı / git*tin↝) (I am surprised.)
Did you go to the football match on Sunday?

Köpeği yıka-dı-ınız mı?

(kö*pe*ği / yı*ka*dı*nız / mı↷)
Have you washed the doğ?

Arabayı mı yıka-dı-ınız?
(a*ra*ba*yı ↝/ mı / yı*ka*dı*nız↝) ( I am surprised.)
Have you washed the car? (I didn’t want you to wash the car; you should
have washed the dog instead.)

Çiçekleri sula-dı-ın mı?

(çi*çek*le*ri / su*la*dın / mı↷)
Have you watered the flowers?

Patatesleri soy-du-un mu?

(pa*ta*tes*le*ri / soy*dun / mu↷)
Have you peeled the potatoes?

In the negative question form, the [me, ma] allomorphs are attached to
verbs first; then the [di, dı] time allomorphs (the others are not used as a
result of the [me, ma] allomorphs) are used, and finally, the above men-
tioned personal allomorphs follow them. The [mi, mı] question words (or allo-
morphs) are separately written. They are words because they are sepa-
rately written; they are allomorphs because they follow the vowel harmony
rules:

Pazar günü futbol oyna-ma-dı-nız mı?

(pa*zar / gü*nü / fut*bol / oy*na*ma*dı*nız / mı↷)
Didn’t you play football on Sunday? (negative question)

Ahmet daha eve gel-me-di mi?

(ah*met / da*ha / e*ve / gel*me*di / mi↷)
Hasn’t Ahmet come home yet?

Aynı yanlıĢlığı tekrar yap-ma-dı-ın mı?

(ay*nı / yan*lış*lı*ğı / tek*rar / yap*ma*dın / mı↷)
Haven’t you made the same mistake again?

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

The verb “git” and the same “di’li” past tense is also used in place of “have
(has) been to”:

Ben birkaç kez Londra’ya git-ti-im.

(ben / bir*kaç / kez / lon*dra*ya / git*tim↷)
I have been to London several times.

Ben hiç Tokyo’ya git-me-di-im.

(ben / hiç / tok*yo*ya / git*me*dim↷)
I have never been to Tokyo.

Sen hiç Paris’e git-ti-in mi?

(sen / hiç / pa*ri*se / git*tin / mi↷)
Have you ever been to Paris?

Bugün nereye git-ti-in?

(bu / gün / ne↝re*ye / git*tin↝)
Where have you been today?

In Turkish, the simple present is used in place of “have (has) had”:

(Ben) beĢ yıldır bu arabaya sahibim.

(beş / yıl*dır / bu / a*ra*ba*ya / sa:*hi*bim↷)
I have had this car for five years.

Bu arabaya ne kadar zamandır sahipsin?

(bu / a*ra*ba*ya ~/ ne↝ / ka*dar / za*man*dır / sa:*hip*sin↝)
How long have you had this car?

All the question words can be used in the “di’li” past tenses as they are
used in others, but in doing this, the sentence order should be considered. In
English, after the question words, the question order of a sentence is kept
in question form, but in Turkish, when question words are used, the rest of
the sentence is not in question form:

“Ne zaman Ankara’ya gittin?” In this sentence, the underlined part of the
sentence is not a question. However, in the English sentence, “When did
you go to Ankara?”, the underlined part of the sentence is a question. This
rule is applied to all interrogative sentences containing question words in
Turkish.

Onu dün gördün. Onu ne zaman gördün?

As it is seen in the above sentences, the verbs “gördün” do not change al-
though the second sentence is a question. This shows us that the question
words used in Turkish sentences are enough to put them into question con-
cepts.

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

Onu ne zaman gör-dü-ün?

(o*nu / ne↝ / za*man / gör*dün↝ )
When did you see her?

Seni kim gör-dü?

(se*ni / kim↝ / gör*dü↝ )
Who saw you?

When the question word “who” asking for the subject is used, the sentence
order in English is the same as it is in Turkish.

Sen kim-i gör-dü-ün?

(sen / ki*mi↝ / gör*dün↝ )
Whom (who) did you see?
(The [i] in "kim-i" is the defining allomorph, so “kim-i” asks for the object.)

Onlar toplantıyı niçin ertele-di-ler?

(on*lar / top*lan*tı*yı / ni↝çin /er*te*le*di*ler↝ )
Why did they postpone the meeting?

Bu kahveyi kim yaptı?

( bu / kah*ve*yi / kim ↝ / yap*tı↝ )
Who has made this coffee?

Niçin patatesleri soy-ma-dı-ın?

(ni↝çin / pa*ta*tes*le*ri / soy*ma*dın↝)
Why haven’t you peeled the potatoes?

Kim-in araba-/s/ı-/n/ı ödünç al-dı-ın?

(ki*min↝ / a*ra*ba*sı*nı / ö*dünç / al*dın↝)
Whose car did you borrow?

Onlar nerde buluĢ-tu-lar?

(on*lar / ner↝ de / bu*luş*tu*lar↝ )
Where did they meet?

Amerika’da ne kadar kal-dı-ın?

(a*me*ri*ka*da / ne↝ / ka*dar / kal*dın↝ )
How long did you stay in The U.S.A.?

Annenle babanı ne sıklıkta ziyaret et-ti-in?

(an*nen*le / ba*ba*nı / ne↝ / sık*lık*ta / zi*ya:*ret / et*tin↝ )
How often did you visit your parents?

Ne de-di-in?
(ne↝ / de*din↝)
What did you say?

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

If noticed, when the question words are taken out of all the Turkish interroga-
tive sentences, the remaining parts are good grammatical positive or
negative sentences. For instance:

Onu nezaman gördün? Onu gördün.

Onlar toplantıyı niçin ertelediler? Onlar toplantıyı ertelediler.

Likewise, one can also produce interrogative sentences by inserting ques-

tion words in all Turkish positive or negative sentences:

Onlar toplantıyı niçin ertelediler? Onlar toplantıyı ertelediler.

Sen Ġstanbul’a nasıl gideceksin? Sen Ġstanbul’a gideceksin.
Onu nerde gördün? Onu gördün.
Bu kitabı ne zaman satın alacaksın? Bu kitabı satın alacaksın.
Londra’ya kaç kez gittin? Londra’ya gittin.
Bizi niçin ziyaret etmedin? Bizi ziyaret etmedin.

The places of the interrogative words are changeable in Turkish, but this
characteristic of the Turkish language does not exist in English:

Niçin onlar toplantıyı ertelediler?

Onlar niçin toplantıyı ertelediler?
Onlar toplantıyı niçin ertelediler?
Onlar toplantıyı ertelediler. Niçin?

There is only one English equivalent of the above three Turkish interrog-
ative sentences: Why did they postpone the meeting?

The “mi, mı, mü, mu” question words can also be put into the positive or
negative sentences without changing the sentence order as the other ques-
tion words:

Onlar toplantıyı ertele-di-ler.

Onlar mı toplantıyı ertelediler?

Onlar toplantıyı mı ertelediler?
Onlar toplantıyı ertelediler mi?

Onlar toplantıyı ertele-me-di-ler.

Onlar mı toplantıyı ertelemediler?

Onlar toplantıyı mı ertelemediler?
Onlar toplantıyı ertelemediler mi?

The [MĠ] morpheme can also be used accordingly in all other Turkish senten-
ces.

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

“MĠġ’LĠ” PAST TENSE (MiĢ’li GeçmiĢ)

(rumor, inference)

This tense does not exist in English. The concept of this tense is inferred
from the context in which it is used. The inference allomorphs of this tense
are [miĢ, mıĢ, müĢ, muĢ], which are followed by the personal morphemes:

(ben) [im, ım, üm, um]; (sen) [sin, sın, sün, sun]; (o) [Ø]; (biz) [iz, ız, üz,
uz]; (siz) [siniz, sınız, sünüz, sunuz]; (onlar) ([ler, lar]). Compare the
Turkish with the English sentences to understand the difference:

O git-miĢ. “They say (that) he has gone” or “I am surprised to see (hear)

that he has gone”. They say (that) he went. I think (that) he has gone. He
says (that) he has gone. Somebody says (that) he has gone. He is said to
have gone. All these English sentences are accumulated in the Turkish sen-
tence “O gitmiĢ”. In such sentences the origin and the time of the rumor
is unknown, but inferred:

Sen sınavı geç-miĢ-sin. People say that you have passed the examination.
ĠĢinden kov-muĢ-lar. People say (that) they (have) fired him.
ĠĢinden kov-ul-muĢ. (ko*vul*muş) They say he has been fired or was fired.
(He himself says (that) he has been fired, or was fired.)

When one of the [dir, dır, dür, dur, tir, tır, tür, tur] allomorphs is attached to
one of the allomorphs of [MĠġ], the verb composition gains the meaning of
“possibility” or “certainty “. Consider the following:

Bu filmi gör-müĢ-sün-dür.
(bu / fil*mi / gör*müş*sün*dür ↷)
You are likely to have seen this film. (possibility)
You must have seen this film. (certainty)

Zil çal-mıĢ-tır.
(zil / çal*mış*tır↷)
The bell must (may) have rung. (possibility or certainty)

Annem evden çık-mıĢ-tir bile.

(an*nem / ev*den / çık*mış*tır / bi*le↷)
Mother must have already left home. (certainty)

Yeni dersi öğren-miĢ-siniz-dir.

(ye*ni / der*si / öğ*ren*miş*si*niz*dir↷)
You may or must have learned the new lesson.

Beni anla-mıĢ-sın-dır.
(be*ni / an*la*mış*sın*dır↷)
You must (may) have understood me.

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

Beni anla-mıĢ ol-malı-sın.

(be*ni / an*la*mış / ol*ma*lı*sın↷)
You must have understood me.

Otobüs geç kal-mıĢ olmalı.

(o*to*büs / geç / kal*mış / ol*ma*lı↷)
The bus must have been late.

Programı iptal et-miĢ-ler-dir.

(prog*ra*mı / ip*ta:l / et*miş*ler*dir↷)
They must (may) have canceled the program..

Onu yanlıĢ anla-mıĢ-ım-dır.

(yan*lış / an*la*mı*şım*dır↷)
I must (may) have misunderstood it.

Onu gör-me-miĢ-sin-dir.
(o*nu / gör*me*miş*sin*dir↷)
You may not have seen him.

Onu görmüĢ olamazsın.

(o*nu / gör*müş / o*la*maz*sın↷)
You can’t have seen her.

Yılanı öldür-müĢ-ler-dir.
(yı*la*nı / öl*dür*müş*ler*dir↷)
They must have killed the snake.

negative:

After the verb stems or frames, one of the [me, ma] negation allomorphs are
used; then only the [miĢ, mıĢ] allomorphs follow them according to the vowel
harmony rules, and finally the personal allomorphs are added:

O, çalıĢmaya baĢla-ma-mıĢ bile.

(o~/ ça*lış*ma*ya / baş*la*ma*mış↷/ bi*le↷)
They say he hasn’t started working yet.
(astonishment and complaint)

Sen sınavı geç-me-miĢ-sin.

(sen / sı*na*vı / geç*me*miş*sin↷)
They say you didn’t pass, or haven’t passed the examination.

Oğlun dün okula git-me-miĢ.

(oğ*lun / dün / o*ku*la / git*me*miş↷)
They say, or I’ve heard that your son didn’t go to school yesterday.

Mektubu at-ma-mıĢ.
(mek*tu*bu / at*ma*mış↷)
I heard that he didn’t post the letter.

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

Teklifi kabul et-me-miĢ-ler.

(tek*li:*fi / ka*bû:I / et*me*miş*ler ↷)
I heard that they hadn’t accepted the proposal.

Benim oğlum dün okula git-me-miĢ.

(be*nim / oğ*lum / dün / o*ku*la / git*me*miş↷)
I heard that my son didn’t go to school yesterday.

This type of verb structure is also used in expressing surprise:

Kedi papağan-ım-ı yemiĢ!

(ke*di / pa*pa*ğa*nı*mı / ye*miş~)
The cat has eaten my parrot! (astonishment)

Kek yanmıĢ!
(kek / yan*mış~)
The cake has been burned (burnt)! (astonishment)

positive question:

In positive questions, [miyim, mıyım, müyüm, muyum]; [misin, mısın,

müsün, musun]; [mi, mı, mü, mu]; [miyiz, mıyız, müyüz, muyuz]; [misi-
niz, mısınız, müsünüz, musunuz] and [ler mi, lar mı] words are separately
used in accordance with the harmony rules:

Oğlun dün maça git-miĢ mi?

(oğ*lun / dün / ma*ça / git*miş / mi↷)
Does your son, or does someone else say that your son went to the football
match yesterday?

Kapıyı kilitle-miĢ mi-/y/im?

(ka*pı*yı / ki*lit*le*miş / mi*yim↷)
Tell me whether I have locked the door.
(The /y/ glide is inserted between the successive /i/ vowels.)

Yen-il-miĢ-ler mi!
(ye*nil*miş*ler / mi↝ )
Have they been beaten! (astonishment)

Arabam tamir ed-il-miĢ mi?

(a*ra*bam / ta:*mir / e*dil*miş / mi↷)
Do they say (have you heard) that my car has been repaired? (passive)

negative question:
In negative questions, [me, ma] negation allomorphs are attached to verb
stems or frames:

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

Kapıyı kilitle-me-miĢ-ler mi?!

(ka*pı*yı / ki*lit*le*me*miş*ler / mi↝)
Haven’t they locked the door?! (I’m shocked to hear that.)

Beni gör-me-miĢ mi?

(be*ni / gör*me*miş / mi↝)
Does he say that he didn't see me? (I don’t believe.)

Ev ödevini yap-ma-mıĢ mı?

(ev / ö*de*vi*ni~ / yap*ma*mış / mı↝)
Does he say that he hasn't done his homework?

Daha kalk-ma-mıĢ-mı?
(da*ha / kalk*ma*mış / mı↝) (surprise)
Do you say that he hasn’t got up yet? (How lazy he is!)

Oğlun Türkçe bil-mi-yor mu/y/-muĢ?

(oğ*lun / türk*çe / bil*mi*yor / muy*muş↝)
Do you say that your son doesn’t know Turkish? (I am surprised.)

Beni tanı-ma-ıyor mu/y/-muĢ? Hayret bir Ģey!

(be*ni / ta*nı*mı*yor / muy*muş↝) (hay*ret / bi*şey~)
Does he say that he doesn’t know me? Unbelievable!

THE SIMPLE FUTURE and BE GOING TO

Gelecek Zaman

The above two different English time concepts are expressed in [ecek, acak]
time allomorphs in Turkish. The personal allomorphs follow these two time
allomorphs as usual, such as:

(ben) [im, ım]; (sen) [sin, sın]; (o) [Ø]; (biz) [iz, ız]; (siz) [siniz, sı-nız]; (on-
lar) [ler, lar] in Turkish.

The same concepts can also be expressed in The Present Continuous

Tense (ġimdiki Zaman), as well. Consider the following:

Yeni bir araba satın al-acak-ız.

(ye*ni / bir / a*ra*ba / sa*tın / a*la*ca*ğız↷)
We are going to buy a new car.
We will by a new car. We are buying a new car.

Bir gün beni anla-/y/acak-sın.

(bir / gün / be*ni / an*la*ya*cak*sın↷)
You will understand me some day.
(The /y/ glide is inserted between the successive /a/ vowels.)

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

Param olunca sana yardım et-er-im.

(pa*ram / o*lun*ca ~/ sa*na / yar*dım / e*de*rim↷)
I will help you when I have enough money.
(The /t/ phoneme changes into the voiced /d/.) (promise)

Param olunca sana yardım et-ecek-im.

(pa*ram / o*lun*ca ~/ sa*na / yar*dım / e*de*ce*ğim↷)
I will certainly help you when I have enough money. (strong promise)

(The underlined /t/ and /k/ phonemes change into the /d/ and /ğ/ respec-
tively.)

Bazı hayvanlar bir gün yok ol-acak.

(ba:*zı / hay*van*lar / bir / gün / yo*ko*la*cak↷)
Some animals will be extinct some day.

(Kapıyı) ben aç-ar-ım.

(ka*pı*yı / be*na*ça*rım↷)
I’ll open (the door). (This form is used as soon as one hears the doorbell.)

(Telefona) ben cevap veririm.

(te*le*fo*na / ben / ce*vap / ve*ri*rim↷)
I’ll answer (the phone).
(This expression is used as soon a one hears the telephone ring.)

Mr. Brown yarın üniversitede bir konferans ver-ecek.

Mr. Brown is going to give a lecture at the university tomorrow.

negative:

The negation allomorphs of this tense are [me] and [ma], which are followed
by [ecek, acak] and personal allomorphs. When "me-ecek" and "ma-acak"
allomorphs follow one another, the successive /e/ and /a/ vowels are linked
by the /y/ glides to maintain the harmonious link between these vowels:

Toplantıya git-me-/y/ecek-im. (top*lan*tı*ya / git*me*ye*ce*ğim↷)

or (git*mi*ye*ce*ğim↷), or informally (git*miy*cem↷).
I won’t go to the meeting. (refusal)

(The /y/ glide is inserted between the successive /e/ vowels, and the un-
voiced phoneme /k/ changes into the voiced form /ğ/.)

Onlar-ın teklif-i-/n/i kabul et-me-/y/ecek-iz.

(on*la*rın / tek*li:*fi*ni / ka*bûl / et*me*ye*ce*ğiz↷)
We won’t accept their proposal.
(The /n/ and /y/ are glides inserted between the successive /i/ and /e/ vow-
els. The /k/ phoneme in “ecek” changes into the voiced (ğ/.)

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

Yağmur yağ-ma-/y/acak.
(yağ*mur / yağ*mı*ya*cak↷)
It is not going to rain.

(The /y/ glide is inserted between the successive /a/ vowels.)

In positive questions, “mi/y/im”, “misin”, “mi”, “mi/y/iz”, “misiniz”,

“(ler)mi” or their allomorphs are separately used:

Bu mektupları daktilo edecek misin?

(bu / mek*tup*la*rı / dak*ti*lo / e*de*cek / mi*sin↷)
Are you going to type these letters?

Yarın git-ecek misin? or “Yarın gidiyor musun?”

(ya*rın / gi*de*cek / mi*sin↷)
Are you leaving tomorrow? (The /t/ changes into /d/.)

Onlar bizi ziyaret et-ecek-ler mi?

(on*lar / bi*zi / zi*ya:*ret / e*de*cek*ler / mi↷)
Are they going to visit us?

In polite requests geniĢ zaman (The Simple Present Tense) is used in

Tukish in place of The Simple Future Tense (will) of the English language:

Bu mektupları benim için lütfen daktilo eder misin?

(bu / mek*tup*la*rı / be*nim / i*çin / lüt*fen / dak*ti*lo / e*der↝ / mi*sin↷)
Will you please type these letters for me? (polite request)

Lutfen benim için bir fincan kahve yapar mısın?

(lüt*fen / be*nim / i*çin / bir / fin*can / kah*ve / ya*par↝ / mı*sın↷)
Will you please make a cup of coffee for me? (polite request)

negative question:

In the negative question form, [me, ma] negation allomorphs follow the verb
stems or verb frames:

Bizimle gel-me-/y/ecek misin?

(bi*zim*le / gel*mi *ye*cek / mi*sin↷)
Won’t you come with us?
(The /y/ glide is inserted between the successive /e/ vowels.)

When the question words are involved, “miyim”, “misin”, etc. are not used:

Saat kaçta eve dön-ecek-sin?

(sa*at / kaç*ta ↝/ e*ve / dö*ne*cek*sin↝ )
What time will you come back home?

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

Yarın nereye git-iyor-sun?

(ya*rın / ne↝ re*ye / gi*di*yor*sun ↝)
Where are you going tomorrow? (The /t/ changes into /d/.)

Yarın hava nasıl ol-acak?

(ya*rın / ha*va / na ↝ sıl / o*la*cak↝ )
What is the weather going to be like tomorrow?

Soruma kim cevap ver-ecek?

(so*ru*ma / kim ↝/ ce*vap / ve*re*cek↝ )
Who is going to answer my question?

Soruma sen mi cevap ver-ecek-sin?

(so*ru*ma / sen ↝/ mi / ce*vap / ve*re*cek*sin↷)
Are you going to answer my question?
(If this question is asked with a rising (↝) intonation, it becomes scornful.)

Toplantı/y/ı nerde yapacaklar?

(top*lan*tı*yı / ner ↝ de / ya*pa*cak*lar↝ )
Where are they going to hold the meeting?

Bu kimin kitabı?
(bu / ki*min ↝/ ki*ta*bı↝)
Whose book is this?

Size nasıl yardım edebilirim?

( si*ze / na↝sıl / yar*dım / e*de*bi*li*rim↝ )
How can I help you?

THE PAST CONTINUOUS TENSE

ġimdiki Zaman’ ın Hikâyesi

This tense is used like The Past Continuous Tense of the English Lan-
guage. The time morpheme of this tense is a combination of [ĠYOR] mor-
pheme followed by the [DĠ] morpheme, which are followed by the usual per-
sonal morphemes. The allomorphs of these three morphemes are sim-
ultaneously chosen by the phonological component in accordance with the
Turkish harmony rules as usual.

The allomorphs of [ĠYOR] are [iyor, ıyor, üyor, uyor] as they are in The
Present Continuous Tense. As all the allomorphs of [ĠYOR] morpheme end
with “yor” syllables, only the [du] allomorph of the morpheme [DĠ] is used
after the allomorphs of [ĠYOR] . For example:

iyor-du, ıyor-du, üyor-du, uyor-du.

Although the personal allomorphs of the morpheme [ĠM] are [im, ım, üm,
um], only one of them [um] allomorph is used for the first person singular

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

because of the [du] past allomorph. All the other personal allomorphs are as
follows:

(ben) [du-um]; (sen) [du-un]; (o) [du-Ø]; (biz) [du-uk]; (siz) [du-unuz]; (on-
lar) [lar-dı].

As all these allomorphs are attached to [iyor-du] allomorphs, they be-come

“iyor-du-um”, “iyor-du-un”, “iyor-du”, “iyor-du-uk”, “iyor-du-unuz”,
“iyor-lar-dı”. As usual, all the first vowels of the personal mor-phemes drop:

Ankara’ya git-iyor-du-um.
(an*ka*ra*ya / gi*di*yor*dum↷)
I was going to Ankara. (The /t/ changes into /d/.)

Onlar bize yardım et-iyor-lar-dı.

(on*lar / bi*ze / yar*dım / e*di*yor*lar*dı↷)
They were helping us. (The underlined /t/ changes into /d/.)

Sen televizyon seyret-iyor-du-un.

(sen / te*le*viz*yon / sey*re*di*yor*dun↷)
You were watching television.

ArkadaĢlarımızı ara-ıyor-du-uk.
(ar*ka*daş*la*rı*mı*zı / a*rı*yor*duk↷)
We were looking for our friends. (The double underlined /a/and /u/ drop.)

Ben bir problem çöz-üyor-du-um.

(ben / bir / prob*lem / çö*zü*yor*dum↷)
I was solving a problem.

Biz onları bekle-iyor-du-uk.

(biz / on*la*rı / bek*li*yor*duk↷)
We were waiting for them.
(The double underlined /e/ and /u/ drop.)

O beni sev-iyor-du.
(o / be*ni /se*vi*yor*du↷ )
She was in love with me.

Öğrenciler öğretmenlerini dikkatle dinle-iyor-lar-dı.

(öğ*ren*ci*ler / öğ*ret*men*le*ri*ni / dik*kat*le / din*li*yor*lar*dı↷)
The students were listening to their teacher carefully.
(The double underlined /e/ drops.)

Uyu-uyor-du-uk.
(u*yu*yor*duk↷)
We were sleeping.

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

negative:

Although the negation allomorphs of this tense are [me] and [ma], their last
vowels drop when they are attached to the allomorphs of [iyor]:

Gel-me-iyor-lar-dı.
(gel*mi*yor*lar*dı↷)
They were not coming. (The double underlined /e/ drops.)

Onları bekle-me-iyor-du-uk.
(on*la*rı / bek*le*mi*yor*duk↷)
We were not waiting for them. (The double underlined /e/ and /u/ drop.)

O beni sev-me-iyor-du.
(o / be*ni / sev*mi*yor*du↷)
She wasn’t in love with me.

O beni anla-ma-ıyor-du. (O beni anlamadı.)

(o / be*ni / an*la*mı*yor*du↷)
She didn’t understand me.

Ben uyu-ma-uyor-du-um.
(ben / u*yu*mu*yor*dum↷)
I wasn't sleeping.

positive question:

The question allomorphs of this tense are [mi, mı, mü, mu]. Each one of
these allomorphs are separately used after any stressed word in a sentence:

Ahmet okula otobüsle mi git-iyor-du?

(ah*met / o*ku*la / o*to*büs↝le*mi / gi*di*yor*du↷)
Was Ahmet going to school by bus?

Ahmet otobüsle okula mı git-iyordu?

(ah*met / o*to*büs*le / o*ku*la↝ mı / gi*di*yor*du↷)
Was Ahmet going to school by bus?

Telefon çaldığında kahvaltı mı et-iyor-du-nuz?

(te*le*fon / çal*dı*ğın*da / kah*val*tı ↝/ mı / e*di*yor*du*nuz↷)
Were you having breakfast when the telephone rang?

Telefon çaldığında mı kahvaltı et-iyor-du-nuz

(te*le*fon / çal*dı*ğın*da ↝/ mı / kah*val*tı / e*di*yor*du*nuz↷)
Were you having breakfast when the telephone rang?

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

Telefon çaldığında kahvaltı et-iyor mu/y/-du-nuz?

(te*le*fon / çal*dı*ğın*da / kah*val*tı / e*di↝yor / muy*du*nuz↷)
Were you having breakfast when the telephone rang?

When the verb is stressed, the question allomorph [mu] is attached to [du]
allomorph:

"Gidiyor mu/y/-du-nuz?" "Bakıyor mu/y/-du-nuz?" "Görüyor mu/y/-du-nuz?"

"Uyuyor mu/y/-du-nuz?" "ÇalıĢıyor mu/y/-du-uk?" "Gülüyor mu/y/-du-um?"

negative question :

As usual, the [me, ma] negation allomorphs are used in negative questions:

Onlar otobüsle git-me-iyor mu/y/-du-lar?

(on*lar / o*to*büs*le / git*mi*yor / muy*du*lar↷)
Weren’t they going by bus?

The double underlined /e/ drops, and the /y/ glide is inserted between [mu]
and [du]. Instead of “gitmiyor muydu-lar?”, “gitmiyor-lar mıydı?” are often
heard.

When the question words are involved, the [mi, mı, mü, mu] allomorphs are
not used, and the verbs are in positive form:

Ne yapıyor-du-un?
(ne↝ / ya*pı*yor*dun ↝)
What were you doing?

Sana kim yardım et-iyor-du?

(sa*na / kim ↝/ yar*dım / e*di*yor*du ↝)
Who was helping you? (The /t/ changes into the voiced /d/.)

Nereye git-iyor-du-un?
(ne↝re*ye / gi*di*yor*dun ↝)
Where were you going?
(The /t/ changes into the voiced /d/, and the double underlined /u/ vowel
drops.)

Caddede bir kadın niçin kos-uyor-du?

(cad*de*de / bir / ka*dın / ni↝çin / ko*şu*yor*du↝)
Why was a woman running along the street?

The intonation patterns of the Turkish and English interrogative sentences

are different when the question words are used. In the Turkish sentences,
the stress is on the question words; but in English, the stress is on the
verb.

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

THE PAST PERFECT CONTINUOUS TENSE

ġimdiki Zaman’ın Hikâyesi

The past continuous verb structure of the Turkish language is also used in
place of the Past Perfect Continuous Tense of the English language. Con-
sider and compare the following sentences:

Ahmet geldiğinde ben onu bir saattir otobüs durağında bekle-iyor-dum.

(ah*met / gel*di*ğin*de~ / ben / o*nu / i*ki / sa*at*tir / o*to*büs / du*ra*ğın*da
/ bek*li*yor*dum↷)
I had been waiting for Ahmet at the bus stop for an hour when he arrived.
(The double underlined /e/ and /u/ vowels drop.)

Sınav sona erdiğinde iki saattir sorulara cevap vermeye çalıĢ-ıyor-dum.

I had been trying to answer the questions for two hours when the exam
ended.

IĢıklar söndüğünde iki saattir ev ödevimi yap-ıyor-du-um.

When the lights went off, I had been doing my homework for two hours.

Otobüs durağında bekliyordum.

I was waiting at the bus stop. (Past Continuous)

Otobüs durağında iki saattir bekliyordum.

I had been waiting at the bus stop for two hours. (Past Perfect Continuous)

As it is seen in the above examples, only The Past Continuous Tense is

used in Turkish to express both The Past Continuous and The Past Perfect
continuous Tenses of the English language.

WAS (WERE) GOING TO

Gelecek Zaman’ın Hikâyesi

This tense expresses an action that was going to be done in the past but
was interrupted for some reason. The same tense exists in the English lan-
guage, as well.

To form this tense in Turkish, the [ecek] or [acak] allomorphs are attached to
verb stems or frames first, then they are followed by [ti, tı] past time allo-
morphs, and finally personal allomorphs (ben) [im, ım]; (sen) [in, ın]; (o) [Ø];
(biz) [ik, ık]; (siz) [iniz, ınız]; (onlar) [lerdi, lardı] are added:

Ev ödevimi yap-acak-tı-ım, ama birden elektrikler sön-dü.

(ev / ö*de*vi*mi / ya*pa*cak*tım / a*ma ~/ bir*den / e*lek*trik*ler / sön*dü↷)
I was going to do my homework, but suddenly the lights went out.

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

Tam öğretmenin sorusuna cevap ver-ecek-ti-im, ama zil çaldı.

(tam / öğ*ret*me*nin / so*ru*su*na / ce*vap / ve*re*cek*tim / a*ma ~/ zil /
çal*dı↷) I was just going to answer the teacher’s question, but the bell rang.

Tam uykuy dal-acak-tı-ım, telefon çaldı.

Just as I was going to sleep, the telephone rang.

This tense is also used in conditional past tenses in Turkish:

Bilet bul-sa/y/-dı-ım, tiyatroya git-ecek-ti-im.

(bi*let / bul*say*dım~ / ti*yat*ro*ya / gi*de*cek*tim↷ )
If I had found a ticket, I would have gone to the theatre.

USED TO
GeniĢ Zaman’ın Hikâyesi

The equivalent of the expression of “used to” is used in Turkish as it is used

in English. To form this expression, the simple present tense allomorphs of
[ĠR], [ir, ır, ür, ur, er, ar], are used followed by [di, dı, dü, du] past time al-
lomorphs; and finally, (ben) [im, ım, üm, um]; (sen) [in, ın, ün, un]; (o) [Ø];
(biz) [ik, ık, ük, uk]; (siz) [iniz, ınız, ünüz, unuz]; (onlar) [ler/di, lar/dı] per-
sonal allomorphs are added:

Onsekiz yaĢımdayken futbol oyna-ar-dı-ım.

(on*se*kiz / ya*şım*day*ken / fut*bol / oy*nar*dım↷)
I used to play football when I was eighteen.

Biz her akĢam radyo din-le-er-di-ik.

(biz / her / ak*şam / rad*yo / din*ler*dik↷)
We used to listen to the radio every evening.

negative:

The negation allomorph, which is used without the /z/ phoneme for the first
person in The Simple Present Tense (GeniĢ Zaman) negative, is used with
the phoneme /z/ in negative “used to” tenses, such as “git-mez”, “okumaz”.
After this, the allomorphs of the morpheme [DĠ] and the personal allomorphs
follow:

Gençken basketbol oyna-maz-dı-ım.

(genç*ken / bas*ket*bol / oy*na*maz*dım↷)
I didn’t use(d) to play basketball when I was young.

Okula otobüsle git-mez-di-ik.

(o*ku*la / o*to*büs*le / git*mez*dik↷)
We didn’t use(d) to go to school by bus.

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

Babam gözlüklerini takmama izin ver-mez-di.

(ba*bam / göz*lük*le*ri*ni / tak*ma*ma / i*zin / ver*mez*di↷)
My father didn’t use(d) to let me wear his eyeglasses.

positive question:

To produce a positive question, one of the Simple Present Tense allo-

morphs is attached to a verb stem or frame. Then, as a separate word, one
of the question allomorphs [mi, mı, mü, mu], and then one of the Simple
Past Tense allomorphs [di, dı, dü, du] is linked to the question allomorphs by
the glide /y/, and finally a suitable personal allomorph follows them:

Siz her gün Ġngilizce çalıĢ-ır mı/y/-dı-ınız? (çalıĢıyor muydunuz?)

(siz / her*gün / in*gi*liz*ce / ça*lı*şır↝ / mıy*dı*nız↷)
Did you use(d) to study English every day?
(The /y/ glide is inserted between [mı] and [dı].)

Mutfakta annene her gün yardım eder mi/y/di-in?

(mut*fak*ta / an*ne*ne / her / gün / yar*dım / e*der↝ / miy*din ↷)
Did you use to help your mother in the kitchen every day?

Sen gençken kızlar futbol oynar mı/y/-dı?

(sen / genç*ken / kız*lar / fut*bol / oy*nar↝ / mıy*dı↷)
Did girls use to play football when you were young?

This verbal composition is also used in conditional sentences:

Senin yerinde ol-sa-ım babamın öğüdünü dinle-er-di-im.

(se*nin / ye*rin*de / ol*sam / ba*ba*mın / ö*ğü*dü*nü / din*ler*dim↷)
If I were you, I would listen to my father’s advice.

Jack burda olsa bize yardım et-er-di.

(Jack / bur*da / ol*sa~ / bi*ze / yar*dım / e*der*di↷)
If Jack were here, he would help us.

The double underlined /e/ and /i/ vowels drop, and the /t/ changes into the
/d/ voiced consonant.

THE RUMOR FORMS OF THE SIMPLE PRESENT AND CONTINUOUS

TENSES

The rumor forms of The Simple Present, The Present Continuous, The Sim-
ple Future and double rumor forms are also possible in Turkish. To form
these tenses, one of the allomorphs of The Simple Present Tense [ir, ır, ür,
ur], the allomorphs of The Present Continuous [iyor, ıyor, üyor, uyor], the
Simple Future [ecek, acak], or the rumor suffixes [miĢ, mıĢ, müĢ, muĢ] is
attached to a verb stem or frame. Then, one of the rumor allomorphs [miĢ,

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mıĢ, müĢ, muĢ] is used followed by personal allomorphs: (ben) [im, ım, üm,
um]; (sen) [sin, sın, sün, sun]; (o) [Ø]; (biz) [iz, ız, üz, uz]; (siz) [siniz,
sınız, sünüz, su-nuz]; (onlar) [ler,lar]:

Jack her yıl yeni bir araba satın al-ır-mıĢ.

(jack / her / yıl / ye*ni / bir / a*ra*ba / sa*tı*na*lır*mış↷)
They say that Jack buys a new car every year. (The Simple Present)

Jack her gün Türkçe çalıĢ-ıyor-muĢ.

(jack / her / gün / türk*çe / ça*lı*şı*yor*muş↷)
They say that Jack is (was) studying Turkish every day. (The Present Cont.)

Jack gelecek yıl yeni bir araba satınal-acak-mıĢ.

(jack~ / ge*le*cek / yıl ~ / ye*ni / bir / a*ra*ba / sa*tın / a*la*cak*mış↷)
They say that Jack is going to buy a new car next year. (The Simple Future)

Jack arabasını bir yıl önce al-mıĢ-mıĢ.

(jack / a*ra*ba*sı*nı~ / bir / yıl / ön*ce / al*mış*mış↷)
They said that Jack had bought his car a year before. (Double Rumor)
(The double rumor allomorphs express unbelievable rumor.)

In all the above sentences, as in all rumor sentences, the origin of the rumor
is unknown or unimportant. Some examples are as follows:

Sen o kıza aĢık-mıĢ-sın.

(sen / o / kı*za~/ a:*şık*mış*sın↷)
They say that you are (were) in love with that girl.

Ġkinci el araba sat-ar-mıĢ-sın (sat-ıyor-muĢ-sun).

(i*kin*ci / el / a*ra*ba / sa*tı*yor / muş*sun↷)
They say you are selling second-hand cars.

Jack bir Rus kızını sev-iyor-muĢ.

(jack~ / bir / rus / kı*zı*nı / se*vi*yor* muş↷)
They say that Jack is (was) in love with a Russian girl.

Ben bir Rus kızını sev-iyor-muĢ-um.

(ben / bir / rus / kı*zı*nı / se*vi*yor*mu*şum↷)
They say that I am (was) in love with a Russian girl.

Bütün kızlar Jack'e aĢık-mıĢ-mıĢ.

(bü*tün / kız*lar / jack*e / a:*şık*mış*mış↷)
Jack says (or I have heard) that all girls are in love with him, which is ridi-
culously unbelievable.

Ben bilgisayar kullan-a-ma-ıyor-muĢ-um.

(ben / bil*gi*sa*yar / kul*la*na*mı*yor*mu*şum↷)
They say that I can’t use a computer.

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

THE PAST PERFECT TENSE

MiĢ’li GeçmiĢ’in Hikâyesi

This tense is generally used in complex sentences. To form this tense, one
of the allomorphs of [miĢ, mıĢ, müĢ, muĢ] is used after a verb stem or
frame, then one of the [ti, tı, tü, tu] past allomorphs is added, and finally, they
are followed by one of the personal allomorphs.

The personal allomorphs used in this tense are (ben) [im, ım, üm, um];
(sen) [in, ın, ün, un]; (o) [Ø]; (biz) [ik, ık, ük, uk]; (siz) [niz, nız, nüz, nuz];
(onlar) [ler-di, lar-dı]. All these suffixes follow the vowel and consonant har-
mony rules while they are being suffixed. The double underlined vowels in
the following sentences drop as usual.

Yat-ma-dan önce ev ödevimi bitir-miĢ-ti-im.

(yat*ma*dan / ön*ce ~/ ev / ö*de*vi*mi / bi*tir*miş*tim↷)
I had finished my homework before I went to bed.

Misafirler gel-me-den önce akĢam yemeğimizi ye-miĢ-ti-ik.

(mi*sa:*fir*ler / gel*me*den / ön*ce / ak*şam / ye*me*ği*mi*zi / ye*miĢ*tik↷)
We had eaten our lunch before the visitors arrived.

Birisi babama telefon et-tik-i/n/-de babam evden yeni çık-mıĢ-tı.

(bi*ri*si / ba*ba*ma / te*le*fon / et*ti*ğin*de~ / ba*bam / ev*den / ye*ni /
çık*mış*tı↷)
When somebody telephoned my father, he had just left home.

(Ben-im) hava alanına var-dık-ım-da uçak havalan-mıĢ-tı.

noun + infinitive compound - [DE] sentence
syntactic adverb of time
When I arrived at the airport, the plane had already taken off.

(O) (ben-im) hangi ülkelere git-tik-im-i öğren-mek istedi.

NP NP (object of “öğrenmek”) inf V
NP
He wanted to know which countries I had been to.

Daha önce (kendisi-nin) benimle karĢılaĢ-mıĢ ol-duk-u-/n/u söyledi.

He said that he had met me before.
(The /k/ phonemes in [dik, dık, dük, duk] change into the voiced /ğ/ pho-
nemes.)

THE FUTURE CONTINUOUS TENSE

This tense expresses an action going on at a certain time in the future. To

compose this tense, one of the progressive allomorphs [iyor, ıyor, üyor,
uyor] is attached to verb stems or frames first, and then the verb “ol” is
attached to [acak] allomorph, which is followed by one of the personal allo-
morphs:

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

Yarın saat sekizde seni bekle-iyor ol-acak-ım.

(ya*rın / sa*at / se*kiz*de / se*ni / bek*li*yor / o*la*ca*ğım↷)
I will be waiting for you at eight o’clock tomorrow.

The double underlined /e/ drops, and the /k/ in “olacak” changes into its
voiced form /ğ/.

Yarın bu saatte çalıĢ-ıyor ol-acak-ım.

(ya*rın / bu / sa*at*te / ça*lı*şı*yor / o*la*ca*ğım↷)
I will be working at this hour tomorrow. (The /k/ changes into /ğ/.)

The same verb composition above can also be used in Turkish when The
Future Perfect Continuous Tense verb expression is needed:

Gelecek yıl bu zaman bir yıldırTürkçe öğren-iyor ol-acak-ım.

(ge*le*cek / yıl / bu / za*man ~/ bir / yıl*dır / türk*çe / öğ*re*ni*yor /
o*la*ca*ğım↷)
I will have been studying Turkish for a year by this time next year.

Misafirler geldiğinde eĢim üç saattir mutfakta yemek piĢir-iyor ol-acak.

My wife will have been cooking in the kitchen for three hours by the time the
visitors arrive.

THE FUTURE PERFECT TENSE

(miĢ ol-acak)

Both in English and Turkish, this tense expresses an action that will have
been finished before a certain time in the future. To form this tense, one of
the [miĢ, mıĢ, müĢ, muĢ] allomorphs is attached to a verb stem or frame,
and then, as a separate word, one of the [ecek, acak] allomorphs is at-
tached to the “ol” verb stem, and finally the verb structure is ended with one
of the personal allomorphs:

Saat beĢ-te iĢimi bitir-miĢ ol-acak-ım.

(sa*at / beş*te / i*şi*mi / bi*tir*miş / o*la*ca*ğım↷)
I will have finished my work by five o’clock.
(The underlined /k/ is replaced by its voiced form /ğ/.)

Televizyonda benim favori programım baĢladığında ev odevimi yapmıĢ

olacağım.
I will have done my homework by the time my favorite program starts on TV.

(Sen) hava alanına vardığında uçak havalanmıĢ olacak.

(sen / ha*va / a*la*nı*na / var*dı*ğın*da~ / u*çak / ha*va*lan*mış /
o*la*cak↷)
The plane will have taken off by the time you arrive at the airport.

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

INFINITIVES (MASTARLAR)

The grammar term infinitive (mastar) in Turkish covers both the gerunds
and the infinitives of the English language. Therefore, we will talk about only
infinitives. All infinitives are nouns made up of verb stems or verb frames.

There are four kinds of infinitives in Turkish:

1.The [mek, mak] allomorphs attached to verb stems or verb frames:

oku-mak (reding, to read); yüz-mek (swimming, to swim); yardım et-mek

(helping, to help); konuĢ-mak (talking, to talk); temizle-mek (cleaning, to
clean); oyna-mak (playing, to play); tart-mak, tart-ıl-mak, tart-ıĢ-mak; kaç-
mak, kaç-ın-mak, kaç-ıĢ-mak; sürt-mek, sürt-ül-mek, sürt-ün-mek, sürt-
üĢ-mek; döv-mek, döv-ül-mek, döv-ün-mek, döv-üĢ-mek; çek-mek, çek-
il-mek, çek-in-mek, çek-iĢ-mek; at-mak, at-ıl-mak, at-ıĢ-mak; sev-mek,
sev-il-mek, sev-in-mek, sev-iĢ-mek; değ-mek, değ-in-mek, değ-il-mek.

2.The [me, ma] allomorphs attached to verb stems and verb frames:

git-me (going, to go); gel-me (coming, to come); çalıĢ-ma (working, to

work), eleĢtir-me (criticizing, to criticize); anla-ma (understanding, to under-
stand) ezberle-me (memorizing, to memorize); tart-ma, tart-ıl-ma, tart-ıĢ-
ma; gör-me, gör-ül-me, gör-ün-me, gör-üĢ-me; kaç-ma, kaç-ın-ma, kaç-
ıĢ-ma.

3.The [iĢ, ıĢ, üĢ, uĢ] allomorphs attached to verb stems:

gül-üĢ (way of smiling); bak-ıĢ (way of looking); anla-/y/ıĢ (ability of un-

derstanding), gel-iĢ (way of) coming); davran-ıĢ (way of behaving)

4. The [dik. dık, dük, duk, tik, tık, tük, tuk] allomorphs attached to verb
stems or frames:

yüz-dük, gel-dik, oku-duk, temizle-dik, bekle-dik, çalıĢ-tık; soy-un-duk,

anla-ıĢ-tık, kes-iĢ-tik, sev-il-dik, yüz-leĢ-tik, bek-le-iĢ-tik, tart-ıĢ-tık.

The Nr. 4 infinitives are used only in transforming sentences into “pos-
sessor + possessed” (noun+infinitive) compounds such as: “ben-im gör-
dük-üm” (gör*dü*ğüm), “Hasan’ın ça-lıĢ-tık-ı” (ça*lış*tı*ğı), “biz-im bekle-
iĢ-tik-imiz” (bek*leş*ti*ği*miz).

In the examples above, the [dik, dık, dük, duk, tik, tık, tük, tuk] allomorphs
are not the allomorphs used in "Futbol oyna-dı-ık." For example, when the
sentence "O futbol oynuyor" is transformed into a noun clause (noun + infi-
nitive compound), it becomes "onun futbol oynadık-ı". This transformed
sentence can be used as the object of "görüyorum". "Onun futbol oynadık-
ı/n/ı (oynuyor olduğunu) görüyorum." In this sentence, the allomorph [dık]
does not convey a past time concept. Consequently, "oynuyor”, “oynar”,

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

“oynardı”, “oynadı”, “oynuyordu" tenses are all transformed into a “noun+in-

finitive” compound as "oynadığı":

O futbol oynuyor. ↻ “onun futbol oynadığı”

O futbol oynar. ↻ “onun futbol oynadığı”
O futbol oynadı. ↻ “onun futbol oynadığı”
O futbol oynuyordu. ↻ “onun futbol oynadığı”

When all the above four sentences are transformed and nominalized, they
can be used in the following sentences as objects:

Onun futbol oynadığı-/n/ı görüyorum. I can see that he is playing football.

Onun her gün futbol oynadığı-/n/ı biliyorum. I know that he plays football every day.
Onun dün futbol oynadığı-/n/ı gördüm. I saw that he was playing football yesterday.

These examples clearly prove that the [DĠK] morpheme is not the past time
[DĠ] morpheme. It is a morpheme attached to a verb stem to produce an
infinitive: “Onun arabayı çaldık-ı” is a “noun + infinitive” compound like
“onun arabayı çal-ma-/s/ı”.

Generally speaking, "ben-im al-ma-ım", "ben-im al-ıĢ-ım", "ben-im al-dık-

ım" expressions are all “possessor + possessed” noun compounds like
"ben-im kapı-ım". The "V-[mek, mak]" infinitives are timeless as the other
infinitives. They are not used in compounds. For instance: *“onun git-mek-i”
is not used in compounds. For example, *"onun git-mek-i", *“bizim gitmek-
imiz” are impossible in Turkish.

Note: You can find further explanations in the article written by Eser
Erguvanlı Taylan, Boğaziçi Üniversitesi, (Türkçe'de Tümce Yapısına Sahip
Tümleç Yantümceleri)

1 (a). The [mek, mak] infinitives can be used in the subject position of a
sentence:

Yüz-mek sağlık için yararlıdır.

(yüz*mek ~/ sağ*lık / i*çin / ya*rar*lı*dır↷)
Swimming is good for health.

Sigara iç-mek zararlıdır.

(si*ga*ra / iç*mek ~/ za*rar*lı*dır↷)
Smoking is harmful.

Günde sekiz saat uyu-mak sağlıklı bir kiĢi için yeterlidir.

(gün*de / se*kiz / sa*at / u*yu*mak ~/ sağ*lık*lı / bir / ki*şi / i*çin /
ye*ter*li*dir↷)
Sleeping eight hours a day is enough for a healthy person.
(It is enough for a healthy person to sleep eight hours a day.)

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

Bütün gün televizyon seyret-mek zaman kaybıdır.

(bü*tün / gün / te*le*viz*yon / sey*ret*mek / za*man / kay*bı*dır ↷)
Watching television all day long is a waste of time.

Onu ikna et-mek kolaydır.

(o*nu / ik*na: / et*mek / ko*lay*dır↷)
To convince him is easy.
(It is easy to convince him.); (He is easy to convince.)

The same [mek, mak] infinitives can be used before postpositions:

Bahçede çalıĢ-mak yerine tenis oynadık.

infinitive (noun) postp
postp phrs (adverb)
(bah*çe*de / ça*lış*mak / ye*ri*ne~ / te*nis / oy*na*dık↷)
We played tennis instead of working in the garden. (“yerine” is a postposi-
tion.)

Televizyon seyret-mek yerine iĢini yap.

Do your work instead of watching television.

Okula git-mek yerine sinemaya gittiler

(o*ku*la / git*mek / ye*ri*ne~ / si*ne*ma*ya / git*ti*ler↷)
They went to the cinema instead of going to school.

1 (b). The same [mek, mak] allomorphs are also used before “için” post-
positions to express purpose:

Ev ödevimi tamamla-mak için sabahleyin erken kalktım.

(e*vö*de*vi*mi / ta*mam*la*mak / i*çin~ / sa*bah*le*yin / er*ken / kalk* tım↷)
I got up early to complete my homework.

Yepyeni bir araba al-mak için para biriktiriyoruz.

(yep*ye*ni / bir / a*ra*ba / al*mak / i*çin~ / pa*ra / bi*rik*ti*ri*yo*ruz↷)
We are saving money to buy a brand new car.

Onları gör-mek için pencereden baktım.

(on*la*rı / gör*mek / i*çin / pen*ce*re*den / bak*tım↷)
I looked out of the window to see them.

Onu bitir-mek için zamana ihtiyacımız var.

(o*nu / bi*tir*mek / i*çin / za*ma:*na / ih*ti*ya:*cı*mız / var↷)
We need time to finish it.

CumhurbaĢkanını gör-mek için herkes ayağa kalktı,

Everybody stood up to see the president.

Yabancı dil öğren-mek için çok çalıĢmak zorundasın.

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

(ya*ban*cı / dil / öğ*ren*mek / i*çin~ / çok / ça*lış*mak / zo*run*da*sın↷)

You have to study hard to learn a foreign language.

Beni anla-mak için dikkatle dinle.

Listen carefully to understand me.

Islan-ma-mak için Ģemsiyesini aldı. (negative infinitive)

She took her umbrella not to get wet.

Beni daha iyi gör-mek için gözlüklerini taktı.

He put his glasses on to see me better.

Bize yardım et-mek için (et-mek-te) israr etti.

He insisted on helping us.

Otobüse yetiĢ-mek için koĢtuk.

We ran to catch the bus.

1 (c). The infinitives with [mek, mak] are used as objects of the verb “iste”
(want, wish):

Türkçe öğren-mek istiyorum.

(türk*çe / öğ*ren*mek / is*ti*yo*rum↷)
I want to learn Turkish.

BulaĢıkları yıka-mak istemiyorum.

(bu*la*şık*la*rı / yı*ka*mak / is*te*mi*yo*rum↷)
I don’t want to wash the dishes.

Bu kitabı oku-mak istiyor musun?

(bu / ki*ta*bı / o*ku*mak / is*ti*yor / mu*sun↷)
Do you want to read this book?

Canım okula git-mek istemiyor.

(ca*nım / o*ku*la / git*mek / is*te*mi*yor ↷)
I don’t feel like going to school.

1 (d). The [mek, mak] allomorphs can also be followed by [ten, tan] allo-
morphs as all nouns can. The other two allomorphs of the phoneme [DEN]
are not used here because the [mek, mak] allomorphs end with unvoiced
consonants:

YanlıĢlık yap-mak-tan kaçınmalısın.

(yan*lış*lık / yap*mak*tan / ka*çın*ma*lı*sın↷)
You must avoid making mistakes.

Geceleyin yalnız dıĢarı çık-mak-tan korkarım.

(ge*ce*le*yin / yal*nız / dı*şa*rı / çık*mak*tan / kor*ka*rım↷)
I am afraid of going out alone at night.

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

Bütün kadınlar yaĢlan-mak-tan korkar.

(bü*tün / ka*dın*lar / yaş*lan*mak*tan / kor*kar↷)
All women are afraid of growing old.

Bütün gün evde otur-mak-tan bıktım (sıkıldım).

(bü*tün / gün / ev*de / o*tur*mak*tan / bık*tım↷)
I am tired (bored) of staying at home all day long.

Yalan söyle-mek-ten utanmıyor musun?

(ya*lan / söy*le*mek*ten / u*tan*mı*yor / mu*sun↷)
Aren’t you ashamed of telling lies?

Üzül-mek-ten kendimi alamıyorum.

(ü*zül*mek*ten / ken*di*mi / a*la*mı*yo*rum↷)
I can’t help being sorry.

Bekle-mek-ten neftet ederim.

(bek*le*mek*ten / nef*ret / e*de*rim↷)
I hate waiting.

Çoğu öğrenciler ev ödevi yap-mak-tan hoĢlanmaz.

(ço*ğu / öğ*ren*ci*ler ~/ e*vö*de*vi / yap*mak*tan / hoş*lan*maz↷)
Most students dislike doing homework.

Pervasızca araba sür-mek-ten kaçınmalısın.

(per*va:*sız*ca / a*ra*ba / sür*mek*ten / ka*çın*ma*lı*sın↷)
You must avoid driving recklessly.

Gül-mek-ten kendimi alamadım.

(gül*mek*ten / ken*di*mi / a*la*ma*dım↷)
I couldn’t help laughing.

KızkardeĢim ev iĢi yap-mak-tan nefret eder.

(kız*kar*de*şim / e*vi*şi / yap*mak*tan / nef*ret / e*der↷)
My sister hates doing housework.

Aldat-ıl-mak-tan nefret ederim.

(al*da*tıl*mak*tan / nef*ret / e*de*rim↷)
I hate being cheated. (passive infinitive)

Yardım iste-mek-ten çekinme.

(yar*dım / is*te*mek*ten / çe*kin*me↷)
Don’t avoid asking for help.

Tavla oyna-mak-tan sözettik.

(tav*la / oy*na*mak*tan / sö*zet*tik↷)
We talked about playing backgammon.

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

2 (a). The second kind [me, ma] infinitives are used in the second part of
the “possessor + possessed” noun compounds. Compare and consider
the following:

Kitap-ın kapak-ı (ki*ta*bın / ka*pa*ğı) (the cover of the book)

(The /p/ and /k/ change into /b/ and /ğ/ respectively.)
ben-im pencere-im (be*nim / pen*ce*rem) (my window)
ben-im git-me-im (be*nim / git*mem) (my going, me to go)
noun + inf compound

(Sen-in) gerçeği söyle-me-in-i istiyorum.

(se*nin~ / ger*çe*ği / söy*le*me*ni / is*ti*yo*rum↷)
I want you to tell the truth.

“senin gerçeği söylemen” is a transformed nominalized sentence:

(Sen) gerçeği söylersin. ↻ “(senin) gerçeği söylemen”

(Sen) gerçeği söylüyorsun ↻ “(senin) gerçeği söylemen”
(Sen) gerçeği söyledin. ↻ “(senin) gerçeği söylemen”
(Sen) gerçeği söylerdin. ↻ “(senin) gerçeği söylemen”

The personal allomorphs attached to both parts of a "noun + infinitive"

compound are as follows:

(ben-im) git-me-im (ben-im) al-ma-ım (ben-im) bekle-me-im

(sen-in) git-me-in (sen-in) al-ma-ın (sen-in) bekle-me-in
(o-/n/un) git-me-/s/i (o-/n/un) al-ma-/s/ı (o-/n/un) bekle-me-/s/i
(biz-im) git-me-imiz (biz-im) al-ma-ımız (biz-im) bekle-me-imiz
(siz-in) git-me-iniz (siz-in) al-ma-ınız (siz-in) bekle-me-iniz
(onlar-ın) git-me-/s/i (onlar-ın) al-ma-/s/ı (onlar-ın) bekle-me-/s/i

Note: All the double underlined vowels drop.

As the personal allomorphs used in the possessed parts of a compound

are enough to express the possessive adjectives (ben-im, sen-in, etc.), they
may be ignored unless they are thought to be necessary to attract the lis-
tener’s attention.

Since the words like “söyle-me-in” are infinitives, they are nouns, and so
the [i, ı], [e, a], [de, da], or [den, dan] suffixes can be attached to the infini-
tive parts of the compounds:

“söyle-me-in-i”, “söyle-me-in-e”, “söyle-me-in-de”, “söyle-me-in-den”

Babam (ben-im) daha çok çalıĢ-ma-ım-ı istiyor.

NP noun + infinitive comp (obj) NP V
My father wants me to study harder.

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

A final rule to add to the previous explanations is that in Turkish certain

verbs need certain morphemes such as, [Ġ], [E], [DE], or [DEN] attached to
noun stems and pronouns. The allomorphs of these morphemes can also be
attached to infinitives, or “noun + infinitive” (or “infinitive + noun”) com-
pounds, which have to be named as syntactic nouns.

2 (b). The verbs that take “noun + infinitive” compounds as objects:

“noun + infinitive” - [Ġ]

Yağmur, (biz-im) zamanında tiyatroya git-me-imiz-i engelledi.
NP possessor adverb adverb possessed V
noun + infinitive compound (object) NP
(yağ*mur / bi*zim / za*ma:*nın*da / ti*yat*ro*ya / git*me*mi*zi /
en*gel*le*di↷)
The rain prevented us from going to the theatre in time.
adv adv

(Ben) (sen-in) böyle davran-ma-ın-ı anlamıyorum. (dav*ran*ma*nı)

NP possessor adverb possessed V
noun + inf compound (obj) NP
I don’t understand your behaving like that.

(Ben) (Ben-im) siyah pantolon-um-u (o-/n/un) ütüle-me-/s/i-/n/i rica ettim.

NP possessor adj possessed possessor possessed V
noun comp + [Ġ] (obj of “ütüle”) noun comp + [Ġ] (obj of “rica et”)
NP NP

The mental development of this last sentence contains two deep structures:

1. O ben-im siyah pantolonum-u ütülesin.

2. Ben bu-/n/u rica ettim.

The first sentence is transformed and nominalized as “onun benim siyah

pantolonumu ütülemesi”, and it is embedded and used in place of “bu-
/n/u” in the second sentence:

(Ben) (onun) siyah pantolonumu ütülemesi-/n/i rica ettim.

I asked her to iron my black trousers.
(“ben”, “benim” and “onun” words are optional.)

Mary’/n/in piyano çal-ma-/s/ı-/n/ı seyrettim.

possessor N (obj of “çal”) possessed V
(ma*ri*nin / pi*ya*no / çal*ma*sı*nı / sey*ret*tim↷)
I watched Mary playing the piano.
(The /n/, /s/ and /n/ glides are respectively used.)

(Ben) (Sen-in) ev-e dön-me-in-i bekliyorum. (dön*me*ni)

NP possessor adv possessed V
noun compound (object) NP
I am waiting for your coming back home.

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

O/n/un konuĢ-ma-/s/ı-/n/ı anlamıyorum.

(o*nun / ko*nuş*ma*sı*nı / an*la*mı*yo*rum↷)
I don’t understand his way of speaking.
(The /n/, /s/ and /n/ glides are respectively used.)

(Ben-im) sana kahve getir-me-im-i ister misin? (ge*tir*me*mi)

Would you like me to serve you coffee?

(Ben-im) onun-la evlen-me-im imkânsız.

possessor adv possessed V
noun compound (subject)
It is impossible for me to marry her. (“benim” is optional)
(Ben) onu, (o-nun) bize yardım et-me-/s/i için ikna ettim.
subj obj noun + inf comp (object of “için”) postp.
postpositional phrase of purpose
I convinced him to help us
.
(The /s/ glide is used); (“onun” is not necessary; it is put there to show the
reader the deleted "possessor" part of the compound.)

Mektubu (ben-im) tekrar yaz-ma-ım-ı rica etti.

He asked me to write the letter again. (“benim” is optional)

In the above sentences, “bizim gitmemiz”, “senin davranman”, “onun ütüle-

mesi”, “beklemenin faydası”, “Mary’nin piyano çalması”, “(senin) eve
dönmen”, “(benim) getirmem”, “onun konuĢması”, “(ben-im) evlenmem”,
“onun yardım etmesi” are all “noun + infinitive” compounds that have been
transformed from the deep structures by the transformational component in
order to be used in phrase structure patterns. The transformational compo-
nent performs this mental activity to shape and use the deep structure sen-
tences in phrase structure molds. As the aim of this activity of the mind is to
build up infinite surface structure sentences out of deep structures, it may be
reasonable to call such phrases as “syntactic”, which means that such
surface structural phrases have been built up for syntactic purposes.

In the following lines the deep structure sentences are printed in italics, and
the transformed “noun + infinitive” compounds are in bold type, which
have been produced for syntactic purposes. By the way, it is necessary to
remember that the meaning of a surface structure sentence is always hidden
in a deep structure. The syntactic surface phrases can only be understood
so long as they are paraphrased and interpreted by the listeners or readers.

Read the “deep structures” and the “syntactic surface structures” below:

Biz tiyatroya gidecektik. ↻ “bizim tiyatroya gitmemiz”

Sen böyle davranıyorsun. ↻ “senin böyle davranman”
(O) siyah pantolonumu ütülesin. ↻ “(onun) siyah pantolonumu ütülemesi”

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

Mary piyano çalıyordu.↻ “Mary’nin piyano çalması”

Sen eve döneceksin. ↻ “senin eve dönmen”
O konuşur. ↻ “onun konuşması”
Ben kahve getiririm. ↻ “benim kahve getirmem”
Ben onunla evlenirim. ↻ “benim onunla evlenmem”
O bize yardım eder. ↻ “onun bize yardım etmesi”
Ben mektubu tekrar yazayım. ↻ “benim mektubu tekrar yazmam”

As it is seen in the above noun compounds, when sentences are trans-

formed and nominalized, they lose their time concepts like all infinitives. The
“benim”, “senin” parts of the compounds may be ignored, and so, only
“tiyatroya gitmemiz” or “mektubu tekrar yazmam” can be used as noun com-
pounds without the possessive adjectives.

Bekle-me-/n/in fayda-/s/ı yok. It is no use waiting.

(Literally: "There is not the use of waiting") (“beklemenin faydası” is an “infi-

nitive + noun” compound used as the subject of the sentence.)

Infinitives attached to [i, ı] allomorphs: V - [me, ma] -/y/ [i, ı]

(Sen) (ben-im) Ģemsiye-im-i geri getir-me-/y/i unutma.

(Ģem*si*ye*mi / ge*tir*me*yi / u*nut*ma↷)
Don’t forget to bring my umbrella back.
(The /y/ glide is used between the /e/ phoneme and the [i] defining allo-
morph.) (The “sen” and “benim” words can naturally be ignored.)

Bizim takım kazan-ma-/y/ı haketti.

(bi*zim / ta*kım / ka*zan*ma*yı / ha*ket*ti↷)
Our team deserved to win.

Eski arabamızı sat-ma-/y/ı erteledik.

(es*ki / a*ra*ba*mı*zı / sat*ma*yı / er*te*le*dik↷)
We postponed selling our old car.
(“arabamız-ı” is the object of “satmak”; “eski arabamızı satma/y/ı” is the ob-
ject of “ertelemek”.)

Yüz-me-/y/i bana babam öğretti.

(yüz*me*yi / ba*na / ba*bam / öğ*ret*ti↷)
My father taught me (how) to swim.

Bizimle Bursa’ya git-me-/y/i kabul etti.

(bi*zim*le / bur*sa*ya / git*me*yi / ka*bu:*let*ti↷)
He agreed to go to Bursa with us.

Hırsız kasayı aç-ma-/y/ı denedi.

(hır*sız / ka*sa*yı / aç*ma*yı / de*ne*di↷)
The thief tried opening the safe.

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

Yeni bir araba al-ma-/y/ı düĢünüyoruz.

(ye*ni / bir / a*ra*ba / al*ma*yı / dü*şü*nü*yo*ruz↷)
We are considering buying a new car.

Note: The infinitives above are all printed in bold type.

2 (c). The verbs that need “noun + infinitive” compounds followed by [e],
[a] allomorphs:

Babam, (ben-im) futbol maçına git-me-im-e izin verdi. (git*me*me)

NP noun + infinitive compound - [e] adverb V
My father allowed me to go to the football match.

Babam, kızkardeĢim-in gece yalnız sinemaya git-me-/s/i-/n/e kızdı.

NP possessor adv adv adv possessed V
noun + infinitive compound + [e]= syntactic adverb
My father got angry about my sister’s going to the cinema alone at night.

Babam, araba-/s/ı/n/ı (ben-im) kullan-ma-ım-a hiç izin vermiyor.

(ba*bam~ / a*ra*ba*sı*nı / kul*lan*ma*ma / hiç / i*zin / ver*mi*yor↷)
My father is never allowing me to use his car.
(Complaint) (“benim” is optional)

Babam (benim) balık tut-ma-/y/a git-me-im-e itiraz etti (karĢı durdu).

(ba*bam~ / ba*lık / tut*ma*ya /git*me*me / i:*ti*ra:z / et*ti↷)
My father objected to my going fishing. (“benim” is optional)

2 (d). “noun + infinitive” compounds can also be followed by [den, dan]:

Annem ben-im eve geç gel-me-im-den hoĢlanmıyor.

NP possessor adv adv possessed V
noun + infinitive comp - [den] = adv
My mother dislikes my (me) coming home late.

There are two mental deep structures in the above sentence:

1. Ben eve geç geliyorum.

2. Annem bundan hoşlanmıyor.

Sentence Nr.1 is transformed and nominalized as "benim eve geç gel-

mem". When this transformed sentence is put in the place of "bundan" in the
second sentence, the new synonymous sentence "Annem benim eve geç
gelmemden hoĢlanmıyor" surface sentence is produced.

In this transformed sentence, "ev-e", "geç" and “benim eve geç gelmem-den”
expressions are adverbs modifying "hoĢlanmıyor".

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

(Ben) onun her Ģey-i anla-ma-/s/ı/n/-dan korkuyorum.

NP possessor obj of “anla” possessed V
noun + infinitive comp - [dan] = adv
I am afraid of her understanding everything.
(The /s/ and /n/ glides are used.)

Infinitives attached to [e, a] allomorphs: “V - [me, ma] - /y/[e], /y/[a]”

(Ben) klasik müzik dinle-me-/y/e düĢkünüm.

NP NP infinitive
Ġnf - [e] = adverb V
VP
I am fond of listening to classical music.

ĠĢimi tamamla-ma-/y/a çalıĢıyorum.

(i*şi*mi / ta*mam*la*ma*ya / ça*lı*şı*yo*rum↷)
I am trying to complete my work.

Dert-et-me-/y/e değmez.
(der*det*me*ye / değ*mez↷)
It is not worth troubling about.

ÇalıĢ-ma-/y/a devam etti.

(ça*lış*ma*ya / de*va:*met*ti↷)
He went on (continued) working.

Yağmur yağ-ma-/y/a baĢladı.

(yağ*mur / yağ*ma*ya / baş*la*dı↷)
It began to rain (raining).

3 (a). The third kind of noun + infinitive compounds are made by adding
[iĢ, ıĢ, üĢ, uĢ] allomorphs to verb stems; such as “ben-im gül-üĢ-üm”, “sen-in
bak-ıĢ-ın”, which means “my way of smiling”, “your way of looking” etc.
These compounds may take [Ġ], [E], [DE] and [DEN] morphemes:

(O) (ben-im) gül-üĢ-üm-e (gü*lü*şü*me) hayrandır.

He adores my way of smiling.

(Ben) (sen-in) bana bak-ıĢ-ın-ı (ba*kı*şı*nı) özledim.

I missed your way of looking at me.

(O) (ben-im) gitar çal-ıĢ-ım-ı (ça*lı*şı*mı) sever.

He likes my way of playing the guitar.

(Onlar) (ben-im) eve dön-üĢ-üm-den mutlu oldular.

They became happy about my coming back home.

(“ben”. “sen”, “o”, “benim”, “senin” and “onların” words above are all optional.)

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

4 (a). This “noun + infinitive” compound is widely used in transforming

simple sentences into “syntactic nouns” (noun clauses) or determiners
(adjective clauses). The following example shows how a simple sentence is
transformed into a “noun + infinitive” compound, and then how it is used as
a syntactic noun in a sentence:

possessor noun + V - [dik, dık, dük, duk, tik, tık, tük, tuk] - [pers]

ben-im yüz-dük-üm
possessor possessed

Ben denizde yüzüyordum.  “(benim) denizde yüz-dük-üm”

sentence (nominalized sent) (synt noun)
(O) (ben-im) denizde yüz-dük-üm-ü gördü.
NP noun comp (obj) NP V
VP
He saw that I was swimming in the sea.
NP V syntactic noun (obj) NP
VP

Note: In the sentence above, the /k/ phoneme changes into the voiced /ğ/,
and the last [ü] is the determiner that determines the syntactic noun “benim
denizde yüzdük-üm”.

The same “noun + infinitive” compound can also be used as a deter-

miner:

Ben bir okula gidiyorum.  ben-im git-tik-im okul

determiner + noun
syntactic noun
benim gittiğim + okul the school that I go to
syntactic noun syntactic noun
Benim gittiğim okul çok kalabalık. The school that I go to is very crowded.
synt noun (subj) NP VP synt noun (subj) NP VP
Note : “very” is an intensifier (adverb).

The possessed parts of the “noun + infinitive” compounds are also used
as objects of postpositions (English “prepositions”):

Her zaman okula geç geldigim için Ġngilizce ögretmenim beni azarladı.
syntactic noun (object of “için”) + postp (sentence) NP + VP
postpositional phrase of cause
My English teacher shouted at me because of my always coming to school late.
NP + VP prep synt noun (object of ”because of”)
prepositional phrase of cause

Note: Further explanations are given in the transformational section.

A final note that should be added to the above explanations is that as the
infinitives are made up of verbs, they can take objects when they are tran-
sitive, but if they are intransitive, they can take [E], [DE], and [DEN] mor-
phemes:

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

(Onun) beni beklemesini istiyorum. I want him to wait for me.

In this sentence, “o-nun ben-i bekle-me-/s/i” is the object of the verb “bekle-
me” and “o-nun ben- i bekle-me-/s/i-/n/i” is the object of “istiyorum”.

THE PASSIVE INFINITIVE

Only the transitive verbs can be put into the passive voice In English, but in
Turkish, both transitive and intransitive verbs can be changed into the pas-
sive form. Therefore, the passive making allomorphs can be attached to all
kinds of verb stems. When the passive making allomorphs are attached to
transitive verbs, these verbs are put into the passive voice, but when the in-
transitive ones are put into the passive form, only their forms are changed;
they are not put into the passive voice. For example, “Bu hapishaneden kaç-
ıl-maz”, literally "*This prison can’t be escaped", means “It is impossible to
escape from this prison.” In this book, such verbs are called “passive
shaped intransitive verbs”.

The passive making allomorphs are as follows:

1.The verb stems ending with vowels and /L/ phonemes are put into the
passive form by using [in], [ın], [ün], [un] passive making allomorphs, such
as “bekle-in”, “dene-in”, “baĢ-la-ın”, “yakala-ın”, “yürü-ün” , doku-un”, “oku-
un”, “al-ın”, “çal-ın”, “gel-in”. 2. The verb stems ending with consonants
take [il, ıl, ül, ul] passive making allomorphs such as “çek-il”, seç-il”, “geç-il”,
sür-ül”, “gör-ül”. When some of these verbs take [in, ın, ün, un] allomorphs,
they become reflexive verbs such as “cek-in”, “geç-in”, “sür-ün”, “gör-ün”.

All the verb frames above can take [me, ma] or [mek, mak] allomorphs to be
used as infinitives:

baĢla-ın-ma(k), topla-ın-ma(k), besle-in-me(k), temizle-in-me(k), ekle-in-

me(k), yürü-ün-me(k), doku-un-ma(k) (weave), oku-un-ma(k), oyala-ın-
ma(k), geç-il-me(k), geç-in-me(k), sür-ül-me(k), sür-ün-me(k), gör-ül-
me(k), gör-ün-me(k) bak-ıl-ma(k), bak-ın-ma(k), aç-ıl-ma(k), seç-il-me(k),
yen-il-me(k), ed-il-me(k), ed-in-me(k), tap-ıl-ma(k), tap-ın-ma(k), yap-ıl-
ma(k), uy-ul-ma(k), konuĢ-ul-ma(k), sür-ül-me(k), sür-ün-me(k), yüz-ül-
me(k), serp-il-me(k). The double underlined vowels drop as usual.

Consider the following:

Kendisiyle alay et-il-me-/s/i/n/-den nefret eder.

(ken*di*siy*le / a*lay / e*dil*me*sin*den / nef*ret / e*der↷).
She hates being made fun of.

(The /t/ is replaced by the voiced /d/; and the /s/ and /n/ phonemes are used
as glides.)

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

Kendisine kaba davran-ıl-ma-/s/ı/n/-dan hoĢlanmaz.

(ken*di*si*ne / ka*ba / dav*ra*nıl*ma*sın*dan / hoş*lan*maz↷)
She dislikes being rudely treated.

Takımının yen-il-me-/s/i/n/-den nefret eder.

(ta*kı*mı*nın / ye*nil*me*sin*den / nef*ret / e*der↷)
He hates his team being beaten.

Bütün kadınlar kendilerine yumuĢak davran-ıl-ma-/s/ı/n/-dan hoĢlanır.

(bü*tün / ka*dın*lar / ken*di*le*ri*ne / yu*mu*şak / dav*ra*nıl*ma*sın*dan /
hoş*la*nır↷)
All women like being tenderly treated.

Rahatsız et-il-mek istemiyorum.

(ra*hat*sız / e*dil*mek / is*te*mi*yo*rum↷)
I don’t want to be disturbed. (The /t/ changes into the voiced /d/ consonant.)

Herkes kendisine eĢit davranılmasını ister.

(her*kes / ken*di*si*ne / e*şit / dav*ra*nıl*ma*sı*nı / is*ter↷)
Everybody wants to be equally treated.

Bu cümleler dikkatle okunmalıdır.

(bu / cüm*le*ler / dik*kat*le / o*kun*ma*lı*dır ↷)
These sentences should be carefully read.

MODALS
Yardımcı Fiiller
PRESENT MODALS

While English modals are made of words, Turkish modals are made either of
morphemes or of words or of both. They convey nearly the same concepts
as they do in English. Therefore, instead of giving detailed boring explana-
tions of the Turkish modals, we prefer giving English equivalents of them,
which we think, will be more explicit. Moreover, the English sentences given
as the equivalents of the Turkish modals can be considered more satisfacto-
ry and precise than detailed English explanations of them, which may lead to
misunderstanding.

(can) (may) [e-bil, a-bil]

The [e-bil, a-bil] allomorphs convey ability, possibility and permission as
“can” do in English. To form the Simple Present Tense concept of this mod-
al morpheme, one of its allomorphs [e-bil] or [a-bil] is attached to a verb
stem or a verb frame followed only by [ir] Simple Present Tense time allo-
morph. The other Simple Present Tense allomorphs are not used after [e-bil]

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

or [a-bil] due to the vowel harmony rules. The time allomorphs are naturally
followed by suitable personal (suffixes) allomorphs:

Yemek piĢir-e-bil-ir-im.
(ye*mek / pi*şi*re*bi*li*rim↷)
I can cook. (ability)

Bilgisayarımı kullan-a-bil-ir-siniz.
(bil*gi*sa*ya*rı*mı / kul*la*na*bi*lir*sin↷)
You can (may) use my computer. (permission)

Bazı sorular zor ol-a-bil-ir.

(ba*zı / so*ru*lar / zor / o*la*bi*lir↷)
Some questions may be difficult. (possibility)

Size yardım et-e-bil-ir-iz.

(si*ze / yar*dım / e*de*bi*li*riz↷)
We can help you. (ability, possibility) (The /t/ changes into /d/.)

DıĢarı çık-abil-ir-sin.
(dı*Ģa*rı / çı*ka*bi*lir*sin↷)
You can go out. (permission)

To change the [e-bil, a-bil] allomorphs into the negative concept, [e-mez,
a-maz] allomorphs are used in place of them with some phoneme removals
and changes. They convey the concepts of inability, impossibility or pro-
hibition:

Piyano çal-a-maz-ım.
(pi*ya*no / ça*la*mam↷).
I can’t play the piano. (inability)
(The double underlined /z/ and /ı/ drop.)

Bu küçük harfleri gözlüksüz gör-e-mez-im.

(bu / kü*çük / harf*le*ri / göz*lük*süz / gö*re*mem↷).
I can’t see these small letters without glasses. (inability)

Bekle-/y/e-mez-im.
(bek*le*ye*mem↷)
I can’t wait.

(The /y/ glide is put between the successive / e/ vowels, and the double un-
derlined /z/ and /i/ drop. (impossibility)

Bu leke sabunla temizlen-e-mez.

(bu / le*ke / sa*bun*la / te*miz*le*ne*mez↷)
This stain can’t be cleaned with soap. (impossibility) (passive)

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

Burda bekle-/y/e-mez-sin.
(bur*da / bek*le*ye*mez*sin↷)
You can’t wait here. (prohibition)

Bakteriler çıplak gözle gör-ül-e-mez.

(bak*te*ri*ler / çıp*lak / göz*le / gö*rü*le*mez↷)
Germs can’t be seen with the naked eye. (impossibility, passive)

Yarın seni gör-e-me-im.

(ya*rın / se*ni / gö*re*mem↷)
I can’t see you tomorrow. (impossibility)

Evde ol-a-maz.
(ev*de / o*la*maz↷)
He can’t be at home. (impossibility)

Çocuklar bahçede oynuyor ol-a-maz.

(ço*cuk*lar / bah*çe*de / oy*nu*yor / o*la*maz↷)
The children can’t be playing in the garden. (impossibility)

The same [e-bil] modal concept can also be used with The Present Con-
tinuous [ĠYOR] morpheme. In order to form this modal composition, [e-bil] or
[a-bil] allomorphs are attached to verb stems or frames followed by the [iyor]
and the personal allomorphs:

Kara tahtayı gör-e-bil-iyor-um. Tahtayı görüyorum.

(ka*ra / tah*ta*yı / gö*re*bi*li*yo*rum↷)
I can see the blackboard. (ability)

The Simple Present Tense of this modal form does not express ability. If
it is used, it expresses possibility:

Seni yarın gör-ebil-ir-im.

(se*ni / ya*rın / gö*re*bi*li*rim↷)
I can see you tomorrow. (possibility)

Kenara çekilirsen karatahtayı görebilirim.

(ke*na*ra / çe*ki*lir*sen~ /ka*ra*tah*ta*yı / gö*re*bi*li*rim↷)
If you move aside, I can see the blackboard. (possibility)

In the negative forms of The Present Continuous modal tenses, [e-me] or [a-
ma] negation allomorphs are used followed by [iyor, ıyor] progressive allo-
morphs, and naturally suitable personal allomorphs are attached to them:

Seni anla-/y/a-ma-ıyor-um.
(se*ni / an*la*ya*mı*yo*rum↷)
I can’t understand you.

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

The /y/ glide is placed between the successive /a/ vowels, and the double
underlined /a/ is dropped.) (inability) (“seni anlayamam” is impossible here;
it can be used in conditional sentences):

Daha yüksek sesle konuĢ-maz-san seni anlayamam.

(da*ha / yük*sek / ses*le / ko*nuş*maz*san~ / se*ni / an*la*ya*mam↷)
I can't understand you unless you speak louder.

Seni iĢit-e-me-iyor-um.
(se*ni / i*şi*te*mi*yo*rum↷)
I can’t hear you.
(The double underlined /e/ drops as it is in “Ģimdi zaman”) (inability)

Bekle-/y/e-me-iyor-um.
(bek*li*ye*mi*yo*rum↷)
I can’t wait. (inability)

Bek-le-/y/e-me-im.
(bek*li*ye*mem↷)
I can’t wait. It is impossible for me to wait. (impossibility)

Seni gör-e-me-iyor-um.
(se*ni / gö*re*mi*yo*rum↷)
I can’t see you. (inability)

Söylediklerin anlaĢıl-ma-ıyor.
(söy*le*dik*le*rin / an*la*şıl*mı*yor↷)
What you say can’t be understood:

The [e-bil, a-bil] modal allomorphs, followed by the allomorphs of the mor-
pheme [ĠYOR], are used attached to verb stems in question forms, and final-
ly, “muyum, musun, mu, muyuz, musunuz, lar mı, etc” are separately
added:

Gözlüksüz televizyon seyret-e-bil-iyor musunuz?

(göz*lük*süz / te*le*viz*yon /sey*re*de*bi*li↝ yor / mu*su*nuz↷)
Can you watch television without glasses?
(The /t/ changes into /d/.) (ability) (“edebilir misin?” is also possible here.)

When the intention of request is involved, The Simple Present Tense allo-
morphs of [ĠR] are used after [e-bil, a-bil] allomorphs, and finally, “mi-
yim?”, “misin?”, “mi?”, “miyiz?”, “misiniz?”, “ler mi?” question words
are separately written.

Bana yardım et-e-bil-ir misiniz?

(ba*na / yar*dım / e*de*bi*lir↝ / mi*si*niz↷)
Can you help me? (request)

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

Size yardım et-e-bil-ir miyim?

(si*ze / yar*dım /e*de*bi*lir↝ / mi*yim↷)
Can I help you? (request)

Beni görmek için yarın büroma gel-e-bil-ir misin(iz)?

(be*ni / gör*mek / i*çin / ya*rın / bü*ro*ma /ge*le*bi*lir↝ / mi*sin↷)
Can you come to my office to see me tomorrow? (request)

The Turkish equivalents of “wh” question words of English can also be used
with [e-bil], [a-bil] allomorphs:

Bu soruya kim cevap ver-e-bil-ir?

(bu / so*ru*ya / kim ↝/ ce*vap / ve*re*bi*lir↝)
Who can answer this question? (ability)
(*“Bu soruya kim cevap verebiliyor?” is not possible.)

Nerede öğle yemeği ye-/y/e-bil-ir-iz?

(ner↝de / öğ*le / ye*me*ği / yi*ye*bi*li*riz↝)
Where can we have lunch? (possibility)
(*"Nerede öğle yemeği yiyebiliyoruz?" is not used in Turkish.)

Nasıl baĢar-abil-ir-im?
(na ↝sıl / ba*şa*ra*bi*li*rim↝)
How can I succeed?

must [MELĠ]

This morpheme has two allomorphs; [meli] and [malı], which can be at-
tached to verb stems or verb frames followed by personal suffixes. When it is
used with verb “to be”, it conveys the idea of certainty or probability, but
when it is used with action verbs like “go”, “write”, “do”, “help”, etc. it
implies obligation imposed by the speaker:

Sınavlarda baĢarılı olmak için daha çok çalıĢ-malı-sın.

(sı*nav*lar*da / ba*şa*rı*lı / ol*mak / i*çin / çok / ça*lış*ma*lı*sın↷)
You must study harder to succeed in the examinations.
(strong advice or obligation imposed by the speaker)

Annene ev iĢlerinde yardım et-meli-sin.

(an*ne*ne / ev / iş*le*rin*de / yar *dım / et*me*li*sin↷)
You must help your mother with the housework.
(obligation imposed by the speaker or strong advice)

Ev ödevimi bitirmek için geç vakte kadar otur-malı-/y/ım.

(e*vö*de*vi*mi / bi*tir*mek / i*çin / geç / vak*te / ka*dar / o*tur*ma*lı*yım↷)
I must sit up late to finish my homework.
(internal obligation)

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

Sürücüler trafik kurallarına uy-malı-dır.

(sü*rü*cü*ler / tra*fik / ku*ral*la*rı*na / uy*ma*lı*dır↷)
Drivers must obey the traffic rules. (obligation)

Yorgun ol-malı-sın.
(yor*gun /ol*ma*lı*sın↷)
You must be tired.
(very probability or certainty)

Sabahleyin erken kalk-ıl-malı.

(sa*bah*le*yin / er*ken / kal*kıl*ma*lı↷)
It is necessary to get up early in the morning. (passive shaped intransitive)

Önemli evraklar kasada sakla-ın-malı.

(ö*nem*li / ev*rak*lar / ka*sa*da / sak*lan*ma*lı↷)
Important documents must be kept in a safe.

Annen öfkeli ol-malı.

(an*nen / öf*ke*li / ol*ma*lı↷)
Your mother must be angry. (very probability or certainty)

Matematik sıkıcı ol-malı.

(ma*te*ma*tik / sı*kı*cı / ol*ma*lı↷)
Mathematics must be boring.

The negative form of [meli, malı] is [me-meli, ma-malı] (must not), which
conveys the idea of prohibition:

Benimle böyle konuĢ-ma-malı-sın.

(be*nim*le / böy*le / ko*nuş*ma*ma*lı*sın↷)
You mustn’t talk to me like that. (prohibition)

Kız kardeĢinin ödev yapmasını engelle-me-meli-sin.

(kız / kar*de*şi*nin / ö*dev / yap*ma*sı*nı / en*gel*le*me*me*li*sin↷)
You mustn’t prevent your sister from doing her homework. (prohibition)

Bir öğrenci televizyon seyrederek vaktini boĢa harca-ma-malı-dır.

(bir / öğ*ren*ci ~/ te*le*viz*yon / sey*re*de*rek ~/ vak*ti*ni / bo*şa /
har*ca*ma*ma*lı*dır↷) A student mustn’t waste time watching television.

Another negative form of [olmalı] (must be) is “ol-a-maz” (can’t be). This
form is used with verb “to be” in sentences. Consider the following:

Oğlum sinemada ol-a-maz; okulda olmalı.

(oğ*lum / si*ne*ma*da / o*la*maz↷ / o*kul*da / ol*ma*lı↷ )
My son can’t be at the cinema; he must be at school. (impossibility)

Matematik ilginç ol-a-maz; sıkıcı olmalı.

(ma*te*ma*tik / il*ginç / o*la*maz↷ / sı*kı*cı / ol*ma*lı↷)
Mathematics can’t be interesting; it must be boring. (impossibility)

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

Mehmet hasta ol-a-maz; rol yapıyor olmalı.

(meh*met / has*ta / o*la*maz↷ / rol / yap*pı*yor / ol*ma*lı↷)
Mehmet can’t be ill; he must be pretending. (impossibility)

Babam öfkeli ol-a-maz; yorgun olmalı.

(ba*bam / öf*ke*li / o*la*maz ↷/ yor*gun / ol*ma*lı↷)
My father can’t be angry; he must be tired. (impossibility)

KardeĢin ciddi olamaz; Ģaka yapıyor olmalı.

(kar*de*şin / cid*di: / o*la*maz↷ / Ģa*ka / ya*pı*yor / ol*ma*lı↷)
Your brother can’t be serious; he must be joking. (impossibility)

Bu hediye benim için olamaz; sizin için olmalı.

(bu / he*di*ye / be*nim / i*çin / o*la*maz↷ / si*zin / i*çin / ol*ma*lı↷)
This present can’t be for me; it must be for you. (impossibility)

Ciddî olamaz; rol yapıyor olmalı.

(cid*dî: / o*la*maz↷ / rol / ya*pı*yor / ol*ma*lı↷)
He can’t be serious; he must be pretending.

Bu portre gerçek olamaz; kopya olmalı.

(bu / por*tre / ger*çek / o*la*maz↷ / kop*ya / ol*ma*lı↷)
This portrait can’t be genuine, it must be a reproduction.

have to (zorunda)
This modal form expresses obligation imposed by an external authority
or circumstances:

ĠĢe gitmek için her sabah saat altıda kalkmak zorunda-/y/ım.

(i*şe / git*mek / i*çin~ / her / sa*bah~ / sa*at / al*tı*da / kalk*mak /
zo*run*da*yım↷) I have to get up at six o’clock every morning to go to work.
(The /y/ glide is inserted between /a/ and /ı/ vowels.) (external obligation)

Patronla konuĢurken dikkatli olmak zorunda-sın.

(pat*ron*la / ko*nu*şur*ken~ / dik*kat*li / ol*mak / zo*run*da*sın↷)
You have to be careful when you are talking to the boss.
(external obligation)

Bu yazı dikkatle yazılmak zorunda.

(bu / ya*zı ~/ dik*kat*le / ya*zıl*mak / zo*run*da↷)
This text has to be carefully written.
(passive; external obligation)

Odamı tertiplemek zorunda-/y/ım.

(o*da*mı / ter*tip*le*mek / zo*run*da*yım↷)
I have to tidy my room.
(external obligation)

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

Bu cümleleri öğrenmek zorunda mıyım?

(bu / cüm*le*le*ri / öğ*ren*mek↝ / zo*run*da / mı*yım↷)
Do I have to learn these sentences?

“needn’t” or “don’t have to” “zorunda değil”

Lack of necessity “needn’t” or “don’t (doesn’t) have to” is expressed in
Turkish with a negation allomorph [me, ma] attached to a verb stem or a
verb frame such as, “git-me”, “yaz-ma”, “satın al-ma”, “çalıĢ-ma”, "te-
mizle-in-me". Then, one of the [e-bil, a-bil] allomorphs is attached to the
preceding [me, ma] negation allomorphs. After the [e-bil, a-bil] allomorphs,
The Simple Present Tense allomorph [ir] is used, and finally personal allo-
morphs are added:

Okula git-me-/y/e-bil-ir-im,
(o*ku*la / git*me*ye*bi*li*rim↷)
I needn’t (don’t have to) go to school. (lack of necessity)

ġimdi baĢla-ma-/y/a-bil-ir-iz.
(şim*di / baĢ*la*ma*ya*bi*li*riz↷)
We needn’t start now. (lack of necessity)

Sabahleyin erken kalk-ma-/y/a-bil-ir-im.

(sa*bah*le*yin~ / er*ken / kalk*ma*ya*bi*li*rim↷)
I needn’t get up early in the morning. (lack of necessity)

Bugün büro temizle-in-me-/y/e-bil-ir.

(bu / gün / bü*ro / te*miz*len*me*ye*bi*lir↷)
The Office needn’t be cleaned today. (passive)

“gitmesem de olur”, “baĢlamasak da olur”, “kalkmasam da olur”,

"kalkmama gerek yok", "gelmene gerek yok" expressions can also
be used as alternatives to the sentences above:

Sabakleyin erken kalk-ma-/s/a-ım da olur.

(sa*bah*le*yin / er*ken / kalk*ma*sam / da / o*lur↷
I needn't get up early in the morning. (lack of necessity)

When a question is asked with [meli, malı], the answer to this question
may be as follows:

“Konsere git-meli mi-/y/im?” “Git-me-/s/e-in de olur.”

“Must I go to the concert?” “No, you needn’t."

“should” or “ought to” (gerekir) (advice)

In order to compose this modal concept, one of the personal allomorphs is
attached to the possessed part of a “noun + infinitive” compound. In the

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

second parts of this compound, the second type of infinitives are used, which
are made by attaching [me, ma] allomorphs to verb stems and verb frames
such as “gitme”, “bekleme”, “beklenme”, “satın alma”, “satın alınma”, “ezber-
leme”, “ezberlenme”, “süpürülme”, etc.

The personal allomorphs attached to these “noun + infinitive” com-

pounds are the ones printed in bold type in the following list:

(ben-im) [im, ım]

(sen-in) [in, ın]
(o-nun) [/s/i, /s/ı]
(biz-im) [imiz, ımız]
(siz-in) [iniz, ınız]
(onlar-ın) [/s/i, /s/ı,] or [leri, ları]

Finally, after the above “noun + infinitive” compounds “gerekir” is used as

a separate word:

(Sen-in) daha çok çalıĢ-ma-ın gerekir.

(se*nin / da*ha / çok / ça*lış*man / ge*re*kir↷)
You should (ought to) study harder. (advice)

(The double underlined /ı/ drops.) (“senin” is optional) (“senin çalıĢman” is a

noun + infinitive compound.)

Öğrencilerin yeni kelimeleri ezberle-me-/s/i gerekir.

(noun compound) (subj) NP VP
The students should memorize the new words.
(The /s/ glide is used between /e/ and /i/.) (advice)

Babanın öğüdünü dikkate al-ma-ın gerekir.

(ba*ba*nın / ö*ğü*dü*nü / dik*ka*te / al*man / ge*re*kir↷)
You should consider your father’s advice.
(The double underlined /ı/ drops.) (advice)

Sınav sonuçlarının bekle-in-me-/s/i gerekir.

(sı*nav / so*nuç*la*rı*nın / bek*len*me*si / ge*re*kir↷)
It is necessary to wait for the examination results. (passive shaped intran-
sitive)

To make a negative advice, the above [me] or [ma] negation allomorphs are
inserted between verb stems or verb frames and the [me, ma] infinitive
allomorphs:

(Sen-in) çok para harca-ma-ma-ın gerekir.

(se*nin / çok / pa*ra / har*ca*ma*man / ge*re*kir↷)
You shouldn’t spend much money.
(The double underlined /ı/ drops.) (advice)

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

Bir babanın çocuklarını ihmâl et-me-me-/s/i gerekir.

(bir / ba*ba*nın ~/ ço*cuk*la*rı*nı / ih*ma:l / et*me*me*si / ge*re*kir↷)
A father shouldn’t neglect his children.
(The /s/ glide is inserted between /e/ and /i/.) (advice)

Vergi ödemenin ertele-in-me-me-/s/i gerekir.

(ver*gi / ö*de*me*nin / er*te*len*me*me*si / ge*re*kir↷)
Paying tax shouldn’t be postponed. (advice) (passive)

The double underlined /i/ drops, and the /s/ glide is used before the final
defining allomorph /i/. (passive)

“May “ and “can” are both expressed in [e-bil, a-bil] allomorphs in Turkish.
Therefore, they can be used with the question tag “mi” in questions. Com-
pare the following sentences:

Haber doğru ol-a-bil-ir.

(ha*ber / doğ*ru / o*la*bi*lir↷)
The news may be true.

Haber doğru ol-a-bil-ir mi?

(ha*ber / doğ*ru / o*la*bi*lir↝ / mi↷)
Can the news be true?

Çocuklar evde ol-a-bil-ir.

(ço*cuk*lar / ev*de / o*la*bi*lir↷)
The children may be at home.

Çocuklar evde ol-a-bil-ir mi?

(ço*cuk*lar / ev*de / o*la*bi*lir / mi↷)
Can the children be at home?

Haklı ol-a-bil-ir-sin.
(hak*lı / o*la*bi*lir*sin↷)
You may be right.

Haklı ol-a-bil-ir mi-/y/im?

(hak*lı / o*la*bi*lir / mi*yim↷ )
Can I be right?

Çorba sıcak ol-a-bil-ir.

(çor*ba / sı*cak / o*la*bi*lir↷)
The soup may be hot.

Tercüme yanlıĢ ol-a-bil-ir.

(ter*cü*me / yan*lış / o*la*bi*lir↷)
The translation may be incorrect.

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

PAST MODALS
Could

“Could” expresses ability in the past. To express the same concept in

Turkish, “V-[E-BĠL]-[iyor]-[du]-[pers]” verb composition should be used:

Yedi yaĢımdayken yüz-e-bil-iyor-du-um.

(ye*di / ya*şım*day*ken / yü*ze*bi*li*yor*dum↷)
I could swim when I was ten years old. (ability in the past)

Ahmet okula gitmeden önce okuyup yaz-a-bil-iyor-du.

(ah*met / o*ku*la / git*me*den / ön*ce~ / o*ku*yup / ya*za*bi*li*yor*du↷)
Ahmet could read and write before he went to school.

The negative form of this modal is “V-[e-me, a-ma]-[ĠYOR]-[du]- [pers]”,

which expresses both the negative of "could" and "was able to":

Ben okula gitmeden önce okuyup yaz-a-ma-ıyor-du-um.

(ben / o*ku*la / git*me*den / ön*ce~ / o*ku*yup / ya*za*mı*yor*dum↷)
I couldn't read and write before I went to school.
(The double underlined /a/ and /u/ vowels drop.)

ĠĢimi bitir-e-me-di-im.
(i*şi*mi / bi*ti*re*me*dim↷)
I couldn't finish my work.
(I wasn't able to finish my work.) (The double underlined /i/ drops.)

Yeni dersi anla-/y/a-bil-di-in mi?

(ye*ni / der*si / an*la*ya*bil*din / mi↷)
Were you able to understand the new lesson?

was (were) able to (V-[me-/y/i, ma-/y/ı] baĢardım)

When a past success is implied, the verb “baĢar” is used in Turkish in
place of the “was able to”, the “succeeded in” or the “managed to” ex-
pressions of the English language:

Sınavda iyi bir not al-ma-/y/ı baĢar-dı-ım.

(sı*nav*da / i*yi / bir / not / al*ma*yı / ba*şar*dım↷)
I was able to get a good grade in the examination.
(I succeeded in getting a good grade.) (I managed to get a good grade.)
(The /y/ glide is inserted between the /a/ and /ı/ vowels, and the double un-
derlined /ı/ drops.)

Bizim takım, misafir takımı yen-me-/y/i baĢar-dı.

(bi*zim / ta*kım~ / mi*sa:*fir / ta*kı*mı / yen*me*yi / ba*şar*dı↷)
Our team succeeded in beating the visiting team.
(The /y/ glide is inserted between /e/ and [i].)

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

ĠĢini bitir-me-/y/i baĢar-dı-ın mı? or “ĠĢini bitirebildin mi?”

(i*şi*ni / bi*ti*re*bil*din / mi↷)
Were you able to complete your work?
(The /y/ glide is used between [me] and [i])

As an alternative to the above sentence types, “V-[e-bil, a-bil]-[di]-[pers]

([mi])” verb composition can be used:

En sonunda iĢimi bitir-e-bil-di-im.

(en / so*nun*da / i*şi*mi / bi*ti*re*bil*dim↷)
I was able to finish my work at last.

“V - [e-me, a-ma] - [di, dı] - [pers]” verb composition can be used in place
of "couldn't”, “wasn't able to” or “didn't succeed in":

Maçı kazan-a-ma-dı-ık.
(ma*çı / ka*za*na*ma*dık↷)
We couldn't win the match.

As “could” is used in English conditional clauses, so can “V-[E-BĠL]-[ir]-[di]-

[pers]” verb composition be used in Turkish conditional sentences:

Yeterince vaktim olsa sana Ģimdi yardım et-e-bil-ir-di-im.

(ye*te*rin*ce / vak*tim / ol*sa / şim*di / sa*na / yar*dım / e*de*bi*lir*dim~ )
If I had enough time, I could help you now.
(The /t/ in “et” changes into the voiced /d/, and the double underlined /i/
drops.)

Hava daha iyi olsa pikniğe git-e-bil-ir-di-ik.

(ha*va / da*ha / i*yi / ol*sa~ / pik*ni*ğe / gi*de*bi*lir*dik~)
We could go for a picnic if the weather were better.

would, could (polite request)

“V-[ĠR]-[MĠ]/y/-[DĠ]-[pers]” verb composition is used to express a polite re-

quest in Turkish:

In this verb composition, “V” symbolizes a verb stem or a verb frame; [ĠR]
is a morpheme that includes all the allomorphs of the Simple Present Tense
[ir, ır, ür, ur, er, ar]; [MĠ] includes all interrogative allomorphs [mi, mı, mü,
mu]; [DĠ] represents the simple past tense allomorphs [di, dı, dü, du]; and
[pers] symbolizes all the personal allomorphs. Consider the following sen-
tences:

Bir saniye beni dinle-ir-mi/y/-di-niz?

(bir / sa:*ni*ye / be*ni / din*ler↝ / miy*di*niz↝)
Would you listen to me for a second?

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

(The double underlined /i/ drops, and the /y/ glide is inserted between [mi]
and [di].)

In fact, this sort of request is the second part of a conditional sentence:

Rica etsem, bir saniye beni dinler miydiniz?

(ri*ca: / et*sem~ / bir / sa:*ni*ye / be*ni / din*ler↝ / miy*di*niz↝)
Would you listen to me for a second if I asked?

Bavulumu taĢımama yardım et-er mi/y/-di-niz?

(ba*vu*lu*mu / ta*şı*ma*ma / yar*dım / e*der ↝/ miy*di*niz↝)
Would you help me to carry my suitcase?
(The /t/ in “et” changes into /d/; and the /y/ glide is inserted between [mi] and
[di].)

If someone wishes to be politer, he can add the [E-BĠL] and [ĠR] mor-
phemes to the above verb composition:

Beni bir saniye dinle-/y/e-bil-ir mi/y/-di-niz?

(be*ni / bir / sa:*ni*ye / din*le*ye*bi*lir↝/ miy*di*niz↝)
Could you listen to me for a second please?
(The /y/ glides are inserted between “dinle” and [e-bil], and, [mi] and [di].)

The [ĠR] Simple Present, and [DĠ] Simple Past Tense morphemes are also
used together in Turkish conditional sentences:

Burda olsa bize yardım et-er-di.

(bur*da / ol*sa~ / bi*ze / yar*dım / e*der*di ↷)
If he were here, he would help us.
(The /t/ changes into the /d/ voiced consonant.)

Senin yerinde olsa-ım bu eski arabayı sat-ar-dı-ım.

(se*nin / ye*rin*de / ol*sam~ / bu / es*ki / a*ra*ba*yı / sa*tar*dım↷)
If I were you, I would sell this old car.
(The double underlined /ı/ vowels drop.) (advice)

PERFECT MODALS

must have “V - [miĢ, mıĢ, müĢ, muĢ] + [ol - malı]- [pers]”

The perfect modal verb composition conveys a past concept of certainty.
Consider the following:

Görevini bitir-miĢ ol-malı.

(gö*re*vi*ni / bi*tir*miş / ol*ma*lı ↷)
He must have finished his duty. (I am sure he has finished it.)

Evden ayrıl-mıĢ ol-malı.

(ev*den / ay*rıl*mı*şol*ma*lı ↷)
He must have left home. (I am sure he has left home.)

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

Uçak in-miĢ ol-malı.

(u*çak / in*mi*şol*ma*lı ↷)
The plane must have landed. (I am sure it has landed.)

Beni anla-mıĢ ol-malı-sın.

(be*ni / an*la*mı*şol*ma*lı*sın ↷)
You must have understood me.
(I am sure you have understood me.)

Onu bir yerde görmüĢ ol-malı-/y/ım.

(o*nu / bir / yer*de / gör*mü*şol*ma*lı*yım ↷)
I must have seen her somewhere.
(I am sure I have seen her somewhere.)

Both certainty and possibility concepts can also be conveyed by

“V-[MĠġ]-[DĠR]” verb composition:

Görevini bitir-miĢ-tir.
(gö*re*vi*ni / bi*tir*miş*tir ↷)
He must (may) have finished his duty.

Evden ayrl-mıĢ-tır.
(ev*den / ay*rıl*mış*tır ↷)
He must (may) have left home.

Haberi duy-muĢ-tur.
(ha*be*ri / duy*muş*tur ↷)
He must (may) have heard the news.

Haber-i duy-ma-mıĢ-tır.
(ha*be*ri / duy*ma*mış*tır↷)
He can’t (couldn’t) have heard the news.

Haber duy-ul-ma-mış-tır,
(ha*ber / du*yul*ma*mıĢ*tır↷)
The news may not have been heard. (passive)

Bu saatte yat-mıĢ-tır bile.

(bu / sa*at*te / yat*mış*tır / bi*le↷ )
He must have already gone to bed at this hour.

Yağmur dur-muĢ-tur.
(yağ*mur / dur*muş*tur↷)
It may (must) have stopped raining.

The same verb composition may be used in conditional sentences, as well:

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

Paris’e gittiyse, Eyfel Kulesi’ni gör-müĢ-tür.

(pa*ri*se / git*tiy*se~ / ey*fel / ku*le*si*ni / gör*müş*tür ↷)
If he went to Paris, he must have seen the Eiffel Tower.

Bir yanlıĢlık yaptıysa özür dile-miĢ-tir.

(bir / yan*lış*lık / yap*tıy*sa~ / ö*zür / di*le*miş*tir ↷)
If he made a mistake, he must have apologized.

Note: “git-ti/y/-se” means “if he went”, but “git-se/y/-di” means “if he had
gone”:

Paris’e git-se/y/-di Eyfel Kulesi’ni gör-ür-dü.

(pa*ri*se / git*sey*di ~/ ey*fel / ku*le*si*ni / gö*rür*dü↷ )
If he had gone to Paris, he would have seen the Eiffel Tower.
(He didn’t go and see.)

Yeterince çalıĢ-sa/y/-dı kötü bir not al-maz-dı.

(ye*te*rin*ce / ça*lış*say*dı~ / kö*tü / bir / not / al*maz*dı↷)
If he had studied hard enough, he wouldn’t have got a poor mark.
(He didn’t study, so he got a poor mark.)

Oyunu seyretseydin hoĢuna giderdi.

(o*yu*nu / sey*ret*sey*din~ / ho*şu*na / gi*der*di↷)
If you had watched the play, you would have enjoyed it.

can’t have “V - [miĢ, mıĢ, müĢ, muĢ] + ol - [a-maz] - [pers]”

The above verb chain is used to form a verb composition to convey past
impossibility. In doing this, when [a-maz] negation allomorph is attached to
the first person personal allomorph [ım], the /z/ and the /ı/ phonemes drop:

gör-müĢ ol-a-maz-ım (gör*müş / o*la*mam↷)

gör-müĢ ol-a-maz-sın (gör*müş /o*la*maz*sın↷)
gör-müĢ ol-a-maz (gör*müş / o*la*maz↷)
gör-müĢ ol-a-ma-/y/ız (gör*müş / o*la*ma*yız↷)
gör-müĢ ol-a-maz-sınız (gör*müş / o*la*maz*sı*nız↷)
gör-müĢ ol-a-maz-lar (gör*müş / o*la*maz*lar↷)

Example sentences:

Onu yanlıĢ anla-mıĢ ol-a-ma-ım.

(o*nu / yan*lış / an*la*mış / o*la*mam ↷)
(o*nu / yan*lı *şan*la*mı*şo*la*mam ↷)
I can't (couldn’t) have misunderstood it.

Tiyatroya git-miĢ ol-a-maz.

(ti*yat*ro*ya / git*miş / o*la*maz ↷)
(ti*yat*ro*ya / git*mi*şo*la*maz↷)
He can’t (couldn’t) have gone to the theatre.

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

Seni iĢitmiĢ ol-a-maz.

(se*ni / i*şit*miş / o*la*maz↷)
(se*ni / i*şit*mi*şo*la*maz↷)
He can’t (couldn’t) have heard you.

Lastiği patlamıĢ olmaz.

(las*ti*ği / pat*la*mış / o*la*maz↷)
He can’t (couldn’t) have had a flat tire.

Bütün sorulara cevap vermiĢ olamazsın.

(bü*tün / so*ru*la*ra / ce*vap / ver*miş / o*la*maz*sın↷)
You can’t (couldn’t) have answered all the questions.

should have (ought to have) “noun + infinitive + gerek-ir-di”

This perfect modal composition is used to express a past obligation or ex-
pectation that was not carried out:

(Sen-in) ev ödevini yap-ma-ın gerek-ir-di.

noun + infinitive compound
(ev / ö*de*vi*ni / yap*man / ge*re*kir*di↷)
You should (ought to) have done your homework. (But you didn’t.)

Bu arabayı satın almak için (sen-in) daha çok para biriktir-me-in

gerek-ir-di.
(bu / a*ra*ba*yı / sa*tın / al*mak / i*çin~ / da*ha / çok / pa*ra / bi*rik*tir*men /
ge*re*kir*di↷)
You should have saved more money to buy this car. (But you didn’t.)

Sınavda (ben-im) daha dikkatli ol-ma-ım gerek-ir-di.

(sı*nav*da / da*ha / dik*kat*li / ol*mam / ge*re*kir*di↷)
I should have been more careful in the examination. (But I wasn’t.)

(Sen-in) dün bana telefon et-me-in gerek-ir-di.

(dün / ba*na / te*le*fon / et*men / ge*re*kir*di↷)
You should have telephoned me yesterday. (But you didn’t.)

Evin temiz-le-in-me-si gerekirdi.

(e*vin / te*miz*len*me*si / ge*re*kir*di↷)
The house should have been cleaned. (It hasn’t been cleaned.) (passive.)

To change the above modal composition into the negative form, either [me]
or [ma] negation allomorphs are put after the verb stems or frames, and
then the [me] or [ma] infinitive allomorphs follow them preceding the per-
sonal allomorphs:

(Senin) ekmek al-ma-ma-ın gerek-ir-di.

(se*nin / ek*mek / al*ma*man / ge*re*kir*di↷)
You shouldn’t (needn’t) have bought bread. (But you did.) (advice)

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

(Senin), kız kardeĢine bağır-ma-ma-ın gerek-ir-di.

(kız / kar*de*şi*ne / ba*ğır*ma*man / ge*re*kir*di↷)
You shouldn’t have shouted at your sister. (But you did.) (advice)

(O-/n/un) yalan söyle-me-me-/s/i gerek-ir-di.

(o*nun / ya*lan / söy*le*me*me*si / ge*re*kir*di ↷)
He shouldn’t have told a lie. (But he did.)

Mehmet’in sınavda kopya çek-me-me-/s/i gerekirdi.

(meh*me*din / sı*nav*da / kop*ya / çek*me*me*si / ge*re*kir*di ↷)
Mehmet shouldn’t have cheated in the examination. (But he did.)

may have “V - [miĢ, mıĢ, müĢ, muĢ] + ol-a-bil-ir- [pers]”

This modal adds possibility to verb stems and frames:

DıĢarı çık-mıĢ ol-a-bil-ir.

(dı*şa*rı / çık*mış / o*la*bi*lir↷)
He may have gone out. (Perhaps he has gone out.)

DıĢarı çık-mıĢ-tır.
(dı*şa*rı / çık*mış*tır↷)
He must have gone out. (I’m sure he has gone out.)

Otobüsü kaçır-mıĢ ol-a-bil-ir.

(o*to*bü*sü / ka*çır*mış / o*la*bi*lir↷)
He may have missed the bus. (Perhaps he has missed it.)

Otobüsü kaçır-mıĢ-tır.
(o*to*bü*sü / ka*çır*mış*tır↷)
He must have missed the bus. ( I’m sure he has missed it.)

Seni yanlıĢ anla-mıĢ olabilir.

(se*ni / yan*lış / an*la*mış / o*la*bi*lir↷)
She may have misunderstood you. (Perhaps she misunderstood you.)

Büro temizle-in-miĢ olabilir.

(bü*ro / te*miz*len*miş / o*la*bi*lir↷)
The office may have been cleaned. (Perhaps it has been cleaned.)

Haberi iĢit-miĢ olabilirler.

(ha*be*ri / i*şit*miş / o*la*bi*lir*ler↷)
They may have heard the news.

Vazoyu kedi kırmıĢ olabilir. (Vazoyu kedi kırmıĢtır.)

(va*zo*yu / ke*di / kır*mış*tır↷ )
The cat may (must) have broken the vase.

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

Bir anlaĢ-ma-/y/a varmıĢ olabilirler.

(bir / an*laş*ma*ya / var*mış / o*la*bi*lir*ler↷)
They may have reached an agreement.

might have “V-[e-bil, a-bil]-[ir]-[di]-[pers]”

Kaza geçir-e-bil-ir-di-ik.
(ka*za: / ge*çi*re*bi*lir*dik↷)
We might have had an accident. (It was probable but we didn’t.)

Pencereyi kır-a-bil-ir-di-in.
(pen*ce*re*yi / kı*ra*bi*lir*din↷)
You might have broken the window.
(It was probable but you didn’t.)

Maç kaybet-il-e-bil-ir-di.
(maç / kay*be*di*le*bi*lir*di↷)
The match might have been lost. (It was probable but it wasn’t.)
(The /t/ changes into /d/.) (passive)

Ön-ün-deki arabaya çarp-a-bil-ir-di-in.

(ö*nün*de*ki / a*ra*ba*ya / çar*pa*bi*lir*din↷)
You might have hit the car in front of you. (But you didn't.)

Önündeki arabaya carp-ma-/y/a-bil-ir-di-in.

(ö*nün*de*ki / a*ra*ba*ya / çarp*ma*ya*bi*lir*din↷)
You might not have hit the car in front of you. (But you hit it.)

needn’t have “noun + infinitive-[e, a] + gerek yoktu”

This modal composition is used to express absence of obligation or ne-
cessity:

AyĢe’/n/in acele et-me-/s/i-/n/e gerek yoktu.

noun + infinitive compound - [E]
(ay*şe*nin / a*ce*le / et*me*si*ne / ge*rek / yok*tu↷)
AyĢe needn’t have hurried. (But she did.)

(Sen-in) bütün sorulara cevap ver-me-in-e gerek yoktu.

(bü*tün / so*ru*la*ra / ce*vap / ver*me*ne / ge*rek / yok*tu↷)
You needn’t have answered all the questions. (But you did.)

(Onlar-ın) maçı ertele-me-ler-i-/n/e gerek yoktu.

(on*la*rın / ma*çı / er*te*le*me*le*ri*ne / ge*rek / yok*tu↷)
They needn’t have postponed the match. (But they did.)

(Siz-in) çiçekleri sula-ma-ınız-a gerek yoktu.

(çi*çek*le*ri / su*la*ma*nı*za / ge*rek / yok*tu↷)
You needn’t have watered the flowers. (But you did.)

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

(Sen-in) üç çift ayakkabı al-ma-ın-a gerek yoktu.

(üç / çift / a*yak*ka*bı / al*ma*na / ge*rek / yok*tu↷)
You needn't have bought three pairs of shoes.

Note: “gitmese de olurdu”, “sulamasalar da olurdu” sentence types can also

be used as alternatives to the above sentences. The noun compounds in the
above sentences are all underlined.

didn’t need to “noun + infinitive - [e, a] + gerek kalmadı”

This form of modal is used to express unfulfilled necessity in the past:

(Benim) uzun zaman bekle-me-im-e gerek kalmadı.

(u*zun / za*man / bek*le*me*me / ge*rek / kal*ma*dı↷)
I didn't need to wait for a long time.

(Bizim) okula yürüyerek git-me-imiz-e gerek kalmadı.

(o*ku*la / yü*rü*ye*rek / git*me*mi*ze / ge*rek / kal*ma*dı↷)
We didn’t need to walk to school.

Çiçek-ler-in su-lan-ma-/s/ı-/n/a gerek kalmadı.

(çi*çek*le*rin / su*lan*ma*sı*na / ge*rek / kal*ma*dı↷)
The flowers didn’t need to be watered.

(The /s/ and / n/ glides are used after [ma] and [ı] allomorphs respectively.)
(passive infinitive)

(Biz-im) bir araba kirala-ma-ımız-a gerek kalmadı.

(bir / a*ra*ba / ki*ra:*la*ma*mı*za / ge*rek / kal*ma*dı↷)
We didn’t need to hire a car.

Toplantı yapmamız-a gerek kalmadı.

(top*lan*tı / yap*ma*mı*za / ge*rek / kal*ma*dı↷)
We didn’t need to hold a meeting.

Note: All the noun compounds above are underlined.

TRANSFORMATIONS (ENGLISH)

The transformational component in the mind has two functions. One of these
functions is to transform items of thought into words using the innate phrase
structures, and the other one is to transform the simple sentences into No-
minal Phrases to use them in the same “NP + VP” main sentence producing
system, and with the help of the semantic component, into syntactic adverbs.
The main language activity of the mind is to shape and arrange thoughts into
the phonemes, morphemes, and words of a target language and insert them
into the “NP + VP” innate sentence mold using the transformational compo-
nent.

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

The innate abstract level of the sentence producing system of the mind pos-
sesses not only words and morphemes of a language, but it also possesses
some fundamental concepts generalized in question words in languages
such as the English words ”who”, “whom”, “what”, “where”, “when”, “how”,
“why”, “for whom”, “from whom”, “from where”, “to whom”, “by whom”, “since
when”, “until what time”, etc. Any one or some of these question words or
the answers to them are chosen by a person to be reflected into a pro-
jected deep structure before they are worded.

The simple sentences that are printed in italics in this book are presumed to
possess these fundamental elements of thought in transformational gram-
mars. These items of thought are illustrated with detailed tree diagrams in
transformational grammars. As it is inconvenient and unnecessary to show
all the sentences in tree diagrams in this book, we prefer taking deep struc-
tures as a starting point. The aim of this book is not to teach Transforma-
tional Generative Grammar, but to put it into practice by using it as a new
grammar approach.

THE NOMINALIZATION OF THE SIMPLE ENGLISH SENTENCES

If a speaker or writer wants to express himself in longer sentences, the sim-

ple sentences that are also been produced by the transformational function
of the language-producing system of the mind are transformed into syntactic
nouns to be used in the same “NP + VP“ sentence pattern. By operating
this function of the language-producing system of the mind a speaker or
writer can transform the simple sentences, which are the shortest “NP + VP”
sentences, into longer sentences shaped within the same “NP + VP” sen-
tence producing system. Sentences may be infinitely long as far as the main
“NP + VP” sentence producing system approves them.

However, there is another important fact to keep in mind that the first and the
second functions of the transformational component work coherently while
producing sentences.

For example, “that Jack likes pop music” is a transformed syntactic noun that
is used in the sentence “I know (that) Jack likes pop music” as an object.
If we think the other way round, “Jack likes pop music” is a simple sentence
that has been produced by the syntactic, semantic and transformational
components working together. As a result of this activity, an English or Turk-
ish or a German simple surface structure sentence is materialized. These
simple sentences can also be transformed and nominalized by the syntactic,
semantic and transformational components to be used in “NP + VP” sen-
tence mold.

“Some boys are swimming in the lake” is a simple sentence. If we want to

produce a syntactic noun out of this sentence, we can produce “the boys
(that are) swimming in the lake” to be used in any part of a “NP + VP“ sen-
tence mold where any noun or a pronoun can be used. For instance:

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

The boys (that are) swimming in the lake are my sons.

NP (subject) VP

You can see the boys (that are) swimming in the lake?
NP V NP (object of “see”)

The first and the second functions of the syntactic, the semantic, the trans-
formational and the phonological components are to direct and arrange all
linguistic data in one’s mind into the "NP + VP" phrase structure mold to
produce sentences.

The above explanations are grammatical explanations, but thought acts

differently in producing a sentence. When somebody has an item of thought,
such as "article" in his mind, he must have had two deep sentence alter-
natives in store in his mind to convey his thought to his listener or reader. It
may be a sentence that he uttered before: "I read an article in a newspa-
per." If he actually uttered this sentence before, he goes on conveying his
thought by saying "It was interesting." If he did not utter the same sentence,
but he already has it in store in his mind, he transforms the same sentence
into a noun + determiner compound such as, "The article that I read in the
newspaper," and completes his sentence saying that "The article, which I
read in the newspaper, was interesting."

On the other side, the person who has heard what the speaker has said may
go on saying: "Yes, I saw it.” or “Yes, I saw the article that you read in the
newspaper." This shows us that transformations are carried out to shape
and mold simple sentences into the “NP + VP” sentence pattern.

In English, however, some transformations are also carried out within a sim-
ple sentence to change it into the question form such as “You like pop mu-
sic”  “Do you like pop music?”; “You haven't done your homework” 
“Haven't you done your homework?”

A passive transformation is also carried out within a sentence to use the

object as the subject of a sentence.

The interrogative and a passive simple sentences can also be transformed

into Nominal Phrases:

Haven't you done your homework?  “whether I have done my homework”

Mother wants to know whether I have done my homework.
NP (obj)

Thives stole a necklace.  "A necklace was stolen by some thieves"

 "the necklace that was stolen by the thieves"

The necklace that was stolen by the thieves hasn't been found yet.
NP (subj)

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

Transformational and phonological rules are specific for every language,

which means that all languages have their own transformational and phono-
logical rules. Without knowing these rules, one cannot produce sentences.
To sum up, we can say that the semantic, the transformational and the pho-
nological components in one’s mind act in close coordination differently in
different languages to produce sentences.

Therefore, the same procedure in Turkish differs as follows:

"Ben gazetede bir makale okudum. "(o) ilginçti."

(Ben-im) gazete-de oku-duk-uduk-um makale ilginç-ti.
noun + infinitive compound (determiner) noun VP
syntactic noun = NP

The sentences that contain only one finite verb can be transformed into
syntactic nouns to be used in other sentences as subjects, objects, and
as objects of prepositions. Consider the following:

Jane went to the supermarket by bus to buy some toys for her children last week.
Who V where (adv) how (adv) why (adv) for whom (adv) when (adv)

The question words below the lines and the answers to them above are
the basic conceptual items of thought of simple sentences in languages.
Therefore I avoid using the term “kernel sentence” in this book. For instance,
when you hear the word “went”, you want to find answers in your mind to the
questions “who?” and “where?” because only the word “went” does not con-
vey satisfactory information. If you hear the sentence “Jane went to the su-
permarket”, your mind accepts it as a reasonable and satisfactory sentence.

The other interrogative words are “whom”, “where”, “to whom”, “for whom”,
“how”, “why”, “which”, “how long”, “from where”, “from whom”, “by whom”,
etc. These question words and the answers to them are the es-sential con-
tents of a simple sentence. For instance, “Did Jane go?” does not make any
sense if it is not preceded by some other sentences. However, “Where did
Jane go?” is a complete sentence as it is “Jane went to the supermarket.”

The whole above simple example sentence can be nominalized only by

putting “that” in the beginning of the sentence in English, and leaving the
rest of the sentence unchanged:

 “that Jane went to the supermarket by bus to buy some toys for her child-
ren in the morning” is a transformed nominalized sentence because it can
occupy the place of any “NP” in “S → NP + VP” sentence producing basic
system.

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

The same sentence can also be nominalized by starting the sentence with
the above-mentioned question words, and omitting the underlined phras-
es above them. The following sentences are all transformed nominalized
sentences (syntactic nouns):

who:  “who went to the supermarket”

where:  “where Jane went”
how:  “how Jane went to the supermarket”
why:  “why Jane went to the supermarket”
for whom:  “for whom Jane wanted to buy toys”
when:  “when Jane went to the supermarket”

As it is seen, the nominalized sentences beginning with question words

are not in the interrogative form. They are transformed and nominalized
sentences ready to occupy the places of nouns or pronouns that can be
used as subjects or objects of verbs as all nouns and pronouns can.

I know it. What do I know?

S V Obj

I know that Jane went to the supermarket by bus to buy some toys for her children
NP V NP (obj of “know”) syntactic noun
VP

I know who went to the supermarket. (syntactic noun)

I know where Jane went. (syntactic noun)
I know how Jane went to the supermarket. (syntactic noun)
I know why Jane went to the supermarket. (syntactic noun)
I know for whom Jane wanted to buy toys. (syntactic noun)
I know when Jane went to the supermarket. (syntactic noun)

The parts that are printed in bold type in the above sentences are all used
as the objects of the verb “know”. The same nominalized sentences can
also be used as the objects of the following verbs:

know, guess, ask, tell, remember, say …

I guess (that) she went to the supermarket.

He asked me when Jane went to the supermarket.
She says (that) Jane went to the supermarket.
They ask me how Jane went to the supermarket.
Do you remember when Jane went to the supermarket?

The parts of the sentences that are printed in bold type are syntactic nouns
and all are used as objects.

When someone talks about the verb itself, he says:

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

I can guess what Jane did yesterday,

I don’t know whether Jane went to the supermarket or not.

The same nominalized simple sentences can also be used as subjects:

Who went to the supermarket is a mystery.

syntactic noun (subject)
When Jane went to the supermarket is unknown.
syntactic noun (subject)
How Jane went to the supermarket is not important.
syntactic noun (subject)

The same nominalized sentences can be used as objects of prepositions

as well:

It depends on what Jane says.

object of “on”
I am bored of what you are talking about.
object of “of”
It reminds me of how we went to Bursa.
object of “of”
I was surprised at (by) what he said to me.
object of “at

The interrogative simple sentences can also be nominalized:

Have you done your work?  “whether I have done my work”

Mother asks me whether I have done my work.
object

Why didn’t you come to the party?  “why I didn’t come to the party”
Jane wonders why I didn’t come to the party.
object

Where am I?  “where I am”

You can’t guess where I am.
object

What am I interested in?  “what I am interested in”

You can’t guess what I am interested in.
object

What is Jack doing? ↻ “what Jack is doing”

Mother wants to know what Jack is doing.

THE SIMPLE SENTENCES TRANSFORMED INTO DETERMINERS

Simple sentences can be transformed into determiners in order to de-

termine one of the nouns in the same simple sentences. These nouns, to-
gether with the transformed sentences, construct “noun + determiner”
compounds in order to be used as Nominal Phrases. These compounds are

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

constructionally compounds but syntactically nouns. The syntactic nouns

are then used as subjects, objects, or objects of prepositions, and as
predicates in sentences.

All noun compounds and “determined + determiner” compounds are

structural units that have been transformed from simple sentences into No-
minal Phrases to be used in “NP + VP” sentence molds. This operation is
performed by the mind while producing sentences. To sum up, we can say
that the first aim of transforming simple sentences is to shape them into
syntactic nouns to be used in “NP + VP” sentence pattern.

First, let us see how simple sentences are transformed into noun + deter-
miner compounds:

Some girls were picking flowers in the garden.

N N N

To determine the underlined “girls”, “the girls that (who)” is put in the be-
ginning of the sentence, and the rest of it is added to it without being
changed. ↻ “the girls that were picking flowers in the garden" is con-
structionally a “noun + determiner” compound, but syntactically a syntac-
tic noun that can be used as the subject or the object of a sentence:

The girls that were picking flowers in the garden were my students.
D N D predicate (VP)
syntactic noun (subject) ( NP)

The same simple sentence can also be transformed so as the noun “flow-
ers” can be determined by the rest of the sentence. To carry out this trans-
formation, “the flowers that (which)” is used as the head of the transformed
sentence and the rest of the sentence is left unchanged.

In this way, the transformed sentence ↻ “the flowers that the girls were
picking in the garden” can be used in "NP+VP" sentence mold as a “NP”.

The flowers that the girls were picking in the garden were beautiful.
D N D predicate (VP)
syntactic noun ( NP )

I saw the flowers that the girls were picking in the fields.
NP V NP

The same above process can also be started to determine the noun “gar-
den”:

↻ “the garden in which (where) the girls were picking flowers”

D N D
NP

The garden in which the girls were picking flowers was not in good condition.
syntactic noun (NP) predicate (VP)

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

The same transformed sentences can be used in other parts of different

sentences as well:

I don’t know the girls that were picking flowers in the harden,
NP V NP
VP

A woman was chasing the girls that were picking flowers in the garden.
NP (subj) V NP
VP

The simple sentences with verbs ”be” and “ have got” are transformed as
follows:

The rose was red  the rose that was red  the red rose
sentence transformed sentence transformed sentence
I picked the roses that were red I picked the red roses
NP NP

There are some books on the table.  “the books that are on the table”
sentence NP (noun + determiner)
I want to borrow the books (that are) on the table.
NP V NP (obj of “want”) NP (obj of the infinitive)
The books (that are) on the table are mine
syntactic noun ( subject) (NP) (predicate ) VP

I have got a car.  the car that I have got  my car

sentence NP (syntactic noun) NP(synt noun)
The car that I have got is a second-hand car. My car is a second-hand car
syntactic noun (NP) predicate (VP) (NP) predicate (VP)

THE PRODUCTIVITY OF NATURAL LANGUAGES

All natural languages are infinitely productive so long as the sentences are
approved by the Phrase Structure Rules: S → NP + VP. Consider the follow-
ing deep structure sentences:

The girls were picking flowers in the garden. ↻

The girls were playing in the garden. ↻
The girls were singing in the garden. ↻

In the three sentences above, “the girls” and “in the garden” expressions are
repeated. To avoid this repetition, a speaker or writer can delete the re-
peated four words, and use the necessary others in his speech or writing:

The girls were picking flowers, singing and playing in the garden.

The same three deep structure sentences (thoughts) can also be trans-
formad so as “the girls” may be determined by the rest of the sentence and
the following surface structure can be produced.

190
 TURKISH GRAMMAR

The girls that were picking flowers, playing and singing in the garden were happy.
NP VP

Now consider the following four deep structures:

1. Jack caught a fish. ↻

2. Mr. Brown cleaned it. ↻
3. Mary fried it. ↻
4. Jane ate it. ↻

To transform and combine these four thoughts in a complex sentence, we

begin with the last one and delete the understandable words:

Jane ate the fish that Mary fried that Mr Brown cleaned that Jack caught.
NP V noun + successive determiners)
NP

Contrary to the above sentence production, if we start with the first deep
structure sentence, the complex sentence becomes as follows:

Jack caught the fish that Mr. Brown cleaned that Mary fried that Jane ate.

If you try to understand the above sentence, it sounds funny, doesn’t it? How
can Jack catch the fish that Jane ate? A fish cannot be caught after it has
been eaten.

This example shows us that while producing sentences out of deep struc-
tures, one should be careful about the sequence of the determiners.

Furthermore, only the words “that jack caught that Mr. Brown cleaned
that Mary fried that Jane ate” do not make sense without the words “the
fish”, which complete the chain of determiners as a “NP” although the words
“the fish” are in the beginning. Therefore, one can say that all natural lan-
guages are infinite so long as they are approved by the Phrase Structure
rules, and so lomg as the human short - term memory can tolerate.

An example from a Turkish sentence may clarify the above explanation:

“Jack’in yakaladığı, Mr. Brown’ın temizlediği, Mary’nin piĢirdiği (?)” se-

quence of words do not make sense without the word “balık”, which is the
final word of the “NP” in Turkish. To complete this explanation we can also
say that only a “NP” is not enough to produce a grammatically well-formed
acceptable sentence without a “VP” following it.

The fish that Jack caught that Mary fried that Jane ate was delicious.
NP VP

Whether sentences are infinitely long or short they end up in “NP + VP” in-
born sentence producing system.

191
 TURKISH GRAMMAR

A final point to add to the above explanations is that the final word in Turkish
is at the end of a “NP”, but in English it is in the beginning. The reason why
we begin organizing the deep structures from the last deep structure and go
on to the first one in English is that the mind organizes the transformed sen-
tences starting from the last one and going to the first. However, in Turkish
this process is just the opposite; the mind does not start from the last sen-
tence, it starts from the first one and goes on to the last because the final
word “balık” is at the end of the “NP”.

THE TRANSFORMED SIMPLE SENTENCES USED AS ADVERBS

When the semantic component in the mind intends to transform a simple

sentence into a basic general adverbial concept such as time, place, man-
ner, degree, cause, contrast, purpose, comparison, result or condition,
it chooses a suitable word (subordinating conjunction) to put in the be-
ginning of a simple sentence. When these words are used, the simple sen-
tences are transformed into syntactic adverbs that can be used before or
after the main clauses. The subordinating conjunctions that are chosen to
convey these concepts into syntactic adverbs are as follows:

TIME when, while, before, after, as soon as, until, since, just as,
by the time
PLACE where, wherever
MANNER as, how
DEGREE as... as, not so ...as, the ... the, so long as, as long as
COMPARISON “adj (adv)-[ER] + than” or “more + adj (adv) + than”
CAUSE because, as, since, for
CONCESSION although, even though, even if, no matter how (who, when)
PURPOSE so that, in order that, in case, lest
RESULT so, so ...that
CONDITION: if, unless

TIME

when: Jane was beautiful when she was eighteen.

while: It began to rain while I was watering the flowers.
before: Mary wants to buy a car before the prices go up.
after: I’ll do these exercises after I go home.
as soon as: The students stood up as soon as the teacher arrived.
until: I’ll stay here until you promise to marry me.
by the time: I’ll have finished my work by the time the visitors arrive.
just as: The postman knocked at the door just as I was leaving home.
since: I have been waiting here since you telephoned me.

PLACE

where: Put my dictionary back where you found it.

Wherever: I will remember you wherever I go.

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

MANNER

As: You can do it as you wish.

DEGREE

as ... as: You should study as hard as you can.

not so... as: You are not so careful as you ought to be.
the ... the: The easier they rise, the harder they fall.
so ... as: You can stay here so long as you keep quite.
COMPARISON

than: The bus arrived earli-er than we expected.

Turkish is more complicated than English.
Mary studies hard-er than her brother.
CAUSE

because: I can’t help you now because I’m busy doing my homework.
as: As I’m busy doing my homework, I can’t help you right now.
since: Since you are not interested in watching football, we’d
better go fishing.
for: He can’t drive, for he is only sixteen.
CONCESSION

although: Although she studied hard, she couldn’t succeed in the ex-
amination.
I have to go on working although I am tired.
even if: We can’t get to the bus stop in time even if we hurry.
while: While some people are poor, others are wealthy.
PURPOSE

so that: They ran to the bus stop so that they shouldn’t miss the bus.

in case: Take an umbrella in case it rains.

Ring the bell in case of fire.
RESULT

so... that: The book was so boring that I was able to read only a few
pages.
such... that: The children were making such a lot of noise that I had to
leave home.
so: He didn’t study hard, so he failed.

CONDITION

if : If you don’t understand, please ask me.

If you were a fish, the cat would eat you.

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

If you had passed the examination, I would have bought

You a bicycle.

unless: She won’t speak to you unless you apologize to her.

Don't sign the document unless you read it carefully.

TURKISH SENTENCE NOMINALIZATIONS

A simple sentence, which contains only one finite verb, can be transformed
into various transformed sentences by following certain rules in both English
and Turkish. First, it is necessary to say that there are no clauses in Turkish
as there are in English; there are noun + infinitive and “determiner + de-
termined” compounds, instead. Let us first consider the following Turkish
simple sentence:

AyĢe çocuklarına bazı oyuncaklar almak için sabahleyin otobüsle süpermarket’e gitti.
kim? kime? niçin? ne zaman? nasıl? nereye ne yaptı?

When the whole sentence above is transformed into a noun compound, it

results in as follows:

↻ “AyĢe’nin çocuklarına bazı oyuncaklar almak için sabahleyin otobüsle

süpermarkete “gitmesi”

As you notice, only the words “AyĢe’nin” and ““gitmesi” are different from
“AyĢe” and “gitti”. The English equivalent of this sentence is the trans-
formed sentence of “that AyĢe went to the supermarket by bus to buy some
toys for her children in the morning”. In English, only the word “that” is put
in the beginning of the transformed sentence and the rest of the sentence is
left unchanged.

When “AyĢe’nin gitmesi” compound is considered, this transformation

reminds us of the “possessor + possessed” noun compounds like
“AĢe’nin çantası”, “okulun kapısı”, or “AyĢe’nin amcası”. These are
structurally “noun + infinitive” compounds, but syntactically they are syn-
tactic nouns. A syntactic noun is a transformed simple sentence that can be
used in any part of a sentence where nouns and pronouns can. These nouns
and pronouns are words like “book”, “table”, “I”, “he”, “him”, "it", “them”. The
units used between "AyĢe'nin" and "gitmesi", such as "çocuklarına", "bazı
oyuncaklar almak için", "sabahleyin", "otobüsle", "süpermarkete" are all the
answers to the basic mental adverbial concepts of “for whom”, “why”,
“how”, “where”, “when”.

Compare and consider the following sentences:

Cevab-ı biliyorum. I know the answer.

object object

194
 TURKISH GRAMMAR

(Ben) AyĢe’nin okul-a git-tik-i-/n/i biliyorum. I know that AyĢe went to school
NP NP (obj) V NP V NP (obj)
VP VP

In the sentence above, “AyĢe’nin 0kula git-tik-i” is structurally a “noun +

infinitive” compound, but syntactically it is a “syntactic noun” because it is
a transformed simple sentence nominalized so as to be used in the “NP +
VP” mold as a “NP”. (a “VP” may contain a “V” and a “NP”) The phoneme
changes in the above sentence are: The /k/ changes into its voiced form /ğ/,
the first [i] is the possessed allomorph [i], the /n/ is a glide, and the second [i]
is the defining allomorph.

These syntactic nouns can occupy the places of both nouns and deter-
miners in sentences:

“AyĢe’nin okula gittik-i” biliniyor. That AyĢe goes to school is known.

NP (syntactic noun) passive V NP (syntactic noun) (passive) V

“AyĢe’nin gittik-i” okul “the school that AyĢe goes to”

determiner noun D N D
NP (syntactic noun) NP (syntactic noun)

“AyĢe’nin gittiği + okul” is a “determiner + noun” compound, but when

both parts of this compound is considered, it is a syntactic noun; in short, it
is a “NP”.

The reason why there are two different “possessed” infinitives in the end of
the transformed sentences is that either “git-tik-i” or “git-me-/s/i” is used
according to the existence or nonexistence (absence) of the question
words or the answers to them in the transformed sentences, and addition-
ally, the compounds without question words can only be used when the
compound is used as the subject of a sentence.

Some of the most frequently used question words that can be used in noun
compounds are “kim-in”, “kim-i”, “kim-e”, “kim-de”, “kim-den”, ”kim-
le”, ”kim için”, “ne zaman”, “nasıl”, “nere-/y/i”, “nere/y/e”, “nere-de”,
“ner(e)-den”, “niçin”, “neden”, “ne kadar”, “kaç para”, “ne”, “neyle”,
“ne-/y/in için-den, (alt-ı/n/-dan)”, “kim-in arka-/s/ı-/n/-dan”, etc.

Consider the following:

AyĢe’nin süpermarket’e otobüsle git-me-si beni ilgilendirmez.

noun comp (subj) NP NP(obj) V
(No question words are used, and the noun compound is used as subject.)

Kim’in süpermaket-e git-tik-i beni ilgilendirmez.

(The question word “kim-in” is added.

195
 TURKISH GRAMMAR

AyĢe’nin süpermarket’e niçin git-tik-i (git*ti*ği) beni ilgilendirmez.

(The question word “niçin” is added.)

AyĢe’nin kime oyuncak almak için süpermarket’e git-tik-i beni ilgilendirmez.

(The question word “kime” is added.)

Kim-in, niçin, ne zaman, neyle, nereye, nasıl git-tik-i beni ilgilendirmez.

(Successive question words are added.)

When the answers to the above questions are put into the sentences, the
[tik, tık, tük, tuk] allomorphs are also used in noun compounds:

(Sen) AyĢe’nin her hafta bir futbol maçına git-tik-i-/n/i biliyor musun?
NP (subj) NP (obj) V
Do you know that AyĢe goes to a football match every week?

However, if a transformed noun compound is used as the subject of a sen-

tence, a “noun + V-[me, ma]-/s/i (/s/ı)” noun compound is used:

Jack’in basketbol oyna-ma-/s/ı bizi ilgilendirmez.

NP (subj) NP(obj) V
That Jack plays basketball doesn’t concern us.
NP (subj) V NP(obj)

TURKISH SIMPLE SENTENCE NOMINALIZATIONS

As has been noted, there are no clauses in Turkish as those of the clauses
in English. When English simple sentences are nominalized, (transformed
into noun clauses) they do not lose their time concepts. On the contrary,
when the Turkish simple sentences are nominalized, they are transformed
into “possessor + possessed” noun compounds that result in loseing
their time concepts that they had before being transformed. The time con-
cepts that they do not convey can be understood from the time morphemes
attached to the finite verbs used at the end of the Verbal Phrases.

Nominalizing English simple sentences are easier than nominalizing the

Turkish simple sentences:

I know (that) Jack likes pop music. I guess (that) she loves me.
nominalized sentence (object) nominalized sent.(object)

(Ben) Jack'in pop müzik sev-dik-i-/n/i biliyorum.

NP noun + infinitive comp (obj) NP V
VP

(Ben) onun beni sev-dik-i-/n/i tahmin ediyorum.

NP NP V
VP

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

When Turkish simple sentences are nominalized, they are first transformed
into noun compounds by the transformational component, and so, they are
used as Nominal Phrases in sentences. Although "(that) Jack likes pop
music" and "(that) she loves me" subordinate English noun clauses do not
look like physically transformed sentences, they can be considered as syn-
tactically and mentally transformed sentences when they are used as No-
minal Phrases.

“The Present Continuous”, “The Past Continuous”, “The Simple Present”,

“The Simple Past”, “The Present Perfect”, “The Present Perfect Contin-
uous” and “Used To” tenses are nominalized as follows:

1. V - [dik, dık, dük duk, tik, tık, tük, tuk] - [pers] - ([Ġ])
(Ben) dün bir balık tut-tu-um. (The Simple Past)
 “ben-im dün bir balık tut-tuk-um”

“benim dün bir balık tuttuk-um” is a noun compound like “ben-im okul-
um”. The only difference in this compound is that the possessed part of the
compound is an infinitive. This noun compound, which may also be called a
noun + infinitive compound, can occupy any place of a noun or pronoun in
a sentence. (The /k/ phoneme in "tuttuk" changes into the voiced /ğ/ pho-
neme.)

Annem (ben-im) bir balık tuttuğum-u gördü. My mother saw that I caught a fish.
NP (syntactic noun) (obj) NP V NP V NP
VP VP
(The [u] allomorph is one of the allomorphs of the defining morpheme [Ġ]).

(Ben-im) bir balık tuttuğum kocaman bir yalandır. That I caught a fish is a big lie.
syntactic noun (subj) NP (predicate) VP synt noun (subj) NP VP
(be*nim / bir / ba*lık / tut*tu*ğum / ko*ca”man / bir / ya*lan*dır↷)

The nominalization of the rest of the above seven tenses result in the same
“noun + infinitive” compound:

Ben balık tut-ar-ım. (The Simple Present)  “ben-im balık tuttuğum”

Ben balık tut-uyor-um. (The Present Continuous)  “ben-im balık tuttuğum”
Ben balık tut-uyor-du-um. (The Past continuous)  “ben-im balık tuttğum”
Ben balık tut-ar-dı-ım. (used to)  “ben-im balık tuttuğum”
Ben iki saattir balık tut-uyor-um.  “ben-im iki saattir balık tuttuğum”

The “noun + infinitive” compounds (syntactic nouns) above can be used in

the following sentences:

Herkes ben-im balık tuttuğum-u bilir. Everybody knows that I catch fish.
NP NP (syntactic noun) (obj) V NP V NP
VP VP

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

(Sen) balık tuttuğum-u görmüyor musun? Don’t you see that I am catching fish?
NP NP V NP V NP
VP VP

Babam gelince benim balık tuttuğum-u gördü.

(ba*bam / ge*lin*ce ~/ be*nim / ba*lık / tut*tu*ğu*mu / gör*dü↷)
When my father came, he saw that I was catching fish.

Her gün balık tuttuğum-u biliyorsun.

(her / gün / ba*lık / tut*tu*ğu*mu / bi*li*yor*sun↷)
You know that I catch fish every day.

Ġki saattir balık tuttuğum-u babama söyleme.

(i*ki / sa*at*tir / ba*lık / tut*tu*ğu*mu / ba*ba*ma / söy*le*me↷)
Don’t tell my father that I have been catching fish for two hours.

The other three tenses are transformed as follows:

The Simple Future Tense: “V - [ecek, acak] - [pers] - ([Ġ])”

Yarın onu satın al-acak-ım.  “yarın onu satın alacağım”
(No structural change as it is in English nominalized sentences.)

(Sen) (Benim) yarın onu satın alacağım-ı biliyorsun.

NP (synt noun) (object) NP V
(ya*rın / o*nu / sa*tı*na*la*ca*ğı*mı / bi*li*yor*sun↷)
You know (that) I will buy it tomorrow.
NP V NP (syntactic noun) (obj)

Ne zaman bitir-ecek-im?  “ne zaman bitireceğim” (no structural change)

(ben) (Benim) onu ne zaman bitireceğim-i tahmin edemem.

NP NP (synt noun) (object) V
I can’t guess when I will finish it.
NP V NP (object)

(Benim) onu ne zaman bitireceğim kesin değil.

NP (syntactic noun) (subject) VP
When I will finish it is not certain.
NP (subject) VP

The (ben) and (benim) parts of the above compounds are optional. They are
not used unless they are intentionally stressed.

The Past Perfect: V - [miĢ, mıĢ, müĢ, muĢ] + ol - [duk]-[pers]-([Ġ])

(Ben) eve gel-miş-ti-im.  “(ben-im) eve gel-miĢ ol-duk-um”

(O) (Benim) eve gel-miĢ olduğum-u biliyordu.

NP NP (synt noun) (obj) V
He knew that I had come home.
NP V VP

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

The Future Perfect: V - [miĢ, mıĢ, müĢ, muĢ] + ol - [acak] - [pers]- ([Ġ])
(Ben) onu ne zaman bitir-miş ol-acak-ım?
 “(ben-im) onu ne zaman bitir-miĢ ol-acak-ım” (No structural change.)

Ben bile (ben-im) onu ne zaman bitir-miĢ ol-acak-ım-ı bilmiyorum.

NP possessor NP adverb possessed
syntactic noun NP (object of “bilmiyorum”) V
VP
Even I don't know when I’ll have finished it.
NP V NP (synt noun) (object)

Examples of some frequently used tense nominalizations are as follows:

SIMPLE SENTENCES WITH VERB STEM “OL” (BE)

One should use the following verb composition to nominalize a simple sen-
tence that has a noun, an adjective, a prepositional phrase or a noun -
[DE] followed by [Ø], [DĠR], [DĠ], [MĠġ] inflectional morphemes used in a
“VP” (predicate):

“a noun, an adjective, a prep phrase or a noun-[DE] + ol-[duk]-[pers]-([Ġ])

In this composition, as the verb stem is always “ol”, the allomorphs of the
morpheme of [DĠK] are always [duk], and the personal allomorphs and
the defining [Ġ] morpheme follow the vowel harmony rules. When “ol-up ol-
ma-dık-ı” expression is used, the allomorphs in the chain also change ac-
cording to the harmony rules.

(Sen-in) anne-in evde(dir).  “(sen-in) annen-in ev-de ol-duk-u”

Your mother is at home.  “ that your mother is at home ”

Ben sen-in anne-nin ev-de ol-duk-u-/n/u tahmin ediyorum.

NP chain noun compound-/n/u (obj) NP V
VP
I guess that your mother is at home.
NP V NP
VP

CHAIN NOUN COMPOUNDS

There is a chain noun compound in the above-nominalized sentence.

Therefore, an example from the English language may be helpful to under-
stand it better:

“the cover of the book of your mother” “anne-in-in kitp-ı-/n/ın kapak-ı”

The first part of the chain is “sen-in anne-in”, which is a noun + noun com-
pound. To lengthen this compound to a chain, “(sen-in) anne-in” com-
pound is made the possessor part of another compound by attaching

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

another [ĠN] morpheme to it; “(sen-in) anne-in-in”. Now, this chain be-
comes the possessor part of another noun “kapak-ı”:

sen-in anne-in = NP
possessor possessed
sen-in anne-in-in kitap-ı = NP
chain possessors possessed
sen-in anne-in-in kitap-ı-/n/ın kapak-ı = NP
chain possessors possessed
sen-in anne-in-in kitap-ı-/n/ın kapak-ı-/n/ın renk-i = NP
chain possessors possessed

“(sen-in) anne-in-in kitp-ı-/n/ın kapak-ı-/n/ın renk-i”

(se*nin / an*ne*nin / ki*ta*bı*nın / ka*pa*ğı*nın / ren*gi↷)

Although the “noun + noun” compounds are finite sequences, they can be
turned into infinite sequences by using successive possessor nouns. When
we add a possessed noun to the end of the sequence, however, the se-
quence is closed and becomes a Nominal Phrase. We can show this end-
less sequence with the following nonsense chain:

Ģey-in Ģey-i-/n/in Ģey-i/n/in Ģey-i-/n/in Ģey-i-/n/in Ģey-i-/n/in Ģey-i

infinite (determiners) possessors possessed
final
N O M I N A L P H R A S E

The last nonsense word “Ģey-i” ends the sequence and turns it into a “NP”

The determiner sequences that are not put into Nominal Phrases are in-
complete chains of words. For instance, “that Jack built that Mary bought
that Mr. Brown lived in” is an incomplete infinite sequence of determiners if
“the house” is not put in the beginning of the sentence. When this is done,
“the house that Jack built that Mary bought that Mr Brown lived in …” be-
comes a “NP” suitable to be used in “NP + VP” sentence producing system.
In such sentences, the noun that ends the infinite sequence of determiners
is in the beginning of a NP contrary to a Turkish NP, where the final word is
at the end.

As it is seen in the meaningless chain, the infinite chain is ended with “Ģey-i”.
All noun compounds, whether they are made up of two, three, or even more
parts, they syntactically function as one single noun in sentences:

Ben onu hatırlıyorum. I remember her.

NP NP V NP V NP
Ben sen-in anne-in-i hatırlıyorum. I remember your mother.
NP NP (synt noun) (obj) V NP V NP (synt noun) (obj)
Ben (sen-in) anne-in-in gülüĢ-ü-/n/ü hatırlıyorum.
NP NP (chain noun comp) (obj) V
I remember the smile of your mother.
NP V NP (synt noun) (obj)

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

(Ben) (sen-in) anne-in-in ev-de ol-duk-u-/n/u biliyorum.

NP NP (chain noun comp) (obj) V
I know that your mother is at home.
NP V NP (obj)

The underlined parts of the last two sentences are chain noun com-
pounds that act as syntactic nouns in sentences. In the last sentence, the
double underlined /i/ vowel drops, the /k/ phoneme changes into /ğ/, and the
/n/ glide is used between the last two vowels.

Sen doktor-sun.  “sen-in doktor ol-duk-un” (ol*du*ğun)

sentence nominalized sentence
Herkes (sen-in) doktor ol-duk-un-u biliyor. Everybody knows that you are a doctor.
NP NP (synt noun) (obj) V NP (subj) V NP (synt noun) (obj)

The [u] allomorph in the above sentence is the defining [Ġ] morpheme.

Bütün kızlar güzeldir.  ”bütün kızlar-ın güzel ol-duk-u-” (ol*du*ğu)

sentence syntactic noun
All girls are beautiful.  “that all girls are beautiful”
sentence syntactic noun
(Ben) bütün kızlar-ın güzel ol-duğu-/n/u düĢün-üyor-um.
NP NP (synt noun) (object) V
(bü*tün / kız*la*rın / gü*zel / ol*du*ğu*nu / dü*şü*nü*yo*rum↷)
I think that all girls are beautiful.
NP V NP (synt noun) (obj)

1. (O) (ben-im) kalem-im-i istedi. (ka*le*mi*mi / is*te*di↷)

2. (O) (ben-im) bekle-me-im-i istedi. (bek*le*me*mi / is*te*di↷)
3. (O) (ben-im) gel-iĢ-im-i gözledi. (ge*li*şi*mi / göz*le*di↷)
4. (O) (ben-im) gel-dik-im-i görmedi. (gel*di*ği*mi / gör*me*di↷)
5. (O) (ben-im) ağla-dık-ım-ı iĢitmedi. (ağ*la*dı*ğı*mı / i*şit*me*di↷)

The words in brackets in the above five sentences can be ignored unless
they are intentionally emphasized.

Sen bir güreşçisin.  “sen-in bir güreĢçi ol-duk-un”

sentence nominalized sentence
You are a wrestler.  “that you are a wrestler”
sentence nominalized sentence
Senin bir güreĢçi olduğun önemli değil.
synt noun (subj) (NP) predicate (VP)
That you are a wrestler is not important.
synt noun (subj) (NP) predicate (VP)

Çocuklar hazır mı? Are the children ready?

Çocuklar hazır mı?  “çocuklar-ın hazır olup ol-ma-dık-ı”
Sentence nominalized sentence
Are the children ready?  ”whether the children are ready”
sentence nominalized sentence

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

When someone hesitates over whether the verb is positive or negative,

“olup olmadığı” positive and negative successive verbs are used as
“whether” is used in English:

(Ben) çocuklar-ın hazır olup ol-ma-dığı-/n/ı bilmiyor-um.

NP synt noun (object) NP V
(ben~ / ço*cuk*la*rın / ha*zır / o*lup / ol*ma*dı*ğı*nı / bil*mi*yo*rum↷)

I don’t know whether the children are ready (or not).

NP V syntactic noun (object) NP

Kardeş-im nerde?  ”kardeĢ-im-in nerde ol-duk-u” (ol*du*ğu)

Where is my sister?  “where my sister is”
KardeĢimin nerde olduğu-/n/u bilmiyorum. I don’t know where my sister is.

Ben kim-im?  “benim kim olduğum”

Who am I?  “who I am”

(Sen) (ben-im) kim olduğum-u tahmin edebilir misin?

NP synt noun (obj) NP V
Can you guess who I am?
NP V NP

The simple sentences containing verbs other than “be” are also nominalized
using “possessor + possessed” noun compounds. As there are no clauses
in Turkish, they lose their time concepts as usual. However, some others
keep them when they are nominalized. The tenses that result in the same
transformed compounds are as follows:

(Ben) evi temizlerim.  “(benim) ev-i temizle-dik-im-(i)” (Simple Present)

(Ben) evi temizliyorum.  “(benim) ev-i temizle-dik-im-(i)” (Present contin-
uous or Present Perfect Continuous)
(Ben) evi temizledim. “(benim) ev-i temizle-dik-im-(i)” (Simple Past or
Present Perfect)
(Ben) evi temizliyordum. “(benim) ev-i temizle-dik-im-(i)” (Past Contin-
uous or Past Perfect Continuous )
(Ben) evi temizlerdim.  “(benim) evi temizle-dik-im-(i)” (Used to)

As one can understand, all the five different tenses (simple sentences) are
nominalized using the same transformational composition:

The above verb composition covers only the morphemes, therefore the allo-
morphs of these morphemes are given as follows:

[DĠK]: [dik, dık, dük, duk, tik, tık, tük, tuk]

All the /k/ phonemes chance into /ğ/, except when they are preceded by [ler, lar].

The contraction [pers] includes all the "possessed" allomorphs of all per-
sons (ben-im defter-im). Therefore, they have to be separately shown:

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

(ben): [im, ım, üm, um]; (sen): [in, ın, ün, un]; (o): [i, ı, ü, u]; (biz): [imiz,
ımız, ümüz, umuz]: (siz): [iniz, ınız, ünüz, unuz]; (onlar) [i, ı, ü, u] or [ler-
i, lar-ı]. Example: “Sizin defter-iniz”; “benim defter-im; “onların defter-ler-i”

The defining [Ġ] morpheme has naturally four allomorphs [i, ı, ü, u]. Only one
of them is used according to the harmony rules when a nominalized sen-
tence is used in the object position:

(Ben) her gün evi temizlerim.  “(ben-im) her gün evi temizle-dik-im”
(Sen) (ben-im) her gün evi temizle-dik-im-i biliyorsun.
NP (synt noun) (object) NP V
You know that I clean the house everyday.
NP V (synt noun) (object) NP
(The last [i] is the defining [i] allomorph.)

Çocuklar bahçede oynuyordu.  “çocuklar-ın bahçede oyna-dık-ı”

(Ben) çocuklar-ın bahçe-de oyna-dığı-/n/ı gördüm.
NP NP V
VP
I saw that the children were playing in the garden.
NP V NP
VP
(Ben) (ben-im) ev ödevimi yapıyorum.  “ev ödevimi yap-tık-ım”
(Sen) (ben-im) ev ödevimi yaptığım-ı görüyorsun.
NP synt noun (object) NP V
You can see that I am doing my homework.

Seyahat ettiğini biliyorum. = “I know that he travels”; “I know that he is

traveling”; “I know that he has traveled”; “I know that he has been traveling”;
“I know that he traveled”; “I know that he used to travel”

As it is seen, all the above six English sentences are expressed in the same
transformed Turkish sentence. To avoid this time ambiguity, suitable ad-
verbs of time should be added to Turkish transformed sentences to make
the meaning clearer. This is necessary because after the simple sentences
are transformed and nominalized, they become “noun + infinitive” com-
pounds. Like all infinitives these compounds are timeless.

ġu anda seyahat ettiğini biliyorum. I know that he is (you are) traveling

right now.

To avoid the above second ambiguity, either “senin” or “onun” words (pos-
sessive adjectives) should be used in the above sentence:

Senin (or onun) Ģu anda seyahat ettiğini biliyorum.

Onun her yıl seyahat ettiğini biliyorum.
I know that he travels every year.

Onun bütün yıl bounca seyahat ettiğini biliyorum.

I know that he travels all the year round.

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

Senin geçen yıl seyahat ettiğini biliyorum.

I know that you were traveling last year.

Senin geçen sene boyuna seyahat ettiğini biliyorum.

I know that you were always traveling last year.

When “boyuna” or “habire” adverbs are added to continuous sentences,

they imply that the speaker is complaining about something:

Karım habire fiyatlardan yakınıyor.

My wife is always complaining about the prices.

Sen boyuna televizyon seyrediyorsun.

You are always watching television.

The above “seyahat ettiğin” syntactic noun can naturally be used in the
subject position, as well:

Sen her sene seyahat edersin.  “senin her sene seyahat ettiğin”
Sen-in her sene seyahat ettiğin meĢhurdur.
(synt noun) (subj) NP VP
That you travel every year is well known.
Or "It is well-known that you travel every year."

The simple future tense allomorphs [ecek, acak] are kept when such sen-
tences are nominalized.

(Ben) yarın eski arabamı sat-acak-ım.  ”ben-im yarın eski arabamı sat-acakım”
sentence nominalized sentence
(Benim) yarın eski arabamı satacak-ım kesin değil. (sa*ta*ca*ğım)
(synt noun) (subject) (NP) predicate (VP)
I will sell my old car tomorrow.  “that I will sell my old car tomorrow”
sentence nominalized sentence
That I will sell my old car tomorrow is not certain.
syntactic noun (subject) (NP) predicate (VP)

(Sen) (ben-im) yarın eski arabamı satacak-ım-ı bilmiyor musun?

NP synt noun (obj) (NP) V
(sen / be*nim / ya*rın / es*ki / a*ra*ba*mı / sa*ta*ca*ğı*mı / bil↝ mi*yor /
mu*sun↝)
Don’t you know that I will sell my old car tomorrow?
(The /k/ phonemes used in “satacak” verbs change into the voiced /ğ/.)

In The Past Perfect Tense, [MĠġ] and [DĠ] morphemes are used one after the
other. When the same tense is nominalized, the [MĠġ] morpheme is at-
tached to the verb stem or frame, and then the “ol” verb stem is used at-
tached to the [duk] allomorph, which is followed by a p ersonal suffix:

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

V - [MĠġ] + ol - [duk] - [pers] - ([Ġ])

(Ben) evi temizle-miş-ti-im.  “(ben-im) evi temizle-miĢ ol-duk-um"

sentence syntactic noun
Dün (sen) (ben-im) evi temizlemiĢ olduğum-u gördün.
adv NP synt noun (object) NP V
( dün / e*vi / te*miz*le*miş / ol*du*ğu*mu / gör*dün↷)
You saw that I had cleaned the house yesterday.
NP V synt noun (object) NP

(Sen) (ben-im) evi temizlemiĢ olduğum-u görüyorsun.

NP synt noun (object) NP V
(e*vi / te*miz*le*miş / ol*du*ğu*mu / gö*rü*yor*sun↷)
You (can) see that I have cleaned the house.
NP V synt noun (obj) NP

All syntactic nouns can be used in "NP + VP" = “NP + NP + V” syntactic pat-
tern as Nominal Phrases.

NOMINALIZED SENTENCES CONTAINING “QUESTION WORDS”

niçin (why), nere-de (where), kim (who), kim-i (who(m)), kim-e (to whom),
kim-den (from whom), ne kadar süre (how long), nasıl (how) question
words and the like are used between the possessor and the possessed
parts of noun compounds when sentences are nominalized:

Sen niçin bekliyorsun?  “sen-in niçin bekle-dik-in”

Why are you waiting?  “why you are waitig”

(Ben) (sen-in) niçin bekle-dik-in-i biliyorum.

NP synt noun (obj) NP V
VP
( ben / se*nin / ni*çin / bek*le*di*ği*ni / bi*li*yo*rum↷)
I know why you are waiting.

(Ben) (Sen-in) nerede bekle-dik-in-i gördüm.

NP NP V
(ben / se*nin / ner*de / bek*le*di*ği*ni / gör*düm↷)
I saw where you were waiting.
NP V NP

(Ben) (sen-in) kime gül-dük-ün-ü anladım.

NP NP V
I understood who you were laughing at.
NP V NP

(Sen) Jack’in kimi sevdik-in-i biliyor musun?

(sen / jack*in / ki*mi / sev*di*ği*ni / bi*li↝ yor / mu*sun↷)
Do you know who Jack is in love with?

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

(Ben) (o/n/un) ne söyle-dik-in-i hatırla-ma-ıyor-um.

(ben / o*nun / ne / söy*le*di*ği*ni / ha*tır*la*mı*yo*rum↷)
I don’t remember what he said.

(Sen) (ben-im) sana niçin kız-dık-ım-ı biliyor musun?

(sa*na / ni* çin / kız*dı*ğı*mı / bi*li↝ yor / mu*sun↷)
Do you know why I am angry with you?

(Ben-im) seni ne kadar özle-dik-im-i tahmin edemezsin.

(be*nim / se*ni / ne ↝/ ka*dar / öz*le*di*ği*mi / tah*min / e*de*mez*sin↷)
You can’t guess how much I miss you.

(Sen) (sen-in) ne öğrenmek iste-dik-in-i bana açıkla.

(ne / öğ*ren*mek / is*te*di*ği*ni / ba*na / a*çık*la↷)
Explain to me what you want to learn.

(Sen) (sen-in) ne kadar süre bekle-dik-in-i bana söyle.

(ne / ka*dar / sü*re / bek*le*di*ği*ni / ba*na / söy*le↷)
Tell me how long you have been waiting.

(Ben) (o-/n/un) niçin ağla-dık-ı-/n/ı bilmiyorum.

(ben / o*nun / ni *çin / ağ*la*dı*ğı*nı / bil*mi*yo*rum↷)
I don’t know why she is crying.

(Sen-in) ne satın al-dık-ın-ı gördüm.

(se*nin / ne / sa*tı*nal*dı*ğı*nı / gör*düm↷)
I saw what you bought.

All the above nominalized sentences are used in the object position, and the
/k/ phonemes in [dik, dık, dük, duk, tik, tık, tük, tuk] allomorphs change into
the /ğ/ phonemes. The last allomorphs are the defining allomorphs. All the
words in brackets above are optional, and may be ignored unless they are
intentionally emphasized. The following nominalized sentences are used in
the subject position:

(O-/n/un) nasıl zengin ol-duk-u bir sırdır.

synt noun ( subj) NP VP
(o*nun / na*sıl / zen*gin / ol*du*ğu / bir / sır*dır↷)
How he became rich is a mystery.
synt noun (subj) NP VP
(Ben-im) ne düĢün-dük-üm seni ilgilendirmez.
synt noun (subj) NP NP V
(be*nim / ne / dü*şün*dü*ğüm / se*ni / il*gi*len*dir*mez↷)
What I am thinking about doesn’t concern you.
synt noun (subj) NP V NP

Sorular-ın niçin bu kadar zor ol-duk-u öğretmen tarafından açıklanmalıydı.

(synt noun) (subj) NP postp phrase (adv) V (passive)

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

(The reason) why the questions were so difficult should have been explained
by the teacher.

(Sen-in) dolapta gör-dük-ün bir iskelet olamaz.

(subj) NP (predicate) VP
(do*lap*ta / gör*dü*ğün / bir / is*ke*let / o*la*maz↷)

What you saw in the cupboard can’t be a skeleton.

(subj) NP (predicate) VP

(onlar-ın) ne iste-dik-ler-i anla-Ģıl-a-ma-dı.

(subj) NP (passive) V
(on*la*rın / ne / is*te*dik*le*ri / an*la*şı*la*ma*dı↷)
(The /k/ does not change.)
What they wanted couldn't be understood.
(subject) NP (passive) V

(O-/n/un) tüm ye-dik-i sadece beĢ sandöviçti.

synt noun (subj) NP (predicate) NP
(o*nun / tüm / ye*di*ği ~/ sa:*de*ce / beş / san*dö*viç*ti↷)
All he ate was only five sandwiches.

(O-/n/un) kim ol-duk-u polis tarafından araĢtırılıyor.

(synt noun) (subj) NP (postp phrase) (adv) V (passive)
(o*nun / kim / ol*du*ğu / po*lis / ta*ra*fın*dan / a*raş*tı*rı*lı*yor↷)
Who he is is being investigated by the police.
NP V (passive) (prep phrs) (adv)

(Sen-in) ara-dık-ın (Ģey) çekmece-/n/in iç-i/n/-de.

(a*ra*dı*ğın ~ / çek*me*ce*nin / i*çin*de↷)
What you are looking for is in the drawer.

TURKISH “DETERMINER + NOUN” COMPOUNDS

After having given a short description of the “possessor + possessed”

transformation of the simple English sentences, we can proceed with the
parallel “determiner + noun” or (determiner + determined) Turkish simple
sentence transformations:

Kızlar tarlalarda çicek topluyor. The girls are picking flowers in the fields.
noun 1 noun 2 noun 3 1 3 2

1.  “tarlalarda çiçek topla-/y/an kızlar” “the girls that are picking flowers in the fields”
determiner determined
2.  “kızların çiçek topla-dık-ı tarlalar” “the fields where the girls are picking flowers”
determiner determined
3.  “kızların tarlalarda topla-dık-ı çiçekler” “the flowers that the girls are picking in the fiels”
determiner determined

We can derive the following rules from the transformed sentences above:

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

1.When someone aims at determining the subject of a simple sentence, he

transforms the rest of the sentence into a “determiner + noun” compound
by using “V - [en, an] + noun” composition. This composition is a “syntac-
tic noun”, which can be used in “NP + VP” sentence mold. If a verb stem or
a verb frame ends with a consonant, it takes one of these allomorphs:
“konuĢ-an”, “aç-an”, bek-leĢ-en”, “beklen-en”. If a verb stem ends with a
vowel, it needs a /y/ glide to be linked to one of the following [en] or [an] allo-
morphs: “bekle-/y/en”, “oku-/y/an”, “anla/y/an. This transformational pattern
can be applied to the verbs in The Simple Present, The Simple Past, The
Present Continuous, The Past Continuous Tenses, and (ġimdiki
Zaman'ın Hikâyesi) “used to”. However, the verbs in The Simple Future
and The Past Perfect Tenses keep their forms with or without the help of the
verb “ol”:

Kızlar yarın tarlalarda çiçek tolayacaklar. ↻ “yarın tarlalarda çiçek toplaya-

cak (olan) kızlar”
Kızlar tarlalarda çiçek toplamıştı.↻ “tarlalarda çiçek toplamıĢ (olan) kızlar”

Consequently, “Kızlar bahçede koĢar”, “Kızlar bahçede koĢtu”, “Kızlar

bahçede koĢuyor”, “Kızlar bahçede koĢuyordu”, and “Kızlar bahçede
koĢardı” simple sentences are all transformed into the “determiner + noun”
structure as “bahçede koĢan kızlar”. As has already been noted, none of
the time concepts in these tenses (except The Simple Future and the Past
Perfect ) are carried into the transformed Turkish sentences.

2. and 3. When one wants to determine one of the nouns, other than the
subject, he has to use “V - [dik, dık, dük, duk, tik, tık, tük, tuk] - [i, ı, ü, u] -
[pers] + noun” structure. The unvoiced /k/ phonemes change into the
voiced /ğ/ phonemes, except when they are followed by [ler, lar] plural allo-
morphs such as "topla-dık-lar-ı", “yürü-dük-ler-i”, “oku-duk-lar-ı”, “çek-
tik-ler-i”, where the /k/ phonemes do not change.

As in the above examples, none of the tenses carry their time concepts into
the transformed sentences. The time concepts of such sentences are in-
ferred from the time suffixes of the finite verbs.

1. Ġki kız mutfakta patates soyuyor.  “mutfakta patates soy-an iki kız”
1 2 3 determiner determined

2. Ġki kız mutfakta patates soyuyor.  “iki kız-ın patates soy-duk-u mufak”
determiner determined

3. Ġki kız mutfakta patates soyuyor.  “iki kız-ın mutfakta soyduk-u patatesler.
determiner determined

As all the “determiner + determined” (Turkish) or “determined + de-

terminer” (English) compounds are syntactic nouns, they can be used in
the “NP + VP” phrase structure mold as Nominal Phrases:

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

1. Mutfakta patates soy-an iki kız benim kızlarımdır. (so*yan)

syntactic noun (subj) NP predicate VP
2. Ġki kız-ın patates soy-duk-u mutfak çok geniĢtir. (soy*du*ğu)
NP (syntactic noun) (subj) predicate VP
3. Ġki kız-ın mutfakta soy-duk-u patates-ler çok kalitelidir. (soy*du*ğu)
(syntactic noun) (subj) NP predicate VP

(Ben) mutfakta patates soyan iki kız gördü-üm.

NP syntactic noun (object) (NP) V
VP

If the simple sentences from which the transformed compounds were trans-
formed were in different tenses, except the future and the past perfect
tenses, the result would also be the same transformed sentences above:

“Mutfakta iki kız patates soyar, soyuyor, soydu, soyuyordu, soyardı” are
all transformed as “mutfakta patates soyan kızlar” or “kızların soyduğu pata-
tesler”, or “kızların patates soyduğu mutfak”.

The English equivalents of the above sentences are as follows:

1..  “the two girls that are peeling potatoes in the kitchen”
determined (1) determiner
2.  “the kitchen where the two girls are peeling potatoes”
determined (3) determiner
3.  “the potatoes that the girls are peeling in the kitchen”
determined (2) determiner

As all the “determined + determiner” compounds are syntactic nouns, they

can be used in the “NP + VP” phrase structure mould as Nominal Phrases:

The two girls that are peeling potatoes in the kitchen are my daughters.
NP VP
The kitchen where the two girls are peeling potatoes is very large.
NP VP
The potatoes that the girls are peeling in the kitchen are of good quality.
NP VP
I saw the two girls that were peeling potatoes in the kitchen.
NP V NP
VP

As an exception, the sentences in The Simple Future and The Past Perfect
Tenses are transformed as follows:

(Ben) bir problem çözeceğ-im.  “(ben-im) çöz-eceğ-im problem”

sentence determiner determined
I will solve a problem.  “the problem that I will solve”
sentence determined determiner
(Benim) çözeceğim problem çok zor. The problem that I will solve is very difficult.
syntactic noun (subject) (NP) VP syntactic noun (subject) (NP) VP

(Ben) bir problem çözmüştüm.  “(ben-im) çözmüĢ ol-duk-um problem”

I had solved a problem.  “the problem that I had solved”

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

ÇözmüĢ olduğum problem çok zordu.

syntactic noun (subject) NP VP
The problem that I had solved was very difficult.
syntactic noun (subject) NP VP

Some examples of the “determiner + determined” sentence transfor-

mations are as follows:

O dün bir mektup yazdı.  “onun dün yazdığı mektup” = NP

determiner determined
Onun dün yazdığı mektup kayboldu.
NP VP
(o*nun / dün / yaz*dı*ğı / mek*tup / kay*bol*du↷)
The letter that she wrote yesterday has been lost.
NP VP

Annem her gün evi tertipler.  “annemin her gün tertiplediği ev”
Annemin her gün tertiplediği ev karmakarıĢık.
syntactic noun (subject) NP (predicate) VP
(an*ne*min / her / gün / ter*tip*le*di*ği / ev / kar*ma*ka*rı*şık↷)
The house, which my mother tidies every day, is in a mess.
syntactic noun (subj) NP (predicate) VP

Çocuklar havuzda model kayıklar yüzdürüyordu. 

“çocuklar-ın havuzda yüz-dür-dük-ü model kayıklar” = NP
Çocukların havuzda yüzdürdüğü model kayıklar el yapımıydı.
syntactic noun (subject) NP (predicate) VP
(ço*cuk*la*rın / ha*vuz*da / yüz*dür*dü*ğü / mo*del / ka*yık*lar~ / el /
ya*pı*mıy*dı↷)
The modal boats that the children were sailing on the pond were handmade.
NP VP (predicate)

Parmağıma bir iğne battı.  “parmağıma batan iğne”

Parmağıma bat-an iğne küçücüktü.
(synt noun) (subject) (NP) (pred) VP
The needle that stuck in my finger was very small.
syntactic noun (subject) (NP) VP (predicate)

Bir problem çözmeye çalışıyordum.  ”çözmeye çalıĢtığım problem”

Çözmeye çalıĢtığım problem çok güçtü
syntactic noun (subject) (NP) (pred) VP
(çöz*me*ye / ça*lış*tı*ğım / prob*lem / çok / güç*tü↷)
The problem that I was trying to solve was very difficult.
(syntactic noun) (subject) (NP) (predicate) VP

Dün çiçeklerin hepsini suladım.  “dün suladığım çiçeklerin hepsi”

sentence (chain noun compound) (syntactic noun)
Dün suladığım çiçeklerin hepsi soldu
NP VP
(dün / su*la*dı*ğım / çi*çek*le*rin / hep*si / sol*du↷)
All the flowers that I watered yesterday have faded.
(syntactic noun) (subject) (NP) VP

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

Geçen hafta bana bir cep telefonu aldın.  “geçen hafta bana aldığın cep telefonu”
(Ben) (sen-in) geçen hafta bana aldığın cep telefonu-/n/u kaybettim.
NP NP V
(ge*çen / haf*ta / ba*na / al*dı*ğın / cep / te*le*fo*nu*nu / kay*bet*tim↷)
I have lost the mobile telephone that you bought me last week.
NP V (syntactic noun) (object) (NP)

Amcam patates yetiştiriyor.  ”amcamın yetiĢ-tir-dik-i patatesler”

Amcamın yetiĢtirdiği patatesler en üst kalitededir.
(syntactic noun) (subject) (NP) (predicate ) VP
The potatoes that my uncle grows are of top quality.
syntactic noun (subject) (NP) (predicate) VP

When a simple sentence having a future tense is transformed, the [ecek,

acak] allomorphs do not change:

Prof. Brown yarın üniversitede bir konuşma yapacak . 

“yarın Prof. Brown’ın üniversitede yap-acak-ı konuĢma”
Yarın Prof. Brown’ın üniversitede yapacağı konuĢma/y/ı dinlemek is-
tiyor musun?
Do you want to listen to the lecture that Prof. Brown is going to give at the
university tomorrow?

When the subject of a simple sentence is aimed at when transforming a

simple sentence to produce a determiner, the above-mentioned Nr.1 kind of
transformational rule is applied:

Martılar gökyüzünde uçuş-uyor-lar.  “gökyüzünde uç-uĢ-an martılar”

Gökyüzünde uçuĢan martılar harikaydı.
(synt noun) (subject) (NP) (predicate) VP
(gök*yü*zün*de / u*çu*şan / mar*tı*lar / ha:*ri*kay*dı↷)
The seagulls that were flying about in the sky were fantastic.
syntactic noun (subject) (NP) (predicate) VP

Öğrenciler saat sekizden beri öğretmenlerini bekle-iyor-lar. 

“bir saattir öğretmenlerini bekle-/y/en öğrenciler“
Bir saattir öğretmenlerini bekle/y/en öğrenciler sabırsızlanıyor.
(syntactic noun) (subject) NP (predicate) VP
The students that have been waiting for their teachers for an hour are being impatient.
NP VP

Kedi masanın altında kaşın-ıyor.  “masanın altında kaĢı-ın-an kedi”

Masanın altında kaĢı-ın-an kedi senin mi ?
(synactic noun) (subject) (NP) (predicate) VP
(ma*sa*nın / al*tın*da / ka*şı*nan / ke*di / se*nin / mi↷)
Is the cat (that is) scratching under the table yours?
syntactic noun (subject) (NP) VP

Renkler sonbaharda değiş-ir.  “sonbaharda değiĢ-en renkler”

Sonbaharda değiĢ-en renkler herkesi büyüler.

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

(son*ba*har*da / de*ği*şen / renk*ler / her*ke*si / bü*yü*ler↷)

The colors that change in the autumn fascinate everybody.

Çiçekler sabahleyin aç-ar.  ”sabahleyin aç-an çiçekler”

Sabahleyin açan çiçekler güzel kokar.
(sa*bah*le*yin / a*çan / çi*çek*ler / gü*zel / ko*kar↷)
The flowers that open in the morning smell sweet.

Öğrenciler öğretmenlerini dikkatle dinliyorlar-dı . 

”öğretmenlerini dikkatle dinle/y/en örenciler”
Öğretmenlerini dikkatle dinle/y/en öğrenciler mutlu görünüyorlardı.
The students who were listening to their teacher carefully were looking hap-
py.



There is an important difference between a simple sentence and a trans-

formed simple sentence in Turkish. The words in a simple sentence may
take different positions. The meanings of the following sentences are much
less the same if the word stress and intonation are not taken into account:

Ben dün bahçede bir saat buldum.

Bir saat buldum dün bahçede ben.
Bir saat buldum bahçede dün ben.
Buldum dün bahçede bir saat ben.
Bahçede buldum ben dün bir saat.
Buldum bahçede bir saat dün ben.

Although the first sentence is considered to be the valid grammatical order of

the sentence, the other five are also understandable, but they are only used
in Turkish poetry. The only inseparable grammatical unit in these sentences
is "bir saat", which is a "D + N" unit. However, when the same sentence is
nominalized, the possessed part of the compound is always at the end of the
nominalized sentence; the other words may change places:

"benim dün bahçede bir saat bulduğum"

"dün benim bahçede bir saat bulduğum"
"bahçede dün benim bir saat bulduğum"
"bahçede benim dün bir saat bulduğum”

When the same sentence is transformed into the “determiner + deter-

mined” compound, the transformed sentences may change as follows:

"benim dün bahçe-de bulduğum saat"

"bahçede benim dün bulduğum saat"
"dün benim bahçe-de bulduğum saat"
"benim bahçede dün bulduğum saat"

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

As one can notice, the determiner "bir" (indefinite article) is not used in the
above transformed sentences because the word "bulduğum" becomes a
determiner that determines the noun "saat", which proves that "benim dün
bahçede bulduğum" and the following three are determiners. In the above
transformed sentences, the last syllables before the words “bulduğum” are
primarily stressed that shows the importance given to these words.

If the second noun "bahçe" is determined, the transformed sentence be-

comes as follows:

"benim dün içinde (bir) saat bulduğum bahçe"

"içinde benim dün (bir) saat bulduğum bahçe"
"dün benim içinde (bir) saat bulduğum bahçe"
"benim içinde dün (bir) saat bulduğum bahçe"

We can give the following table to sum up the above transformational rules:

1. ”benim gitmem” noun + infinitive = noun comp= syntactic noun = NP

2. ”benim gidiĢim” noun + infinitive = noun comp= syntactic noun = NP
3. ”benim gittiğim” noun + infinitive = noun comp = syntactic noun = NP
4. ”benim gittiğim” noun + infinitive = determiner+noun = syntactic noun= NP
5. ”benim gideceğim” noun + infinitive = noun comp = synt noun = NP
6. ”benim gideceğim” noun + infinitive = determiner + noun = synt noun = NP
7. ”benim gitmiĢ olduğum” noun + infinitive = noun comp = synt noun = NP
8. ”benim gitmiĢ oldugum” noun + infinitive = determiner + noun = synt noun = NP
9. ”benim gitmiĢ olacağım”noun + infinitive = noun comp = synt noun = NP
10.”benim gitmiĢ olacağım”noun + infinitive = determiner + noun = synt noun = NP

In the examples above, only the first person is given; the other persons
might have been given accordingly, which would not change the result. Nr.1
and Nr.2 compounds can only be used as noun compounds such as “Benim
oraya gitmem olanaksız.” “Benim gidiĢim-i bekliyor”

However, Nr. 3 and 4; 5 and 6; 7 and 8; and 9 and 10 are used both as
noun compounds and determiners such as “Benim gittiğim-i gördü.” (noun
compound), “Benim gittiğim okul " (determiner + noun). Therefore, these
noun compounds are used both as noun compounds and as determiners.
As in all infinitives, the infinitive parts of these compounds may have one or
more adverbs preceding to furnish them with “time”, “place”, “reason”, etc:

Benim geçen hafta bir futbol maçı seyretmek için Bursa’ya gitme-im karımı kızdırdı
adv of time. adv of reason adv of place
My going to Bursa last week to watch a football match made my wife mad.

Benim geçen hafta bir çift ayakkabı almak için gittiğim dükkân çok kalablıktı.
adv of time adv of reason noun
The shop where I went to buy a pair of shoes last week was very crowded.

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

Benim …..gittiğim-i gördün. = noun compound (object) = syntactic noun

noun compound
Benim….. gittiğim + okul = determiner + noun = syntactic noun
determiner determined
Okula koĢan + çocuk = determiner + noun = syntactic noun
determiner + determined

THE PASSIVE TRANSFORMATION

A speaker or a writer generally prefers a passive sentence when he does not

know the actual doer of the action, or, when, for some reason, he does not
want to mention it, or if he thinks it is unimportant, or he begins his sentence
with the object. This type of transformation is carried out within the simple
sentence. It is not done to be used as a “NP“ in “NP + VP” sentence mold. If
necessary, a passive simple sentence can also be transformed to be used
as a nominal phrase.

Somebody stole a necklace.  "A necklace was stolen."

A necklace was stolen.  the necklace that was stolen"
"the necklace that was stolen"  “the stolen necklace"
The necklace that was stolen hasn’t been found yet.
The stolen necklace hasn’t been found yet.

To perform a passive transformation, the object of a sentence is used as if it

were the real subject of the sentence, and the verb stem is attached to a
passive making allomorph. These allomorphs are as follows:
c
When a verb stem ends with a consonant (V ), one of the [il, ıl, ül, ul] allo-
morphs is attached to it before the time and personal allomorphs:

“subject + Vc - [il, ıl, ül, ul] - ([NEG]) - [time] - [pers]”

Üç kahve fincanı kır-ıl-dı.
(üç / kah*ve / fin*ca*nı / kı*rıl*dı↷)
Three coffee cups have been broken.

Davetiyeler bas-ıl-ıyor.
(da:*ve*ti*ye*ler / ba*sı*lı*yor↷)
The invitations are being printed.

ġimdi ne yap-ıl-abil-ir?
(Ģim*di / ne ↝/ ya*pı*la*bi*lir↝ )
What can be done now?

Dün ne yap-ıl-dı?
(dün / ne ↝ / ya*pıl*dı↝)
What was done yesterday?

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

Her Ģey bitir-il-di bile.

(her*şey / bi*ti*ril*di / bi*le↷)
Everything has already been finished.

Burada tütün sat-ıl-ma-ız.

(bu*ra*da / tü*tün / sa*tıl*maz↷)
Tobacco is not sold here.

Ben aldat-ıl-dı-ım.
(ben / al*da*tıl*dım↷)
I have been cheated.

(Siz-in) araba-ınız onar-ıl-dı.

(a*ra*ba*nız / o*na*rıl*dı↷)
Your car has been repaired.

Nehir kenarında büyük bir ev yap-ıl-ıyor.

(ne*hir / ke*na*rın*da / bü*yük / bir / ev / ya*pı*lı*yor↷)
A large house is being built by the river.

(Sen) cezalandır-ıl-abil-ir-/s/in.
(ce*za:*lan*dı*rı*la*bi*lir*sin↷)
You may be punished.

Bahçe henüz süpür-ül-me-di.

(bah*çe / he*nüz / sü*pü*rül*me*di↷)
The garden hasn’t been swept yet.

Mikroplar cıplak gözle gör-ül-e-me-iz.

(mik*rop*lar / çıp*lak / göz*le / gö*rü*le*mez↷)
Germs can’t be seen with the naked eye.

Bu pis yüzme havuzunda yüz-ül-me-iz.

(bu / pis / yüz*me / ha*vu*zun*da / yü*zül*mez↷)
It is impossible to swim in this dirty swimming pool.
(passive shaped intransitive)

(Ben-im) saatim bahçede bul-un-du.

(be*nim / sa*a*tim / bah*çe*de / bu*lun*du↷)
My watch has been found in the garden.

Bu kasa matkapla del-in-e-mez.

(bu / ka*sa / mat*kap*la / de*li*ne*mez↷)
This safe can’t be drilled.

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

Pazar günleri okula gel-in-mez.

(pa*zar / gün*le*ri / o*ku*la / ge*lin*mez↷)
It is a general rule that students do not come to school on Sundays.
(passive shaped intransitive)

Akıl süpermarketten satın al-ın-maz.

(a*kıl / sü*per*mar*ket*ten / a*lın*maz↷)
Wisdom can’t be bought from a supermarket.

v
The verb stems ending with vowels (V ) are put into the passive form by
using the following verb composition. In this composition, the double under-
lined first vowels of the passive making allomorphs drop:

“Vv-[in, ın, ün, un]-(neg)-[time]-[pers]”

Bu gömlek sadece ılık suda yıka-ın-ır.
(bu / göm*lek / sa:*de*ce / ı*lık / su*da / yı*ka*nır↷)
This shirt is washed only in lukewarm water.

Duvarlar beyaz-a boya-ın-ıyor.

(du*var*lar / be*ya*za / bo*ya*nı*yor↷)
The walls are being painted white.

Hırsız yakala-ın-dı.
(hır*sız / ya*ka*lan*dı↷)
The thief has been caught.

Benim odam yarın temizle-in-ecek.

(be*nim / o*dam / ya*rın / te*miz*le*ne*cek↷)
My room is going to be cleaned tomorrow.

Maç ertele-in-me-di.
(maç / er*te*len*me*di↷)
The match hasn’t been postponed.

Bu yük benim kamyonumda taĢı-ın-a-maz.

(bu / yük / be*nim / kam*yo*num*da / ta*şı*na*maz↷)
This load can’t be carried in my lorry.

As an exception to the above rule, the verb "anla" is put into the passive
form with [Ģıl]: "Anla-Ģıl-dı" (an*la*şıl*dı) is used in place of *"anla-ın-dı".

THE VERB FRAMES

A list of frequently used verbs and their intransitive, transitive, causative,

passive, reflexive and reciprocal forms (which are called “verb frames”)
are given in the following list. While using reflexive and reciprocal verb

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

frames, one should be careful because these two forms may have meanings
different from the verb stems they are attached to. For instance, although
“anla” means “understand”, “anlaĢ” means “reach an agreement”.
Therefore, one should consult a dictionary before using them.

Some of the most frequently used verb frames whose meanings are different
from their stems are as follows:

aldırmak: care, care about; alıĢmak: get used to; atıĢmak: have a row with;
bozulmak: deteriorate, embarrass; bozuĢmak: break up, fall out with;
buluĢmak: meet with someone; çatlatmak: make somebody jealous;
çözünmek: dissolve; dalaĢmak: fight; dayanıĢma: solidarity; dönüĢmek:
transform; dövünmek: beat one’s chest; durulmak: calm down, settle
down; geçinmek: get on well with, make a living; geliĢtirmek: improve,
develop; gerinmek: stretch; kaçınmak: avoid; kaçırmak: miss, abduct,
frighten away, hijack, go out of one’s mind; kapıĢmak: fall out with;
kayırmak: bestow a privilege on; kesiĢmek: intersect; kestirmek: dose,
have a short nap, estimate; kırıĢmak: become wrinkled; korunmak: protect
oneself; örtüĢmek: coincide, correspond to, match up with; söylenmek:
grumble; söyleĢmek: chat; sürünmek: creep, live a dog’s life; ĢaĢırmak: be
confused, be mixed up; ĢiĢinmek: boast; tartıĢmak: argue, discuss, dis-
pute; uydurmak: fabricate, feign.

The suffixes used in producing verb frames are the first suffixes to be at-
tached to verb stems; and the others such as the “negation”, “time”, and
“personal” suffixes follow them.

The Structural Composition of the Causative Verb Frames

All the monosyllabic verb stems, and all the other ones ending with /t/
phonemes take [dir, dır, dür, dur, tir, tır, tür, tur] allomorphs to change
them into the causative verb frame:

Examples of monosyllabic verbs:

al-dır, at-tır, boz-dur, bul-dur, çal-dır, çarp-tır, çek-tir, çöz-dür, del-dir, döv-
dür, ger-dir, kap-tır, kes,tir, kur-dur, ört-tür, öv-dür, soy-dur, et-tir, üz-dür,
yak-tır, yap-tır, yaz-dır, sat-tır, at-tır, tat-tır, aç-tır, yak-tır, yırt-tır

Examples of the polysyllabic (two or more syllables) verbs ending with /t/:

iĢit-tir, iĢlet-tir, oturt-tur, kapat-tır, kızart-tır, patlat-tır, sarkıt-tır, yaĢat-tır,

yükselt-tir, tüket-tir, tanıt-tır.

All the polysyllabic verbs ending with /r/ take /t/ phonemes
Example: yapıĢtır → yapıĢ-tırt; güldür → gül-dürt

ar-tırt, bi-tirt, ge-tirt, at-tırt, çalıĢ-tırt, çı-kart, dal-dırt, değiĢ-tirt, do-ğurt, dol-
durt, dön-dürt, dur-durt, dü-Ģürt, ge-çirt, ge-tirt, geliĢ-tirt, ger-dirt, gez-dirt,

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

gül-dürt, ı-sırt, it-tirt, ka-çırt, kan-dırt, karĢılaĢ-tırt, ka-yırt, kaz-dırt, konuĢ-

turt, ko-part, koĢ-turt, o-nart, öl-dürt, pi-Ģirt, sinirlen-dirt, sus-turt, sü-pürt, Ģi-
Ģirt, ta-Ģırt, uy-durt, yarıĢ-tırt, yapıĢ-tırt, ya-tırt, ye-dirt, yüz-dürt

The last syllables of the above causative forms are all four- phoneme syl-
lables such as tirt, tırt, türt, turt, dürt, durt, nart, etc.

When the polysyllabic verbs ending with vowels are attached to [it, ıt, üt,
ut] allomorphs, the first vowels of these suffixes drop:

baĢla-ıt (baş*lat), ertele-it (er*te*let), ona-ıt (o*nat), oyna-ıt (oy*nat,) bekle-it

(bek*let), boya-ıt (bo*yat), büyü-üt (bü*yüt), çatla-ıt (çat*lat), daya-ıt (da*yat),
dene-it (de*net), denetle-it (de*net*let), dinle-it (din*let), ertele-it (er*te*let),
fırçala-ıt (fır*ça*lat), hatırla-ıt (ha*tır*lat), hazırla-ıt (ha*zır*lat), kovala-ıt
(ko*va*lat), kaĢı-ıt (ka*Ģıt), kokla-ıt (kok*lat), koru-ut (ku*rut), oyna-ıt (o*nat),
sakla-ıt (sak*lat), sorgula-ıt (sor*gu*lat), söyle-it (söy*let), tara-ıt (ta*rat),
taĢı-ıt (ta*Ģıt), temizle-it (te*miz*let), uyu-ut (u*yut), ütüle-it (ü*tü*let), yaka-
la-ıt (ya*ka*lat), yıka-ıt (yı*kat), yürü-üt (yü*rüt), tırmala-ıt (tır*ma*lat), sula-ıt
(su*lat).

Note: All the double underlined vowels drop.

A SHORT LIST OF VERB FRAMES

INTRANSITIVE TRANSITIVE CAUSATIVE PASSIVE REFLEXIVE RECIPROCAL

ak akıt akıttır akıtıl

al aldır alın
anla anlaĢıl
anlat anlat(tır) anlatıl
art artır artırt artırıl
at attır atıl atıĢ
baĢla baĢlat baĢlattır baĢlatıl baĢlan
bat batır batırt batırıl
bekle bekle beklet beklen bekleĢ
beklet beklettir bekletil
besle beslet beslen beslen
bit bitir bitirt bitiril
boya boyat boyan
boz bozdur bozul bozul bozuĢ
bul buldur bulun buluĢ
çal çaldır çalın
çalıĢ çalıĢ(tır) çalıĢtırt çalıĢtırıl
çarp çarptır çarptırt çarpıl çarpıĢ
Çatla Çatlat Çatlattır çatlatıl
çek çektir çekil çekin çekiĢ
çık çıkar çıkart çıkarıl çıkıĢ
değiĢtir değiĢtirt değiĢtiril değiĢ

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

INTRANSITIVE TRANSITIVE CAUSATIVE PASSIVE REFLEXIVE RECIPROCAL

del deldir delin

dene denet denen
denetle denetlet denetlen
dinle dinlet dinlen
doğ doğur doğurt doğurul
dol doldur doldurt doldurul doluĢ
döv dövdür dövül dövün dövüĢ
dön döndür döndürt döndürül dönüĢ
dur durdur durdurt durdurul durul
düĢ düĢür düĢürt düĢürül
ertele ertelet ertelen
fark et fark ettir fark edil
fırçala fırçalat fırçalan
geç geç geçirt geçil geçin
gel gelin
getir getirt getiril
geliĢ geliĢtir geliĢtirt geliĢtiril
ger gerdirt geril gerin
gör görül görün görüĢ
göster göstert gösteril
gül güldür güldürt güldürül gülüĢ
hatırla hatırlat hatırlan
hazırla hazırlat hazırlan hazırlan
iç içir içil
iĢit iĢittir iĢitil
ısır ısır ısırt ısırıl
iĢle iĢlet iĢlettir iĢletil
inkâr et inkâr ettir inkâr edil
it ittir itil itiĢ
kaç kaçır kaçırt kaçırıl kaçın kaçıĢ
kan kandır kandırt kandırıl
kap kaptır kapıl kapıĢ
kapat kapattır kapatıl kapan
kapla kaplat kaplan
karĢılaĢ karĢılaĢtır karĢılaĢtırt karĢılaĢtırıl
kaĢı kaĢıt kaĢın kaĢın
kayır kayırt kay(ı)rıl
kes kestir kesil kesiĢ
kır kırdır kırıl kırıĢ
kız kızdır kızdırt kızdırıl kızıĢ
kızar kızart kızarttır kızartıl
kok kokla koklat koklan koklaĢ
konuĢ konuĢtur konuĢturt konuĢul
koĢ koĢtur koĢturt koĢul koĢuĢ
kuru kurut kuruttur kurutul
oku oku okuttur okun

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

INTRANSITIVE TRANSITIVE CAUSATIVE PASSIVE REFLEXIVE RECIPROCAL

onar onart onarıl

otur oturt oturttur oturul oturuĢ
oyna oyna oynat oynan oynaĢ
öl öldür öldürt öldürül ölün
ört örttür örtül örtün örtüĢ
öt öttür öttürt öttürül ötüĢ
öv övdür övül övün
patla patlat patlattır patlatıl
piĢ piĢir piĢirt piĢiril
sakla saklat saklan saklan
sark sarkıt sarkıttır sarkıtıl
sars sarstır sarsıl sarsıl
sat sattır satıl
sev sevdir sevil sevin seviĢ
seyret seyrettir seyredil
sinirlen sinirlendir sinirlendirt sinirlendiril
soğu soğut soğuttur soğutul
sorgula sorgulat sorgulan
soy soydur soyul soyun
söyle söylet söylen söylen söyleĢ
sus sustur susturt susturul susuĢ
süpür süpürt süpürül
sür sürdür sürül sürün
süsle süslet süslen süslen
ĢaĢ ĢaĢırt ĢaĢırttır ĢaĢırtıl ĢaĢır
ĢiĢ ĢiĢir ĢiĢirt ĢiĢiril ĢiĢin
tara tarat taran taran
taĢ taĢır taĢırt taĢırıl
taĢı taĢıt taĢın taĢın
temizle temizlet temizlen temizlen
tercih et tercih ettir tercih edil
unut unuttur unutul
uy uydur uydurt uydurul uyuĢ
uyu uyut uyuttur uyutul uyun
ütüle ütület ütülen
üz üzdür üzül üzül
yap yaptır yapıl
yapıĢ yapıĢtır yapıĢtırt yapıĢtırıl
yaĢa yaĢat yaĢattır yaĢatıl yaĢan
yat yatır yatırt yatırıl yatıĢ
yıka yıkat yıkan yıkan
yor yorul yorul
yüksel yükselt yükselttir yükseltil
yürü yürüt yürütül
yüz yüzdür yüzdürt yüzdürül yüzüĢ

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

THE ORDER OF MORPHEMES

Negative Time Question Personal Question

[ME] [ĠR] [MĠ] [ĠM] [MĠ]

[DĠ] [SĠN]
[ĠYOR] [Ø]
[MĠġ] [ĠZ], [ĠK]
[ECEK] [SĠNĠZ]
[ĠR-DĠ] [Ø],[LER],
[ĠYOR-DU]
[ECEK-TI]
[MĠġ-TĠ]
[DĠ/Y-DĠ]

personal allomorphs

(ben) : [im, ım, üm, um]

(sen) : [sin, sın, sün, sun,]
(o) : [Ø]
(biz) : [iz, ız, üz, uz] ([ik, ık, ük, uk])
(siz) : [siniz, sınız, sünüz, sunuz]
(onlar) : [Ø] ([ler, lar])

time allomorphs

simple present : [ir, ır, ür, ur, er, ar]

simple past : [di, dı, dü, du, ti, tı, tü, tu]
present cont . [iyor, ıyor, üyor, uyor]
rumor : [miĢ, mıĢ, müĢ, muĢ]
simple future : [ecek, acak]
used to : [ir-di, ır-dı, ür-dü, ur-du, er-di, ar-dı]
past cont : [iyor-du, ıyor-du, üyor-du, uyor-du]
was going to : [ecek-ti, acak-tı]
past perfect : [miĢ-ti, mıĢ-tı, müĢ-tü, muĢ-tu] *([di/y-di, dı/y/-dı,
dü/y/-dü, du/y/-du, ti/y/-di, tı/y/dı, tü/y/dü, tu/y/-du])

Note: There are two question columns in the table above because the order
of question allomorphs change in some tenses. For example:

gel-ir mi-/y/im?; gel-di-im mi?; bekle-iyor mu/y/-du-un?; çalıĢ-ma-ıyor mu/y/-

du-un? (The double underlined vowels drop.)

*Although [miĢ-ti] and [di/y/-di] past perfect forms are identical in meaning,
the [di/y/-di] form is not frequently heard.

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

The Verb frames are units in themselves like the verb stems that must be
used first in generating a verb composition. The other morphemes follow
them in succession such as:

gül → gül-dü, gül-üyor, gül-ecek, gül-müĢ-tü, gül-meli-/y/miĢ, gül-se- /y/miĢ

güldür → güldür-dü, güldür-üyor, güldür-ecek, güldür-müs, güldür-me-
me-liy-miĢ, güldür-me-sey-miĢ, güldür-ebil-ir-miĢ-miĢ, güldür-ecek-miĢ
gülüĢ → gülüĢ-tü-ler, gülüĢ-ecek-ler, gülüĢ-üyor-lar, gülüĢ-me-sin-ler

The infinitive allomorphs [mek, mak] can only be added to the verb stems
and verb frames:

gül-mek, güldür-mek, gülüĢ-mek, gülün-mek, sev-mek, sevdir-mek,

sevin-mek, seviĢ-mek, kes-mek, kestir-mek, kesil-mek, kesiĢ-mek,
tart-mak, tartıl-mak, tartıĢ-mak, tarttır-mak, aç-mak, açıl-mak, açtır-mak
benze-mek, benzet-mek, benzetil-mek, kok-mak, kokla-mak, kokuĢ-mak

CAUSATIVE VERB FRAME EXAMPLES

We use a causative verb frame when we do not carry out the action our-
selves, but we are responsible for the action being done:

Ahmet’e arabamı yıkamasını söyledim; o da yıkadı.

↻ “Ahmet’e arabam-ı yıkat-tı-ım
I made Ahmet wash my car. I had Ahmet wash my car. I got Ahmet to wash
my car.
I asked someone to wash my car. ↻ Arabamı yıkat-tı-ım.
I had my car washed. (The doer of the verb “Ahmet” is not mentioned.)

As it is seen in the above two sentences, the two Turkish verb compositions
are identical, “yıkattım”. However, in the first sentence, the doer of the verb
“wash” is mentioned; in the second, it is not. In English, when the doer of the
verb is mentioned “make somebody do something”, or the above-
mentioned alternatives, but when the doer of the action is not mentioned, a
different sentence type “have something done” is used.

THE PASSIVE CAUSATIVE

Passive causative frames are frequently used in both English and Turkish:

Onlar bana kapıyı aç-tır-dı-lar.

(on*lar / ba*na / ka*pı*yı / aç*tır*dı*lar↷)
They made me open the door. (causative)

Kapı bana aç-tır-ıl-dı.

(ka*pı / ba*na / aç*tı*rıl*dı↷)
I was made to open the door. (passive causative)

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

Hırsız kasayı bana açtırdı.

(hır*sız / ka*sa*yı / ba*na / aç*tır*dı↷)
The thief made me open the safe. (causative)

Kasa bana açtırıldı.

(ka*sa / ba*na / aç*tı*rıl*dı↷)
I was made to open the safe.

Double causative forms are rarely used in Turkish, therefore they are not
put in the verb frames list above:

Arabamı yıkat-tırt-tı-ım. (a*ra*ba*mı / yı*kat*tırt*tım↷)

I asked someone to have my car washed. (double causative)

SOME EXAMPLE SENTENCES OF THE VERB FRAMES

It may be useful to give further explanations on word stresses before giving

some more example sentences on verb frames. There are two kinds of
stress in Turkish: Primary stress and secondary stress.

Turkish words generally have secondarily stressed syllables at the end of

each word. However, there may also be some other secondarily stressed
syllables in the first syllables of some others. The rest of the syllables are
unstressed. For instance, there are two kinds of identical “bir” words in Turk-
ish. One of which means “a”, the other one means “one”. In speech, if “bir” is
unstressed, it means “a” or “an”, if it is stressed, it means “one”: (bir / ki*tap)
“a book”, (bir / ki*tap) “one book”.

If a word is considered important by the speaker, he strengthens the last

secondarily stressed syllable of a word to make it dominant in a sentence.
This definition, however, differs in verb compositions because the verb
stems are generally made up of monosyllables in Turkish and they are suf-
fixed by several inflectional morphemes. The verb stems and the syllables
are secondarily stressed. Only one of these syllables is primarily stressed,
which does not depend on the speakers choice. Some of the morphemes in
the verb compositions are formed of two syllables such as “me*li”, “ma*lı”,
“e*cek”, “a*cak”, “bi*lir”; and only the last syllables of these morphemes
can be primarily stressed.

Consider the primarily stressed syllables in the following verb compositions:

( o*nu / an*la*dım↷) I understood it.

( o*nu / an*la*ma*dım↷) I didn’t understand it.
( se*ni / an*lı*yo*rum↷) I understand you.
( se*ni / an*la*mı*yo*rum↷) I don’t understand you.
( se*ni / an*lı*ya*mı*yo*rum↷) I can’t understand you.
(si*ze / yar*dım / e*de*bi*li*rim↷) I can help you.

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

(si*ze / yar*dım / e*de*mem↷) I can’t help you.

(ce*za:*lan*dı*rı*la*bi*lir*din↷) You might have been punished.
(ge*le*ce*ğim↷) I will come.
(gel*mi*ye*ce*ğim↷) I won’t come.
(an*la*şa*bi*li*riz↷) We can reach an agreement.
(an*la*şa*ma*yız↷) We can’t reach an agreement.
(ğö*rü*yo*rum↷) I can see.
(gö*re*mi*yo*rum↷) I can’t see.
(gel*miş*ler↷) They have come. They say that they have come.
(gel*me*miş*ler↷) They haven’t come. They say that they haven’t come.
(ge*le*bi*lir↝ / mi*sin↷) Can you come?
(ge*le↝ mez / mi*sin↷) Can’t you come?

One can change the meaning of a sentence by changing a secondary stress

at the end of a word (except the ones in a verb composition) into a primary
stress:

(an*nem / de*niz*de / yü*zü*yor↷)

In the sentence above, each word has only one or several secondarily
stressed syllables that are printed in italics. The secondarily stressed syl-
lables are not only secondarily stressed, but the last syllables of each word
also imply the hearer a suspended juncture as if another word will be fol-
lowing it.

The word stems may have one or more syllables. If a word stem has only
one syllable, it is naturally secondarily stressed. If it has more than one sylla-
bles, the last syllable of it is secondarily stressed. When the stems are suffix-
ed with inflectional or derivational suffixes, these suffixes are also secon-
darily stressed:

(ter*lik), (ter*lik*çi), (ter*lik*çi*lik); (ba*ba), (ba*ba*sı) (ba*ba*sı*nın),

(ba*ba*sın*dan); (yüz), (yü*zü), (yü*zü*ne), (yü*zün*de), (yü*zün*den)

However, when any one of these words is primarily stressed, only their last
syllables can be primarily stressed such as:

(ter*lik), (ter*lik*çi), (ter*lik*çi*lik); (ba*ba), (ba*ba*sı), (ba*ba*sı*nın),

(ba*ba*sın*dan); (yüz), (yü*zü), (yü*zü*ne), (yü*zün*de), (yü*zün*den)

Compare the following sentences:

(an*nem / de*niz*de / yü*zü*yor↷) means “My mother is swimming in the

sea; not any other woman.
(an*nem / de*niz*de / yü*zü*yor↷) means “My mother is swimming in the
sea, not in a lake or a river.

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

(an*nem / de*niz*de / yü*zü*yor↷) means “My mother is swimming in the

sea; not sunbathing or chatting with her friends on the beach.

Another point to be considered in a language is its intonation, which is the

music of a language that influences its meaning significantly. To describe a
piece of music in words is nearly impossible. Therefore, listening to native
speakers speaking it in their own native languages is of vital importance for
students of languages. The longer one is exposed to a foreign language, the
easier and more soundly he can learn it.

In the following example sentences, some frequently used verb frames and
their syllables are given in brackets. The most primarily stressable syllables
are also printed in bold type, but this does not mean that the other important
words cannot be stressed. Any one of the words that are thought to be do-
minant in a sentence can be stressed accordingly. The open junctures
(pauses) between words are showed by “ / ” slashes.

aç:
Çiçekler sabahleyin aç-ar.
(çi*çek*ler / sa*bah*le*yin / a*çar↷)
The flowers open in the morning. (intransitive)

Jack kapıyı aç-tı.

(jack / ka*pı*yı / aç*tı↷)
Jack opened the door. (transitive)

Jack’e kapıyı aç-tır-dı-ım.

(jack*e / ka*pı*yı / aç*tır*dım↷)
I made (had) Jack open the door. (causative).

Kapı-/y/ı aç-tır-dı-ım.
(ka*pı*yı / aç*tır*dım↷)
I had the door opened. (causative)

Kapı bilinmeyen bir el tarafından aç-ıl-dı.

(ka*pı / bi*lin*me*yen / bir / el / ta*ra*fın*dan / a*çıl*dı↷)
The door was opened by an unknown hand. (passive)

Hava aç-ıl-dı (açtı).

(ha*va /a*çıl*dı↷)
The clouds scattered and the sun began to shine. (reflexive)

Kapı, Jack’e aç-tır-ıl-dı.

(ka*pı /Ja*ke / aç*tı*rıl*dı↷)
Jack was made to open the door. (passive causative)

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

al:

Kitabı aldı-ım.
(ki*ta*bı / al*dım↷)
I have taken (received, bought) the book. (transitive).

Kitabı satın aldır-dı-ım.

(ki*ta*bı / sa*tı *nal*dır*dım↷)
I’ve had the book bought. (causative)

Kitabı satın al-dırt-tı-ım.

(ki*ta*bı / sa*tı*nal*dırt*tım↷)
I asked someone to have the book bought. (double causative).

Kitap satın al-ın-dı.

(ki*tap / sa*tı*na*lın*dı↷)
The book has been bought. (passive)

Kitabı satın al-dır-dı-ım.

(ki*ta*bı / sa*tın / al*dır*dım↷)
I have had the book bought. (causative)

Al-dır-ma!
(al*dır*ma↷)
Never mind! (an expression)

Elmalar Ahmet’e al-dır-ıl-dı.

(el*ma*lar / ah*me*te / al*dı*rıl*dı↷)
Ahmet was made to buy the apples. (passive causative)

Elmaları Ahmet’e al-dır-dı.

(el*ma*la*rı / ah*me*te / al*dır*dı↷)
She made Ahmet buy the apples. (causative)

Bu elmalar geçen hafta al-ın-dı.

(bu / el*ma*lar~ / ge*çen / haf*ta / a*lın*dı↷)
These apples were bought last week. (passive)

(O), sözlerimden al-ın-dı.

(söz*le*rim*den / a*lın*dı ↷)
She was offended by what I said. (reflexive)

anla:

Jack dersi anla-dı.

(jack / der*si / an*la*dı↷)
Jack understood the lesson. (transitive)

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

Ders anla-Ģıl-dı.
(ders / an*la*şıl*dı↷)
The lesson has been understood. (passive)

Onlar anlaĢ-tı-lar.
(on*lar / an*laş*tı*lar↷)
They have reached an agreement. (reciprocal)

anlat:
Jack bize bir masal anlat-tı.
(jack / bi*ze / bir / ma*sa*lan*lat*tı↷)
Jack told us a story. (transitive)

Öğretmen masalı Ahmet’e anlat-tır-dı.

(öğ*ret*men / ma*sa*lı~/ ah*me*te / an*lat*tır*dı↷)
The teacher made (had) Ahmet tell the story. (causative)

Masalı anlat-tır-dı-ım.
(ma*sa*lı / an*lat*tır*dım↷)
I had the story told. (causative)

Masal dün anlat-ıl-dı.

(ma*sal / dün / an*la*tıl*dı↷)
The story was told yesterday. (passive)

Masal Ahmet’e anlat-tır-ıl-dı.

(ma*sal~ / ah*me*te / an*lat*tı*rıl*dı↷)
Ahmet was made to tell the story. (passive causative)

Öğretmen bir konu anlat-ıyor (öğretiyor).

(öğ*ret*men / bir / ko*nu / an*la*tı*yor↷)
The teacher is teaching a subject. (transitive)

art:
Hız art-tı.
(hız / art*tı↷) or (hı*zart*tı↷)
The speed increased. (intransitive)

Hızı artır-dı.
(hı*zı / ar*tır*dı↷)
He increased the speed. (transitive)

Hız artır-ıl-dı.
(hız / ar*tı*rıl*dı↷)
The speed has been increased. (passive)

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

Ona hızını artırt-tı.

(o*na / hı*zı*nı /ar*tırt*tı↷)
He made him increase his speed. (causative)

Hızı artırt-tı.
(hı*zı / ar*tırt*tı↷)
He had the speed increased. (causative)

Hız Jack’e artırt-ıl-dı.

(hız / ja*ke / ar*tır*tıl*dı↷)
Jack was made to increase the speed. (passive causative)

baĢla:

Oyun baĢladı.
(o*yun / baş*la*dı↷)
The game (has) started. (intransitive)

Hakem oyunu baĢlat-tı.

(ha*kem / o*yu*nu / baş*lat*tı↷)
The referee started the game. (transitive)

Hakem oyunu Ahmet’e baĢlat-tı.

(ha*kem / o*yu*nu~ / ah*me*te / baş*lat*tı↷)
The referee made Ahmet start the game. (causative)

Oyun Ahmet’e baĢlat-ıl-dı.

(o*yun / ah*me*te / baş*la*tıl*dı↷)
Ahmet was made to start the game. (passive causative)

Oyun baĢlat-ıl-dı.
(o*yun / baş*la*tıl*dı↷)
The game was started. (by someone) (passive)

Oyuna baĢla-ın-dı.
(o*yu*na / baş*lan*dı↷)
The game was started. (passive shaped intransitive verb)

bat:

Ġkinci Dünya SavaĢı’nda birçok gemi bat-tı.

(i*kin*ci / dün*ya: / sa*va*şın*da / bir*çok / ge*mi / bat*tı↷)
A lot of ships sank during The Second World War. (intransitive)

Ġkinci Dünya SavaĢı’nda çok gemi batır-dı-lar.

(i*kin*ci / dün*ya: / sa*va*şın*da / bir*çok / ge*mi / ba*tır*dı*lar↷)
They sank a lot of ships during The Second World War. (transitive)

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

SavaĢta birçok gemi batır-ıl-dı.

(sa*vaş*ta / bir*çok / ge*mi / ba*tı*rıl*dı↷)
A lot of ships were sunk during the war. (passive)

(O), parmağına bir iğne batır-dı.

(par*ma*ğı*na / bir / iğ*ne / ba*tır*dı↷)
She stuck a needle into her hand. (transitive)

Parmağıma iğne battı.

(par*ma*ğı*ma / iğ*ne / bat*tı↷)
A needle stuck into my finger. (intransitive)

bul:

Yüzük-ü-/n/ü bul-du.
(yü*zü*ğü*nü / bul*du↷)
She has found her ring. (transitive)

Yüzüğünü kocasına bul-dur-du.

(yü*zü*ğü*nü / ko*ca*sı*na / bul*dur*du↷)
She got her husband to find her ring. (causative)

Yüzük kocasına bul-dur-ul-du.

(yü*zük / ko*ca*sı*na / bul*du*rul*du↷)
Her husband was made to find the ring. (passive causative)

Yüzüğünü bul-dur-du.
(yü*zü*ğü*nü / bul*dur*du↷)
She had her ring found. (causative)

Yüzüğü bul-un-du.
(yü*zü*ğü / bu*lun*du↷)
Her ring has been found. (passive)

çal:
Birisi o-/n/un çanta-/s/ı-/n/ı çal-dı.
(bi*ri*si / o*nun / çan*ta*sı*nı / çal*dı↷)
Somebody stole her handbag. (transitive)

Çantasını çal-dır-dı.
(çan*ta*sı*nı / çal*dır*dı↷)
She has had her handbag stolen. (causative)

Geçen hafta onun çantası çal-ın-dı.

(ge*çen / haf*ta / o*nun / çan*ta*sı / ça*lın*dı↷)
Her handbag was stolen last week. (passive)

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

Jack piyano çal-abil-ir.

(jack / pi*ya*no / ça*la*bi*lir↷)
Jack can play the piano. (transitive)

Hakem düdüğünü çal-dı.

(ha*kem / dü*dü*ğü*nü / çal*dı↷)
The referee blew his whistle. (transitive)

çarp:
Top pencereye çarp-tı.
(top / pen*ce*re*ye / çarp*tı↷)
The ball hit the window..
(Turkish intransitive; English transitive)

Kalbim senin için çarp-ıyor.

(kâl*bim / se*nin / i*çin / çar*pı*yor↷)
My heart is beating for you. (intransitive)

Arabasını elektrik direğine çarp-tı.

(a*ra*ba*sı*nı / e*lek*trik / di*re*ği*ne / çarp*tı↷)
She hit her car to a lamppost. (intransitive)

Kapıyı çarp-tı.
(ka*pı*yı / çarp*tı↷)
He slammed the door. (transitive)

Kapı çarp-ıl-dı.
(ka*pı / çar*pıl*dı↷)
The door has been slammed. (Passive)

Ġki kamyon çarp-ıĢ-tı.

(i*ki / kam*yon / çar*pış*tı↷)
Two lorries collided. (reciprocal)

çalıĢ:
Almanya’da çalıĢ-ıyor.
(al*man*ya*da / ça*lı*şı*yor↷)
He is working in Germany. (intransitive)

Motoru çalıĢ-tır-a-ma-dı.
(mo*to*ru / ça*lış*tı*ra*ma*dı↷)
He couldn’t start the engine. (transitive)

Karısını çalıĢ-tır-ma-ıyor.
(ka*rı*sı*nı / ça*lış*tır*mı*yor↷)
He doesn’t let his wife work. (causative)

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

Eskiden otomobil motorları elle çalıĢ-tır-ıl-ır-dı.

(es*ki*den~ / o*to*mo*bil / mo*tor*la*rı / el*le / ça*lış*tı*rı*lır*dı↷)
In the past car engines used to be manually started. (passive)

Bu fabrikada kasksız çalıĢ-ıl-maz.

(bu / fab*ri*ka*da / kask*sız / ça*lı*şıl*maz↷)
It is forbidden (dangerous) to work without helmets in this factory.
(passive shaped intransitive verb)

çatla:

Bardak çatla-dı.
(bar*dak / çat*la*dı↷ )
The glass has cracked. (intransitive)

Kaynar su bardağı çatla-ıt-tı.

(kay*nar / su / bar*da*ğı / çat*lat*tı↷)
The boiling water cracked the glass. (transitive)

Bardağı sen çatla-ıt-tı-ın.

(bar*da*ğı / sen / çat*lat*tın↷)
You made the glass crack. (causative)

Bardak çatla-ıt-ıl-dı.
(bar*dak / çat*la*tıl*dı↷)
The glass was cracked. (passive)

çek:

Bu baca iyi çek-er.

(bu / ba*ca / i*yi / çe*ker↷)
This chimney draws well. (intransitive)

Annesine çek-miĢ.
(an*ne*si*ne / çek*miş↷)
She seems to have taken after her mother. (intransitive)

Arabayı iki at çek-iyor-du.

(a*ra*ba*yı / i*ki / at / çe*ki*yor*du↷)
Two horses were pulling the cart. (transitive)

Kılıcını çek-ti.
(kı*lı*cı*nı / çek*ti↷)
He drew his sword. (transitive)

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(O) acı çek-iyor.

(a*cı / çe*ki*yor↷)
He is suffering. (transitive)

Eskiden insanlar kuyulardan su cek-er-di.

(es*ki*den / in*san*lar ~ / ku*yu*lar*dan / su / çe*ker*di↷)
People used to draw water from wells in the past. (transitive)

Teklif (ben-im) dikkat-im-i çek-ti.

(tek*lif / dik*ka*ti*mi / çek*ti↷)
The proposal attracted my attention. (transitive)

Arabam çek-il-di.
(a*ra*bam / çe*kil*di↷)
My car has been towed away. (passive)

Arabamı çek-tir-di-im.
(a*ra*ba*mı / çek*tir*dim↷)
I had my car towed. (causative)

Bir diĢimi çektir-di-im.

(bir / di*şi*mi / çek*tir*dim↷)
I had a tooth pulled out. (causative)

O çek-in-iyor.
(o / çe*ki*ni*yor↷)
She is reluctant. (reflexive) (*She is pulling herself)

Onlar çek-iĢ-iyor-lar.
(on*lar / çe*ki*şi*yor*lar↷)
They are struggling with each other. (reciprocal)

Can çeki-iĢ-iyor.
(can / çe*ki*şi*yor↷)
He is in the death agony. (reciprocal)

çık:

Evden çık-tı.
(ev*den / çık*tı↷)
He (has) left home. (intransitive)

Ceketini çık-ar-dı.
(ce*ke*ti*ni / çı*kar*dı↷)
He took off his coat. (transitive)

ġapkamı çıkart-tı.
(şap*ka*mı / çı*kart*tı↷)
He made me take off my hat. (causative)

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DıĢarı çık-ar-ıl-dı.
(dı*şa*rı / çı*ka*rıl*dı↷)
He was taken out. (passive)

Boyuna sorun çıkar-ıyor.

(bo*yu*na / so*run / çı*ka*rı*yor↷)
He is always creating problems. (transitive)

çöz:
Bir problem çöz-üyor.
(bir / prob*lem / çö*zü*yor↷)
He is solving a problem. (transitive)

Problemi babasına çöz-dür-dü.

(prob*le*mi / ba*ba*sı*na / çöz*dür*dü↷)
She got her father to solve the problem. (causative)

Tüm sorunlarımız çöz-ül-dü.

(tüm / so*run*la*rı*mız / çö*zül*dü ↷)
All our problems have been solved. (passive)

Bu düğümü çöz-e-me-iyor-um.
(bu / dü*ğü*mü / çö*ze*mi*yo*rum ↷)
I can't untie this knot. (transitive)

daya:
Merdiveni duvar-a daya-dı.
(mer*di*ve*ni / du*va*ra / da*ya*dı ↷)
He leaned the ladder against the wall. (transitive)

Merdiveni duvara dayat-tı.

(mer*di*ve*ni / du*va*ra / da*yat*tı ↷)
He had the ladder leaned against the wall. (causative)

Merdiven duvara daya-ın-dı.

(mer*di*ven / du*va*ra / da*yan*dı ↷)
The ladder has been leaned against the wall. (passive)

dayan:

Bu ayakkabılar daha çok dayan-ır.

(bu / a*yak*ka*bı*lar ~ / da*ha / çok / da*ya*nır ↷)
These shoes last longer. (intransitive)

Bu sıcağa dayan-a-ma-ıyor-um.
(bu / sı*ca*ğa~ / da*ya*na*mı*yo*rum ↷)
I can't endure (tolerate) this warm weather. (intransitive)

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dal:

Denize dal-dı.
(de*ni*ze / dal*dı ↷)
He dived into the sea. (intransitive)

Elini suya dal-dır-dı.

(e*li*ni / su*ya / dal*dır*dı ↷)
He plunged his hand into the water. (transitive)

Onu denize daldırt-tı.

(o*nu / de*ni*ze / dal*dırt*tı ↷)
He got him to dive into the sea. (causative)

değiĢ:
Seni son gördüğümden beri çok değiĢ-ti-in (değiĢmiĢsin).
(se*ni / son / gör*dü*ğüm*den / be*ri / çok / de*ğiş*tin ↷)
You have changed a lot since I last saw you. (intransitive)

Eve gelince giysilerini değiĢ-tir-di.

(e*ve / ge*lin*ce~ / giy*si*le*ri*ni / de*ğiş*tir*di ↷)
He changed his clothes when he came home. (transitive)

Eski lastiklerimi değiĢ-tirt-iyor-um.

(es*ki / las*tik*le*ri*mi / de*ğiş*tir*ti*yo*rum ↷)
I am having my old tires changed. (causative)

Kirli masa örtüsü değiĢ-tir-il-di.

(kir*li / ma*sa / ör*tü*sü / de*ğiş*ti*ril*di ↷)
The dirty tablecloth has been changed. (passive)

Futbol kuralları degiĢ-tir-il-e-cek.

(fut*bol / ku*ral*la*rı / de*ğiş*ti*ri*le*cek↷)
The football rules are going to be changed. (passive)

dinle:
Söylediğimi din-le.
(söy*le*di*ği*mi / din*le ↷)
Listen to what I say.
(Turkish transitive; English intransitive)

Bana, Ģarkısını dinlet-ti.

(ba*na / Ģar*kı*sı*nı / din*let*ti ↷)
She got me to listen to her song. (causative)

doğ:

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Ben Adana’da doğ-du-um.

(ben / a*da*na*da / doğ*dum ↷)
I was born in Adana. (Turkish intransitive, English passive)

GüneĢ altıda doğ-du.

(gü*neş / al*tı*da / doğ*du↷)
The sun rose at six. (intransitive)

Geçen ay bir oğlan doğ-ur-du.

(ge*çen / ay / bir / oğ*lan / do*ğur*du ↷)
She gave birth to a son last month. (transitive)

Ay da doğudan doğ-ar.
(ay / da / do*ğu*dan / do*ğar ↷)
The moon also rises in the east. (intransitive)

dol:

Okul hemen çocuklarla dol-du.

(o*kul / he*men / ço*cuk*lar*la / dol*du ↷)
The school soon filled with children. (intransitive)

Sepetini elmayla dol-dur-du.

(se*pe*ti*ni / el*may*la / dol*dur*du ↷)
She filled her basket with apples. (transitive)

Sepetini bana elmayla dol-durt-tu.

(se*pe*ti*ni / ba*na / el*may*la / dol*durt*tu ↷)
She made me fill her basket with apples. (causative)

(onun) sepeti elma/y/-la doldur-ul-du.

(o*nun / se*pe*ti / el*may*la / dol*du*rul*du ↷)
Her basked was filled with apples. (passive)

Sepet bana dol-durt-ul-du.

(se*pet / ba*na / dol*dur*tul*du ↷)
I was made to fill the basket. (passive causative)

dön:

Tekerlekler yavaĢ yavaĢ dön-üyor.

(te*ker*lek*ler / ya*vaĢ / ya*vaş / dö*nü*yor ↷)
The wheels are turning slowly. (intransitive)

Geri dön.
(ge*ri / dön↷)
Turn back. (intransitive)

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Sağa dön.
(sa*ğa / dön↷ ) (normal): (sa*ğa: ~ / dön↷) (military order)
Turn right. (intransitive)

Sonbaharda yapraklar sarıya dön-er (sararır).

(son*ba*har*da / yap*rak*lar / sa*rı*ya / dö*ner ↷) (sa*ra*rır ↷)
Leaves turn yellow in autumn. (intransitive)

Yüzü kızar-dı.
(yü*zü / kı*zar*dı ↷)
Her face turned red. She was ashamed. (intransitive)

Kasayı açmak için anahtarı çevirdi (döndürdü).

(ka*sa*yı / aç*mak / i*çin / a*nah*ta*rı / çe*vir*di ↷)
He turned the key to open the safe. (transitive)

düĢ:

Kalemim yere düĢ-tü.

(ka*le*mim / ye*re / düş*tü ↷)
My pen fell on the floor. (intransitive)

Kalemimi düĢ-ür-dü-üm.
(ka*le*mi*mi / dü*şür*düm ↷)
I dropped my pencil. (transitive)

Beni düĢ-ür-dü.
(be*ni / dü*şür*dü ↷)
He made me fall down. (causative)

Ağır bavulunu düĢ-ür-dü.

(a*ğır / ba*vu*lu*nu / dü*şür*dü ↷)
He let his heavy bag fall. (transitive)

DüĢ-ür-ül-dü-üm.
(dü*şü*rül*düm ↷)
I was made to fall down. (passive causative)

geç:

Arabalar önümden geç-iyor.

(a*ra*ba*lar / ö*nüm*den / ge*çi*yor ↷)
Cars are passing in front of me. (intransitive)

Sınavı geç-eme-di-im.
(sı*na*vı / ge*çe*me*dim ↷)
I couldn’t pass the exam. (transitive)

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Onlar iyi geç-in-iyor-lar.

(on*lar / i*yi / ge*çi*ni*yor*lar ↷)
They are getting on well with each other. (reflexive)

Önümdeki arabayı geç-ti-im.

(ö*nüm*de*ki / a*ra*ba*yı / geç*tim ↷)
I overtook the car in front of me. (transitive)

gör:
YanlıĢlığı gör-me-di-im.
(yan*lış*lı*ğı / gör*me*dim↷)
I didn’t (notice) see the mistake. (transitive)

Yorgun gör-ün-üyor-/s/un.
(yor*gun / gö*rü*nü*yor*sun↷)
You look tired. (reflexive)

Bu teklif ilginç gör-ün-üyor.

( bu / tek*lif / il*ginç / gö*rü*nü*yor↷)
This proposal sounds interesting. (reflexive)

Ġmkânsız gör-ün-üyor.
(im*kân*sız / gö*rü*nü*yor↷)
It seems impossible. (reflexive)

gül:
Bebek gül-üyor.
(be*bek / gü*lü*yor ↷)
The baby is laughing. (intransitive)

O beni her zaman gül-dür-ür.

(o / be*ni / her*za*man / gül*dü*rür ↷)
She always makes me laugh. (causative)

Gül-dü-rül-dü-üm.
(gül*dü*rül*düm ↷)
I was made to laugh. (passive causative)

Bu sorunlara gül-ün-mez.
(bu / so*run*la*ra / gü*lün*mez ↷)
These are not such problems to laugh at. (passive shaped intransitive)

Kızlar bahçede gül-üĢ-üyor-lar-dı.

(kız*lar / bah*çe*de / gü*lü*şü*yor*lar*dı ↷)
The girls were giggling in the garden. (reciprocal)

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hatırla:

Onun ismini hatırla-ıyor-um.

(o*nun / is*mi*ni / ha*tır*lı*yo*rum ↷)
I remember her name. (transitive)

Karım ıĢıkları kapatmamı hatırlat-tı.

(ka*rım / ı*şık*la*rı / ka*pat*ma*mı / ha*tır*lat*tı ↷)
My wife reminded me to turn the lights off. (transitive)

Bu eski fotograf bana büyükannemi hatırlat-ıyor.

(bu / es*ki / fo*tog*raf / ba*na / bü*yü*kan*ne*mi / ha*tır*la*tı*yor ↷)
This old photograph reminds me of my grandmother. (transitive)

Bu zafer uzun süre hatırla-ın-acak.

(bu / za*fer / u*zun / sü*re / ha*tır*la*na*cak↷ )
This victory will be remembered for a long time. (passive)

hazırla:

Annem öğle yemeğini hazırla-dı.

(an*nem / öğ*le / ye*me*ği*ni / ha*zır*la*dı ↷)
Mother has prepared the lunch. (transitive)

Annem yemeği bana hazırla-ıt-tı.

(an*nem / ye*me*ği / ba*na / ha*zır*lat*tı ↷)
Mother made me prepare the lunch. (causative)

Yemek hazır-lan-dı.
(ye*mek / ha*zır*lan*dı ↷)
The lunch has been prepared. (passive)

Hazırla-ın-ıyor-um.
(ha*zır*la*nı*yo*rum ↷)
I am getting ready. (reflexive) (*I am preparing myself.)

iç:

Annem her sabah bir bardak çay iç-er.

(an*nem / her / sa*bah / bir / bar*dak / çay / i*çer ↷)
Mother drinks a cup of tea every morning. (transitive)

Annem bana her sabah iki bardak süt içir-ir.

(an*nem / ba*na / her / sa*bah / i*ki / bar*dak / süt / i*çi*rir ↷)
Mother makes me drink two cups of milk every morning. (causative)

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Bu su içil-ir.
(bu / su / i*çi*lir ↷ )
This water is drinkable. Literally *(This water is drunk.) (passive)

iĢit:

Ġyi iĢit-e-bil-iyor musun?

(i*yi / i*şi*te*bi*li*yor / mu*sun ↷)
Can you hear well? (intransitive)

Onun Londra’da olduk-u-/n/u iĢit-ti-im.

(o*nun / Lon*dra*da / ol*du*ğu*nu / i*şit*tim ↷)
I heard that he was in London. (transitive)

Onun yalan söylediği hiç iĢit-il-me-di.

(o*nun / ya*lan / söy*le*di*ği / hiç / i*şi*til*me*di ↷)
He has never been heard to tell a lie. (passive)

ısır:

Havlayan köpek ısır-maz.

(hav*la*yan / kö*pek / ı*sır*maz ↷ )
A barking dog never bites. (intransitive) (a proverb)

Senin köpeğin dün bacağımı ısır-dı.

(se*nin / kö*pe*ğin / dün / ba*ca*ğı*mı / ı*sır*dı↷)
Your dog bit my leg yesterday. (transitive)

Kuduz bir köpek tarafından ısır-ıl-dı.

(ku*duz / bir / kö*pek / ta*ra*fın*dan / ı*sı*rıl*dı↷)
She was bitten by a mad dog. (passive)

Beni köpeğine ısırt-tı.

(be*ni / kö*pe*ği*ne / ı*sırt*t ↷)
She made (let) her dog bite me. (causative)

kaç:

Ġki hükümlü hapisten kaç-tı.

(i*ki / hü*küm*lü / ha*pis*ten / kaç*tı ↷)
Two prisoners have escaped from prison. (intransitive)

Ġki kiĢi beĢ yaĢında bir çocuğu kaçır-dı.

(i*ki / ki*şi / beş / ya*şın*da / bir / ço*cu*ğu / ka*çır*dı ↷)
Two men kidnapped a five year old child. (transitive.)

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Herkes genç kadın-ın kaçır-ıl-dık-ı-/n/ı düĢünüyor.

(her*kes~ / genç / ka*dı*nın / ka*çı*rıl*dı*ğı*nı / dü*şü*nü*yor ↷)
Everybody thinks that the young woman has been abducted. (passive)

Çocukları bahçeden kaçırttı.

(ço*cuk*la*rı / bah*çe*den / ka*çırt*tı ↷)
He frightened the children away from the garden. (causative)

Görevini yapmaktan kaç-ın-ma-malı-sın.

(gö*re*vi*ni / yap*mak*tan / ka*çın*ma*ma*lı*sın ↷)
You shouldn’t avoid doing your duty. (reflexive)

Herkes değiĢik yönlere kaç-ıĢ-tı.

(her*kes / de*ği*şik / yön*le*re / ka*çış*tı ↷)
Everybody ran to different directions. (reciprocal)

Aklını kaçır-dı.
(ak*lı*nı / ka*çır*dı ↷)
He went mad. (idiomatic) (transitive)

it:

Beni kenara itti.

(be*ni / ke*na*ra / it*ti ↷)
He pushed me aside. (transitive)

Kenara it-il-di-im.
(ke*na*ra / i*til*dim ↷)
I was pushed aside. (passive)

Arabasını bana it-tir-di.

(a*ra*ba*sı*nı / ba*na / it*tir*di ↷)
She made me push her car. (causative)

Ġt-iĢ-iyor-lar.
(i*ti*şi*yor*lar ↷)
They are pushing each other. (reciprocal)

Beni kim it-ti?

(be*ni / ki↝ mit*ti ↝ )
Who pushed me? (transitive)

kandır:
Adam beni kandır-dı.
(a*dam / be*ni / kan*dır*dı ↷)
The man cheated me. (transitive)

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Kandır-ıl-dım.
(kan*dı*rıl*dım ↷)
I was cheated. (passive)

Beni kandırmaya çalıĢma!

(be*ni / kan*dır*ma*ya /ça*lış*ma ↷)
Don't try to deceive me! (transitive)

kap:

Küçük bir çocuk çantamı kap-tı.

(kü*çük / bir / ço*cuk / çan*ta*mı / kap*tı ↷)
A little boy snatched my handbag. (transitive)

Çantamı kaptır-dı-ım.
(çan*ta*mı / kap*tır*dım ↷)
I had my handbag snatched. (causative)

Çantam kap-ıl-dı.
(çan*tam / ka*pıl*dı ↷) (çan*tam / kap*ıl*dı↷)
My handbag has been snatched. (passive)

kapat:

Kapıyı kapat-tı-ım.
(ka*pı*yı / ka*pat*tım ↷)
I have closed the door. (transitive)

Kapıyı bana kapat-tır-dı.

(ka*pı*yı / ba*na / ka*pat*tır*dı ↷)
She made me close the door. (causative)

Bahçe kapısı hizmetçi tarafından kapat-ıl-dı.

(bah*çe / ka*pı*sı / hiz*met*çi / ta*ra*fın*dan / ka*pa*tıl*dı ↷)
The garden gate was closed by the servant. (passive)

Dükkânlar saat yedide kapa-ın-ır.

(dük*kân*lar / sa*at / ye*di*de / ka*pa*nır ↷)
Shops close at seven p.m. (reflexive) (They close themselves.)

Genç kadın kapa-ın-dı.

(genç / ka*dın / ka*pan*dı ↷)
The young woman veiled herself. (reflexive)

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Hava kapa-ın-dı.
(ha*va / ka*pan*dı↷ )
It has got cloudy. (reflexive)
karĢılaĢ:
Arabasını benim-ki/y/-le karĢılaĢtır-dı.
(a*ra*ba*sı*nı ~ / be*nim*kiy*le / kar*şı*laş*tır*dı ↷)
He compared his car with mine. (transitive)

Öğretmen bana Ġngilizce’yle Fransızca’yı karĢılaĢ-tırt-tı.

(öğ*ret*men / ba*na / in*gi*liz*cey*le~ / fran*sız*ca*yı / kar*şı*laş*tırt*tı ↷)
The techer made me compare English to French. (causative)

Mutluluk-la üzüntü karĢılaĢtır-ıl-amaz.

(mut*lu*luk*la / ü*zün*tü / kar*şı*laş*tı*rı*la*maz ↷)
Happiness and sorrow can’t be compared. (passive)

Onlar sokakta karĢı-laĢ-tı.

(on*lar / so*kak*ta / kar*şı*laş*tı ↷)
They came across in the street. (reciprocal)

kaĢı:

BaĢını kaĢı-dı.
( ba*şı*nı / ka*şı*dı ↷)
He scratched his head. (transitive)

Sırtını karısına kaĢıt-tı.

(sır*tı*nı / ka*rı*sı*na / ka*şıt*tı ↷)
He got his wife to scratch his back. (causative)

Sırtım kaĢı-ın-ıyor.
(sır*tım / ka*şı*nı*yor ↷)
My back is itching. (intransitive)

Köpek kaĢı-ın-ıyor.
(kö*pek / ka*şı*nı*yor ↷)
The dog is scratching. (reflexive) (It is scratching itself.)

kır:

Vazoyu sen kır-dı-ın, değil mi?

(va*zo*yu / sen / kır*dın ↷ / de*ğil↝ / mi↷)
You broke the vase, didn’t you? (transitive)

Vazo dün kır-ıl-dı.

(va*zo / dün / kı*rıl*dı↷)
The vase was broken yesterday. (passive)

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Sen beni kır-dı-ın.

(sen / be*ni / kır*dın ↷)
You hurt my feelings. You refused me. (transitive)

Kalbimi kır-dı-ın.
(kâl*bi*mi / kır*dın↷ )
You broke my heart. (transitive)

Kır-ıl-dı-ım.
(kı*rıl*dım ↷)
I was hurt. (passive)

Tahta kutuyu bana kır-dır-dı.

(tah*ta / ku*tu*yu / ba*na / kır*dır*dı ↷)
She made me break the wooden box. (causative)

kız:

O bana kız-dı.
(o / ba*na / kız*dı ↷)
He got angry with me. (intransitive)

O beni kızdır-dı.
(o / be*ni / kız*dır*dı ↷)
He made me angry. (transitive.)

O kızdır-ıl-dı.
(kız*dı*rıl*dı ↷)
He was made angry. He was irritated. (passive)

Buna kızıl-maz.
(bu*na / kı*zıl*maz ↷)
This is not a matter to be angry at. (passive shaped intransitive)

kızar:

Balıklar kızar-ıyor.
(ba*lık*lar / kı*za*rı*yor↷)
The fish are frying. (intransitive)

Balık kızart-ıyor.
(ba*lık / kı*zar*tı*yor ↷)
She is frying fish. (transitive)

Bütün balıkları bana kızarttı.

(bü*tün / ba*lık*la*rı / ba*na / kı*zart*tı↷)
She made me fry all the fish. (causative)

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

Tüm balıklar kızart-ıl-dı.

(tüm / ba*lık*lar / kı*zar*tıl*dı ↷)
All the fish have been fried. (passive)

Yüzü kızar-dı.
(yü*zü / kı*zar*dı ↷)
Her face reddened. She blushed with shame.(intransitive)

kok:

Bu balık bayat kok-uyor.

(bu / ba*lık / ba*yat / ko*ku*yor↷)
This fish smells stale. (intransitive)

Bu ekmek dilimi sarımsak kokuyor.

(bu / ek*mek / di*li*mi / sa*rım*sak / ko*ku*yor↷)
This slice of bread smells of garlic. (intransitive)

Her sabah güllerini kokla-ır.

(her / sa*bah / gül*le*ri*ni / kok*lar↷)
She smells her roses every morning. (transitive)

Bana yeni parfümünü koklat-tı.

(ba*na / ye*ni / par*fü*mü*nü / kok*lat*tı↷)
She made me smell her new perfume. (causative)

KoklaĢ-ıyor-lar.
(kok*la*şı*yor*lar↷)
They are smelling each other. (reciprocal)

Bu balık kok-uĢ-muĢ.
(bu / ba*lık / ko*kuş*muş↷)
This fish smells rotten. (reciprocal) (astonishment)

konuĢ:
Onunla yarın konuĢ-acak-ım.
(o*nun*la / ya*rın / ko*nu*şa*ca*ğım↷)
I’ll talk (speak) to him tomorrow. (intransitive)

Polis onu konuĢ-tur-abil-ir.

(po*lis / o*nu / ko*nuş*tu*ra*bi*lir↷)
The police can make him talk. (causative)

O, iki dil konuĢ-ur.

(o / i*ki / dil / ko*nu*şur ↷)
She speaks two languages. (transitive)

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

Türkiye’de Türkçe konuĢ-ul ur.

(tür*ki*ye*de / türk*çe / ko*nu*şu*lur ↷)
Turkish is spoken in Turkey. (passive)

kop:
Ġp kop-tu.
(ip / kop*tu↷)
The rope broke. (intransitive)

Ağacın bir dalını kop-ar-dı.

(a*ğa*cın / bir / da*lı*nı / ko*par*dı ↷)
He broke a branch off the tree. (transitive)

Ağacın dallarından birini bana kopart-tı.

(a*ğa*cın / dal*la*rın*dan / bi*ri*ni ~/ ba*na / ko*part*tı↷)
He made me break off one of the branches of the tree. (causative)

koĢ:
Bazı çocuklar okula koĢ-uyor.
(ba:*zı / ço*cuk*lar / o*ku*la / ko*şu*yor↷)
Some children are running to school. (intransitive)

Atını dörtnal koĢ-tur-du.

(a*tı*nı / dört*nal / koş*tur*du↷)
He made his horse run at a gallop. (causative)

Atı dörtnal koĢ-tur-ul-du.

(a*tı / dört*nal / koş*tu*rul*du↷)
His horse was made to run at a gallop. (passive causative)

Çocuklar bahçede koĢ-uĢ-uyor-lar.

(ço*cuk*lar / bah*çe*de / ko*şu*şu*yor*lar ↷)
The children are running about in the garden. (reciprocal)

Bu tarlada koĢ-ul-maz.
(bu / tar*la*da / ko*şul*maz ↷)
It is impossible to run in this field. (passive shaped intransitive)

kuru:
Çiçeklerimden bazıları kuru-du.
(çi*çek*le*rim*den / ba:*zı*la*rı / ku*ru*du↷)
Some of my flowers dried. (intransitive)

Yazın bazı nehirler kuru-ur.

(ya*zın / ba:*zı / ne*hir*ler / ku*rur↷)
Some rivers dry up in summer. (intransitive)

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

Kızgın güneĢ çiçeklerimi kurut-tu.

(kız*gın / gü*neş / çi*çek*le*ri*mi / ku*rut*tu↷ )
The hot sun dried my flowers. (transitive)

Saçını bana kurut-tu.

(sa*çı*nı / ba*na / ku*rut*tu↷ )
She got me to dry her hair. (causative)

Islak ceketin kurut-ul-du.

(ıs*lak / ce*ke*tin / ku*ru*tul*du↷)
Your wet coat has been dried. (passive)

oku:
Osman’ın babası gazetesini oku-uyor.
(os*ma*nın / ba*ba*sı / ga*ze*te*si*ni / o*ku*yor↷)
Osman’s father is reading his newspaper. (transitive)

Mektubu bana okut-tu.

(mek*tu*bu / ba*na / o*kut*tu↷)
He made me read the letter. (causative)

Bütün hikâye bana okut-ul-du.

(bü*tün / hi*kâ:*ye / ba*na / o*ku*tul*du↷)
I was made to read all the story. (passive causative)

ġu ana kadar on sayfa oku-un-du.

(şu / a:*na / ka*dar / on / say*fa / o*kun*du↷)
Ten pages have been read until now. (passive)

onar:
Muslukçu sızan bir boruyu onar-ıyor.
(mus*luk*çu / sı*zan / bir / bo*ru*yu / o*na*rı*yor ↷)
The plumber is repairing (fixing) a leaking pipe. (transitive)

Bu sızan boruyu onart-malı-sın.

(bu / sı*zan / bo*ru*yu / o*nart*ma*lı*sın↷)
You must have this leaking pipe repaired. (causative)

Arabam henüz onar-ıl-ma-dı.

(a*ra*bam / he*nüz / o*na*rıl*ma*dı↷)
My car hasn’t been repaired yet. (passive)

Annem kırık vazoyu bana onart-tı.

(an*nem / kı*rık / va*zo*yu / ba*na / o*nart*tı↷)
Mother made me fix the broken vase. (causative)

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otur:

Onlar bir bankta otur-uyor-lar.

(on*lar / bir / bank*ta / o*tu*ru*yor*lar ↷)
They are sitting on a bench. (intransitive)

Küçük çocuğu masaya oturt-tu.

(kü*çük / ço*cu*ğu / ma*sa*ya / o*turt*tu↷)
He made (helped) the little boy sit on the table. (causative)

O, köĢeye oturt-ul-du.
(o~/ kö*şe*ye / o*tur*tul*du↷)
He was made to sit in the corner. (passive causative).

Hâlâ otur-uĢ-uyor-/s/unuz.
(hâ:*lâ: / o*tu*ru*şu*yor*su*nuz↷)
You are still sitting and doing nothing. (reciprocal)

O, Kadıköy’de otur-uyor.
(o ~/ ka*dı*köy*de / o*tu*ru*yor↷)
He lives in Kadıköy. (intransitive)

Bu evde otur-ul-maz.
(bu /ev*de / o*tu*rul*maz↷)
It is impossible to live in this house. (passive shaped intransitive)

oyna:

Çocuklar bahçede basketbol oyna-uyor-lar.

(ço*cuk*lar / bah*çe*de / bas*ket*bol / oy*nu*yor*lar↷)
The children are playing basketball in the garden. (transitive)

Koç onu maçta oynat-ma-dı.

(koç / o*nu / maç*ta / oy*nat*ma*dı↷)
The coach didn’t let him play in the match. (causative)

O maçta oynat-ıl-ma-dı.
(o~ / maç*ta / oy*na*tıl*ma*dı↷)
He wasn’t allowed to play in the match. (passive causative)

Onlar oyna-ıĢ-ıyor-lar.
(on*lar / oy*na*şı*yor*lar↷)
They are carrying on a love affair. (reciprocal)

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

Sahnede oyna-uyor.
(sah*ne*de / oy*nu*yor↷)
She is belly dancing on the stage. (intransitive)

Öğrenciler bir piyes oynamaya karar verdiler.

(öğ*ren*ci*ler / bir / pi*yes / oy*na*ma*ya / ka*rar / ver*di*ler↷)
The students decided to perform a play. (transitive)

Bu sahada futbol oyna-ın-maz.

(bu / sa:*ha*da / fut*bol / oy*nan*maz↷)
Football can’t be played on this field. (passive)

öl:
O, 1920’de öl-dü.
(o~/ bin / do*kuz / yüz / yir*mi*de / öl*dü↷)
He died in 1920. (intransitive)

Onu yanlıĢlıkla öl-dür-dü.

(o*nu / yan*lış*lık*la / öl*dür*dü↷)
He killed him by mistake. (transitive)

Onu ona öldürt-tü.

(o*nu~ / o*na / öl*dürt*tü↷)
She made him kill her. (causative)

O, ona öldürt-ül-dü.
(o~/ o*na / öl*dür*tül*dü↷)
He was made to kill her. (passive causative)

Vatan için öl-ün-ür.

(va*tan / i*çin / ö*lü*nür↷)
One can sacrifice himself for his country. (reflexive)

ört:

Koltukları tozdan korumak için ört-tü.

(kol*tuk*la*rı / toz*dan / ko*ru*mak / i*çin / ört*tü↷)
She covered the armchairs to protect them from dust. (transitive)

Mobilyayı bana ört-tür-dü.

(mo*bil*ya*yı / ba*na / ört*tür*dü↷)
She made me cover the furniture. (causative)

Duvarlar boyanmadan önce bütün mobilya örtül-müĢ-tü.

(du*var*lar / bo*yan*ma*dan / ön*ce~/ bü*tün / mo*bil*ya / ör*tül*müş*tü↷)
All the furniture had been covered before the walls were painted. (passive)

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

Beni görünce örtün-dü.

(be*ni / gö*rün*ce / ör*tün*dü↷)
She put on her scarf when she saw me.
She covered her head with a scarf when she saw me. (reflexive)

öt:
KuĢlar öter.
(kuş*la*rö*ter↷) (kuĢ*lar / ö*ter↷) (intransitive)
Birds sing.

Hakem düdüğünü öt-tür-dü (çal*dı).

(ha*kem / dü*dü*ğü*nü / çal*dı↷)
The referee blew his whistle. (transitive)

O güzel Ģarkı söyle-ir.

( o / gü*zel / Ģar*kı / söy*ler↷)
She sings beautifully. (Turkish transitive; English intransitive).

Düdük-üm-ü öt-türt-tü.
(dü*dü*ğü*mü / öt*türt*tü↷)
He made (let) me blow my whistle. (causative)

Düdük cal-ın-dı.
(dü*dük / ça*lın*dı↷)
The whistle has been blown. (passive)

KuĢlar öt-üĢ-üyor.
(kuĢ*lar / ö*tü*şü*yor↷)
The birds are singing. (reciprocal)

Horozlar öt-üyor.
(ho*roz*lar / ö*tü*yor↷)
The roosters are crowing. (intransitive)

öv:
O beni öv-dü.
(o / be*ni / öv*dü↷)
He praised me. (transitive)

O kız kardeĢini bana övdürt-tü.

(o~/ kız*kar*de*şi*ni / ba*na / öv*dürt*tü↷)
He made me praise his sister. (causative)

O kardeĢi tarafından çok öv-ül-ür.

(o~ / kız*kar*de*şi / ta*ra*fın*dan / çok / ö*vü*lür↷)
He is praised a lot by his sister. (passive)

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

Boyuna öv-ün-üyor.
(o / bo*yu*na / ö*vü*nü*yor↷)
He is always boasting. (reflexive) (He is praising himself.)

patla:

Bir su borusu patla-dı ve ev su/y/-la dol-du.

(bir / su / bo*ru*su / pat*la*dı~/ ve / ev / suy*la / dol*du↷)
A water pipe burst and the house filled with water. (intransitive)

Bir bomba patla-dı.

(bir / bom*ba / pat*la*dı↷)
A bomb exploded. (intransitive)

Bir bomba patlat-tı-lar.

(bir / bom*ba / pat*lat*tı*lar↷)
They exploded a bomb. (transitive)

Bombayı, ona patlat-tır-dı-lar.

(bom*ba*yı / o*na / pat*lat*tır*dı*lar↷)
They made him explode the bomb. (causative)

Bomba ona patlat-tır-ıl-dı.

(bom*ba / o*na / pat*lat*tı*rıl*dı↷)
He was made to explode the bomb. (passive causative)

Bomba onun tarafından patlat-ıl-dı.

(bom*ba / o*nun / ta*ra*fın*dan / pat*la*tıl*dı↷)
The bomb was exploded by him. (passive)

piĢ:

Yemek piĢ-iyor.
(ye*mek / pi*şi*yor↷)
The meal is cooking. (intransitive)

Annem mutfakta yemek piĢ-ir-iyor.

(an*nem / mut*fak*ta / ye*mek / pi*şi*ri*yor↷)
Mother is cooking in the kitchen. (Turkish transitive; English intransitive.)

Annem mutfakta bana yemek piĢirt-ti.

(an*nem~ / mut*fak*ta / ba*na / ye*mek / pi*şirt*ti↷)
Mother made me cook in the kitchen. (causative)

Yemek piĢ-ir-il-iyor.
(ye*mek / pi*şi*ri*li*yor↷) (ye*mek / pi*şi*ri*li*yor↷)
The meal is being cooked. (passive)

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

sakla:

Çocuk, oyuncaklarını dolabın arkasına sakla-dı.

(ço*cuk / o*yun*cak*la*rı*nı / do*la*bın / ar*ka*sı*na / sak*la*dı↷)
The boy hid his toys behind the cupboard. (transitive)

Jack, yırtık gömleğini bana saklat-tı.

(jack~ / yır*tık / göm*le*ği*ni / ba*na / sak*lat*tı↷)
Jack made me hide his torn shirt. (causative)

CalınmıĢ mallar bir mağaraya sakla-ın-dı.

(ça*lın*mış / mal*lar / bir / ma*ğa*ra*ya / sak*lan*dı↷)
The stolen goods were hidden in a cave. (passive)

Kedi koltuğun arkasına sakla-ın-dı.

(ke*di / kol*tu*ğun / ar*ka*sı*na / sak*lan*dı↷)
The cat hid behind the armchair. (reflexive) (It hid itself.)

sark:
Duvardan sark-tı.
(du*var*dan / sark*tı↷)
He hung down the wall. (intransitive)

Sepeti pencereden sarkıt- tı.

(se*pe*ti / pen*ce*re*den / sar*kıt*tı↷)
He let the basket hang down the window.
(Turkish transitive, English causative)

Sepeti bana pencereden sarkıt-tır-dı.

(se*pe*ti / ba*na / pen*ce*re*den / sar*kıt*tır*dı↷)
He made me hang down the basket from the window. (causative)

Sepet pencereden sarkıt-ıl-dı.

(se*pet / pen*ce*re*den / sar*kı*tıl*dı↷)
The basket was allowed to hang down the window. (passive)

sars:
Patlama yeri sars-tı.
(pat*la*ma / ye*ri / sars*tı↷)
The explosion shook the ground. (transitive)

Yer sars-ıl-dı.
(yer / sar*sıl*dı↷)
The ground was shaken. (Turkish passive or reflexive)

sat:

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

Eski arabasını sat-tı.

(es*ki / a*ra*ba*sı*nı / sat*tı↷)
He has sold his old car. (transitive)

Eski arabasını bana sattır-dı.

(es*ki / a*ra*ba*sı*nı / ba*na / sat*tır*dı↷)
He made me sell his old car. (causative)

(Benim) eski arabam sat-ıl-dı.

(es*ki / a*ra*bam / sa*tıl*dı↷)
My old car has been sold. (passive)

sev:

Sen beni sev-me-iyor-sun.

(sen / be*ni / sev*mi*yor*sun↷)
You don’t love me. (transitive)

O bana kendisini sev-dir-di.

(o / ba*na / ken*di*si*ni / sev*dir*di↷)
She made me love her. (causative)

O herkes tarafından sev-il-ir.

(o / her*kes / ta*ra*fın*dan / se*vi*lir↷)
She is loved by everybody. (passive)

Hepimiz sev-in-di-ik. Hepimiz mutlu olduk.

(he*pi*miz / se*vin*dik↷)
We all became happy. (reflexive).

Onlar sev-iĢ-iyor-lar.
(on*lar / se*vi*şi*yor*lar↷)
They are in love with each other. (They are carrying on a love affair.) (reciprocal)

seyret:

Boyuna televizyon seyrediyor.

(bo*yu*na / te*le*viz*yon / sey*re*di*yor↷)
She is always watching television . (transitive) (complaint)

Annem bana televizyon seyret-tir-me-iyor.

(an*nem / ba*na~ / te*le*viz*yon / sey*ret*tir*mi*yor↷)
Mother doesn’t let me watch TV. (causative) (complaint)

Böyle televizyon programları seyret-il-me-meli.

(böy*le / te*le*viz*yon / prog*ram*la*rı / sey*re*dil*me*me*li↷)
Such TV programs shouldn’t be watched. (passive) (advice)

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

Böyle televizyon programları çocuklara seyret-tir-il-me-meli.

(böy*le / te*le*viz*yon / prog*ram*la*rı / ço*cuk*la*ra / sey*ret*ti*ril*me*me*li↷)
Children shouldn’t be allowed to watch such TV programs. (passive)

Bazı televizyon programları seyretmeye değmez.

(ba*zı / te*le*viz*yon / prog*ram*la*rı / sey*ret*me*ye / değ*mez↷)
Some TV programs are not worth watching.

sinirlen:

Onun söylediklerini iĢitince sinirlen-di-im.

(o*nun / söy*le*dik*le*ri*ni / i*şi*tin*ce / si*nir*len*dim↷)
I got mad when I heard what he said. (intransitive)

Kız kardeĢim beni sinirlen-dir-di.

(kız*kar*de*şim / be*ni / si*nir*len*dir*di↷)
My sister made me mad. (transitive)

Sinirlen-dir-il-di-im.
(si*nir*len*di*ril*dim↷)
I was irritated. (passive)

soğu:

Hava soğu-du.
(ha*va / so*ğu*du↷)
It became (turned) cold. (intransitive)

Ġçmeden önce limonatanı soğut.

(iç*me*den / ön*ce / li*mo*na*ta*nı / so*ğut↷)
Cool your lemonade before you drink it. (transitive)

Soğu-du-um.
(so*ğu*dum↷)
I have lost my interest or desire. (intransitive)

soy:

Patates soy-uyor.
(pa*ta*tes / so*yu*yor↷)
She is peeling potatoes. (transitive)

Elmalar soy-ul-uyor.
(el*ma*lar / so*yu*lu*yor↷)
The apples are being peeled. ( passive)

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

Patatesleri hep bana soy-dur-uyor.

(pa*ta*tes*le*ri / hep / ba*na / soy*du*ru*yor↷)
She is always making me peel the potatoes. (causative) (complaint)

Banyo yaptırmak için bebeğini soy-du.

(ban*yo / yap*tır*mak / i*çin / be*be*ği*ni / soy*du↷)
She undressed her baby to bath him. (transitive)

Dün gece bir banka soy-du-lar.

(dün / ge*ce / bir / ban*ka / soy*du*lar↷)
They robbed a bank last night. (transitive)

Dün gece bir banka soy-ul-du.

(dün / ge*ce / bir / ban*ka / so*yul*du↷)
A bank was robbed last night. (passive)

Soy-un-uyor.
(so*yu*nu*yor↷)
She is undressing. (reflexive)

söyle:
(O) bana bir Ģey söyle-me-di.
(ba*na / bir / şey / söy*le*me*di↷) (ba*na / bi*şey / söy*le*me*di↷)
He didn’t tell me anything. (transitive)

Ne istediğini bana söyle.

(ne / is*te*di*ği*ni / ba*na / söy*le↷)
Tell me what you want. (transitive)

Ona herĢeyi söylet-ti-ler.

(o*na / her*Ģe*yi / söy*let*ti*ler↷)
They made him tell everything. (causative)

Böyle Ģeyler söyle-in-mez.

(böy*le / şey*ler /söy*len*mez↷)
Such things are never mentioned. (passive)

O boyuna söyle-in-iyor (homurdan-ıyor).

(o / bo*yu*na / söy*le*ni*yor↷)
He is always grumbling. (reflexive) (*He is talking to himself.)

Ona, onu bil-dik-i-/n/i söyle-di.

(o*na / o*nu / bil*di*ği*ni / söy*le*di↷)
He told him that he knew it. (transitive)
(The /k/ changes into /ğ/, and the /n/ glide is inserted between the succes-
sive /i/ vowels.)

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

Polis ona herĢeyi söylet-ti.

(po*lis / o*na / her*şe*yi / söy*let*ti↷)
The police made him tell everything. (causative)

Ona herĢey söylet-il-di.

(o*na / her*şey / söy*le*til*di↷)
He was made to tell everything. (passive causative)

Bana herĢey söyle-in-di.

(ba*na / her*şey / söy*len*di↷)
I was told everything. (passive)

sus:

Sus-tu.
(sus*tu↷)
He stopped talking or crying. (intransitive)

Öğretmen öğrencileri sus-tur-du.

(öğ*ret*men / öğ*ren*ci*le*ri / sus*tur*du↷)
The teacher made the students stop talking. (causative)

O sus-tur-ul-du.
(o / sus*tu*rul*du↷)
He was made to stop talking or writing. (passive causative)

Bu köpek havlamadan duramaz.

(bu / kö*pek / hav*la*ma*dan / du*ra*maz↷)
This dog never stops barking.

Sus-ma-ya-cak-ım. Susmıycam.
(sus*mı*ya*ca*ğım↷) (sus*mıy*cam↷)
I won’t stop talkıng. (refusal)

süpür:

Kuru yaprakları bahçeden süpür-dü-üm.

(ku*ru / yap*rak*la*rı / bah*çe*den / sü*pür*düm↷)
I have swept the dry leaves out of the garden. (transitive)

Annem bahçeyi bana süpürt-tü.

(an*nem / bah*çe*yi / ba*na / sü*pürt*tü↷)
Mother made me sweep the garden. (causative)

Oturma odası henüz süpür-ül-me-di.

(o*tur*ma / o*da*sı / he*nüz / sü*pü*rül*me*di↷)
The living room hasn’t been swept yet. (passive)

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sür:
O arabasını dikkatli sür-er.
(o~ / a*ra*ba*sı*nı / dik*kat*li / sü*rer↷)
She drives her car carefully. (transitive)

Ben tarlamı sonbaharda sür-dür-ür-üm.

(ben / tar*la*mı ~/ son*ba*har*da / sür*dü*rü*rüm↷)
I have my field ploughed in autumn. (causative)

Tarlalar kıĢın sür-ül-mez.

(tar*la*lar / kı*şın / sü*rül*mez↷)
Fields aren’t ploughed in winter. (passive)

süsle:
Çocuklar Christmas için oturma odasını süsle-di.
(ço*cuk*lar / kris*mas / i*çin / o*tur*ma / o*da*sı*nı / süs*le*di↷)
The children decorated the sitting room for Christmas. (transitive)

Oda süsle-in-iyor (dekore ediliyor).

(o*da / süs*le*ni*yor↷)
The room is being decorated. (passive)

Yeni evimizi dekore ettireceğiz.

(ye*ni / e*vi*mi*zi / de*ko*re / et*ti*re*ce*ğiz↷)
We are going to have our new house decorated. (causative)

Süsle-in-iyor.
(süs*le*ni*yor↷)
She is putting on her best dress and doing her make-up. (reflexive)

ĢaĢ:
Onun söylediği söze ĢaĢ-tı-ım.
(o*nun / söy*le*di*ği / sö*ze / şaş*tım↷)
I was astonished by what he said. (Turkish is intransitive; English is pas-
sive.)

ĢaĢırt:

Söylediği söz beni ĢaĢırt-tı.

(söy*le*di*ği / söz / be*ni / şa*şırt*tı↷)
What he said surprised me. (transitive)

Sınavda sorulan sorular beni ĢaĢırt-tı.

(sı*nav*da / so*ru*lan / so*ru*lar / be*ni / şa*şırt*tı↷)
The questions asked in the exam confused me. (transitive.)

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

ġaĢırt-ıl-dı-ım.
(şa*şır*tıl*dım↷)
I was confused. (passive)

tara:

Saçını tara-ıyor.
(sa*çı*nı / ta*rı*yor↷)
She is combing her hair. (transitive)

Saçını annesine tarat-tı.

(sa*çı*nı / an*ne*si*ne / ta*rat*tı↷)
She got her mother to comb her hair. (causative)

Saçı tara-ın-ıyor.
(sa*çı / ta*ra*nı*yor↷)
Her hair is being combed. (passive)

Tara-ın-ıyor.
(ta*ra*nı*yor↷)
She is combing herself. (reflexive)

tart:

YaĢlı adam uyanır uyanmaz altınlarını tarttı.

(yaĢ*lı / a*dam / u*ya*nır / u*yan*maz ~/ al*tın*la*rı*nı / tart*tı↷)
The old man weighed his gold coins as soon as he woke up.

ġunları tarttır.
(şun*la*rı / tart*tır↷)
Have these things weighed.

TartıĢıyorlar.
(tar*tı*şı*yor*lar↷)
They are discussing. They are having a row. (reciprocal)

taĢ:

Nehir taĢ-tı.
(ne*hir / taş*tı↷)
The river overflowed. (intransitive)

Süt taĢ-tı.
(süt / taş*tı↷)
The milk boiled over. (intransitive)

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Sütü taĢ-ır-ma.
(sü*tü / ta*şır*ma↷)
Don’t let the milk boil over. (causative)

taĢı:

Bazı böcekler hastalık taĢı-ır.

(ba*zı / bö*cek*ler / has*ta*lık / ta*şır↷)
Some insects carry disease. (transitive)

Bebeğini bana taĢıt-tı.

(be*be*ği*ni / ba*na / ta*şıt*tı↷)
She made me carry her baby. (causative)

Ağır yükler kamyonla taĢın-ır.

(a*ğır / yük*ler / kam*yon*la / ta*şı*nır↷)
Heavy loads are carried by lorries. (passive)

TaĢı-ın-ıyor-uz.
(ta*şı*nı*yo*ruz↷)
We are moving house. (reflexive) (*We are carrying ourselves.)

temizle:
Annem buzdolabını temizle-iyor.
(an*nem / buz*do*la*bı*nı / te*miz*li*yor↷)
Mother is cleaning the refrigerator. (transitive)

Annem evi temiz-let-ecek.

(an*nem / e*vi / te*miz*le*te*cek↷)
Mother is going to have the house cleaned. (causative)

Sınıf temizle-in-iyor.
(sı*nıf / te*miz*le*ni*yor↷)
The classroom is being cleaned. (passive)

tercih et:

Kızım, televizyon seyretmeyi ödev yapmaya tercih eder.

(kı*zım~ / te*le*viz*yon / sey*ret*me*yi ~ / ö*dev / yap*ma*ya /
ter*ci:*he*der↷)
My daughter prefers watching TV to doing her homework.

Genellikle kalabalık Ģehirlerde küçük arabalar tercih ed-il-ir.

(ge*nel*lik*le / ka*la*ba*lık / Ģe*hir*ler*de / kü*çük / a*ra*ba*lar /
ter*ci:*he*di*lir↷)
Compact cars are generally preferred in crowded cities. (passive)

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

unut:
IĢıkları söndürmeyi unut-ma.
(ı*şık*la*rı / sön*dür*me*yi / u*nut*ma↷)
Don’t forget to turn off the lights. (transitive)

Mektubu atmayı unut-tu.

(mek*tu*bu / at*ma*yı /u*nut*tu↷)
He forgot to post the letter. (transitive)

Ġlacını aldığını unut-tu.

(i*lâ*cı*nı / al*dı*ğı*nı / u*nut*tu↷)
He forgot taking his medicine. (transitive)

Mutlu günler hiç unut-ul-maz.

(mut*lu / gün*ler / hiç / u*nu*tul*maz↷)
Happy days are never forgotten. (passive)

Bana onun doğum gününü unut-tur-ma.

(ba*na~ / o*nun / do*ğum / gü*nü*nü / u*nut*tur*ma↷)
Don’t let me forget her birthday. (causative)

uy:
Bu ceket bana uy-ma-uyor.
(bu / ce*ket / ba*na / uy*mu*yor↷)
This coat doesn’t fit (become) me. (transitive)

Gömleğin sana iyi uy-uyor (yakıĢıyor).

(göm*le*ğin / sa*na / i*yi / u*yu*yor↷)
Your shirt fits ( becomes) you well. (intransitive)

uyu:
MıĢıl mıĢıl uyu-uyor.
(mı*şıl / mı*şıl / u*yu*yor↷)
She is sleeping soundly. (intransitive)

Bir saattir uyu-uyor.

(bir / sa*at*tir / u*yu*yor↷)
He has been sleeping for an hour. (intransitive)

Bebeği yarım saat önce uyut-tu-um.

(be*be*ği / ya*rım / sa*at / ön*ce / u*yut*tum↷)
I had the baby sleep half an hour ago. (causative)

Bebek daha yeni uyut-ul-du.

(be*bek / da*ha / ye*ni* / u*yu*tul*du↷)
The baby has just been made to sleep. (passive causative)

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Bu gürültüde uyu-un-maz.
(bu / gü*rül*tü*de ~/ u*yun*maz↷)
It is impossible to sleep in such a noise. (reflexive)

Saat 11’de uyudum.

(sa*at / on*bir*de / u*yu*dum↷)
I fell asleep at 11. (intransitive)

Daha uyu-ma-dı.
(da*ha / u*yu*ma*dı↷)
He hasn’t fallen asleep yet.

ütüle:

Pantalonumu ütüle-di-in mi?

(pan*to*lo*nu*mu / ü*tü*le*din / mi↷)
Have you ironed my trousers? (transitive)

Sabahtan beri ütü yapıyor.

(sa*bah*tan / be*ri / ü*tü / ya*pı*yor↷)
She has been ironing since morning. (Turkish is transitive, English is intran-
sitive.)

Giysilerini hep kızkardeĢine ütület-iyor.

(giy*si*le*ri*ni / hep / kız*kar*de*şi*ne / ü*tü*le*ti*yor↷)
He is always making his sister iron his clothes. (causative) (complaint)

Gömleklerin ütüle-in-iyor.
(göm*lek*le*rin / ü*tü*le*ni*yor↷)
Your shirts are being ironed. (passive)

üz:

ĠĢittiğim sözler beni üz-dü.

(i*şit*ti*ğim / söz*ler / be*ni / üz*dü↷)
What I heard made me sorry. (transitive)

Üz-ül-dü-üm.
(ü*zül*düm↷)
I felt sorry. (reflexive)

Üz-ül-me.
(ü*zül*me↷)
Don’t worry. (Don’t feel sorry.) (reflexive)

yakala:

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

Kaleci topu yakaladı.

(ka*le*ci / to*pu / ya*ka*la*dı↷)
The goal-keeper caught the ball. (transitive)

Sonunda tavĢan yakala-ın-dı.

(so*nun*da / tav*şan / ya*ka*lan*dı↷)
The rabbit was caught at last. (passive)

Öğretmen beni kopya yap-ar-ken yakala-dı.

(öğ*ret*men / be*ni / kop*ya / ya*par*ken / ya*ka*la*dı↷)
The teacher caught me cheating. (transitive)

Halk hırsızı polise yakalat-tı.

(halk~/ hır*sı*zı / po*li*se / ya*ka*lat*tı↷)
The people had (helped) the police catch the thief. (causative)

yan:

Kuru odun kolay yanar.

(ku*ru / o*dun / ko*lay / ya*nar↷)
Dry wood burns easily. (intransitive)

Mutfakta yemek piĢir-ir-ken parmaklarını yak-tı.

(mut*fak*ta / ye*mek / pi*şi*rir*ken~ / par*mak*la*rı*nı / yak*tı↷
She burnt her fingers while cooking in the kitchen (transitive)

Tepede bir ateĢ yak-tı-lar.

(te*pe*de / bir / a*teş / yak*tı*lar↷)
They lit a fire on the hill. (transitive)

Annem mumları bana yaktır-dı.

(an*nem / mum*la*rı / ba*na / yak*tır*dı↷)
Mother had me light the candles. (causative)

Yak-ın-ıyor.
(ya*kı*nı*yor↷)
She is complaining. (reflexive)

yapıĢ:
Zarfa pul yapıĢ-tır-ma-/y/ı unuttum.
(zar*fa / pul / ya*pış*tır*ma*yı / u*nut*tum↷)
I forgot to stick a stamp on the envelope. (transitive)

Bu pul yapıĢ-ma-ıyor.
(bu / pul / ya*pış*mı*yor↷)
This stamp doesn’t stick. (intransitive)

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

Anne-im bana yatak oda-ım-ın kapı-/s/ı-/n/a bir uyarı yapıĢtırt-tı.

(an*nem / ba*na~/ ya*tak / o*da*mın / ka*pı*sı*na / bir / u*ya*rı
/ya*pış*tırt*tı↷)
Mother made me stick a notice on my bedroom door. (causative)

Duvarlara birĢey yapıĢ-tır-ıl-ma-sın.

(du*var*la*ra / bir*şey / ya*pış*tı*rıl*ma*sın↷)
Nothing should be stuck on the walls. (passive)

yat:

Saat 11’de yat-tı-ım.

(sa*at / on*bir*de / yat*tım↷)
I went to bed at 11 p.m. (intransitive)

Anneleri onları saat 10’da yat-ır-ır.

(an*ne*le*ri / on*la*rı / sa*at / on*da / ya*tı*rır↷)
Their mother makes them go to bed at 10 p.m. (causative)

Bebeği yatağına yatır-dı.

(be*be*ği / ya*ta*ğı*na / ya*tır*dı↷)
She laid the baby in her bed. (transitive)

Onu gördüğümde yerde yat-ıyor-du.

(o*nu / gör*dü*ğüm*de~ / yer*de / ya*tı*yor*du↷)
When I saw her, she was lying on the floor. (intransitive)

Yorgun-um. Yat-malı-yım.
(yor*gu*num↷) (yat*ma*lı*yım↷)
I am tired. I must lie down. (intransitive)

yaz:

Mary bir mektup yaz-ıyor.

(ma*ry / bir / mek*tup / ya*zı*yor↷)
Mary is writing a letter. (transitive)

Öğrertmen sınavda bize bir kompozisyon yaz-dır-dı.

(öğ*ret*men / bi*ze / sı*nav*da / bir / kom*po*zis*yon / yaz*dır*dı↷)
The teacher made us write a composition in the examination. (causative)

Mektup yaz-ıl-dı bile.

(mek*tup / ya*zıl*dı / bi*le↷)
The letter has already been written. (passive)

ye:

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

Saat kaçta akĢam yemeği ye-ir-siniz?

(sa*at / kaç*ta↝ / ak*şam / ye*me*ği / yer*si*niz↝ )
What time do you eat dinner? (transitive)
Bebeği ye-dir-iyor.
(be*be*ği / ye*di*ri*yor↷)
She is feeding the baby. (transitive)
Bu hamburger yen-(il)-mez.
(bu / ham*bur*ger / yen*mez↷)
This hamburger is not edible. (passive) (It can’t be eaten.)
AkĢam yemeği yen(il)-iyor.
(ak*şam / ye*me*ği / ye*ni*yor↷)
Dinner is being eaten. (passive)

Annem bana iki tabak sebze ye-dir-di.

(an*nem / ba*na / i*ki / ta*bak / seb*ze / ye*dir*di↷)
Mother made me eat two plates of vegetables. (causative)
yıka:
Kız kardeĢim bulaĢıkları yıka-ıyor.
(kız*kar*de*şim / bu*la*şık*la*rı / yı*kı*yor↷)
My sister is washing the dishes. (transitive)
Annem küçük kardeĢime yemekten önce ellerini yıkat-ır.
(an*nem / kü*çük / kar*de*şi*me / ye*mek*ten / ön*ce / el*le*ri*ni / yı*ka*tır↷)
Mother makes my little brother wash his hands before lunch. (causative)

Araba yıka-ın-ıyor.
(a*ra*ba / yı*ka*nı*yor↷)
The car is being washed. (passive)

Jack yıka-ın-ıyor. (Jack banyo yapıyor.)

(jack / yı*ka*nı*yor↷)
Jack is having a bath. (reflexive)

yor:
Bütün gün bahçede çalıĢmak beni yor-du.
(bü*tün / gün / bah*çe*de / ça*lış*mak / be*ni / yor*du↷)
Working in the garden all day long tired me. (transitive)

Yor-ul-dum.
(yo*rul*dum↷)
I’ve got tired. ( I feel tired.) (reflexive)

Senin saçma sapan sorularından bıktım.

(se*nin / saç*ma / sa*pan / so*ru*la*rın*dan / bık*tım↷)
I am tired of your nonsense questions. (intransitive)

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

yüksel:
Balon gökte yüksel-iyor.
(ba*lon / gök*te / yük*se*li*yor↷)
The balloon is rising in the sky. (intransitive).
ġiddetli yağmurdan sonra nehir yüksel-di.
(Ģid*det*li / yağ*mur*dan / son*ra / ne*hir / yük*sel*di↷)
The river rose after the heavy rainfall. (intransitive)
GüneĢ doğudan doğar ve batıdan batar.
(gü*neş / do*ğu*dan / do*ğar / ve / ba*tı*dan / ba*tar↷)
The sun rises in the east and sets in the west. (intransitive)

Soruya cevap vermek için elini kaldır-dı.

(so*ru*ya / ce*vap / ver*mek / i*çin / e*li*ni / kal*dır*dı↷)
He raised his hand to answer the question. (transitive)

yürü:

Ona rasladığımda caddede yürü-üyor-du-um.

(o*na / ras*la*dı*ğım*da / cad*de*de / yü*rü*yor*dum↷)
I was walking along the street when I met him. (intransitive)

Otobüse yetiĢmek için beni hızlı yürüt-tü.

(o*to*bü*se / ye*tiş*mek / i*çin / be*ni / hız*lı / yü*rüt*tü↷)
She made me walk fast to catch the bus. (causative)

Hızlı yürüt-ül-dü-üm.
(hız*lı / yü*rü*tül*düm↷)
I was made to walk fast. (passive causative)

Bu yolda yürü-ün-mez.
(bu / yol*da / yü*rün*mez↷)
It is impossible to walk in this street. (passive shaped intransitive)

yüz:

Annem denizde yüz-üyor.

(an*nem / de*niz*de / yü*zü*yor↷)
Mother is swimming in the sea. (intransitive)

Onlar gölde model kayıklar yüz-dür-üyor-lar.

(on*lar / göl*de / mo*del / ka*yık*lar / yüz*dü*rü*yor*lar↷)
They are sailing model boats on the lake. (transitive)

Köpeğini gölde yüz-dür-dü.

(kö*pe*ği*ni / göl*de / yüz*dür*dü↷)
He made (let) his dog swim in the lake. (causative)

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

Fırtına varken denizde yüz-ül-mez.

(fır*tı*na / var*ken / de*niz*de / yü*zül*mez↷)
It is impossible to swim in the sea when there is a storm.
(passive shaped intransitive)

ADVERB CLAUSES
Syntactic Adverbs

We can transform simple sentences into syntactic adverbs to furnish them

with the concepts of time, concession, cause, purpose, result, manner,
degree, place, condition, etc.

English syntactic adverbs (adverb clauses) are structurally simple sen-

tences that are connected to main clauses by subordinating conjunctions,
which are characterized by some fundamental adverbial concepts mentioned
above. On the other hand, Turkish simple sentences undergo some transfor-
mational changes before they are used as syntactic adverbs. Therefore, we
can say that the English adverb clauses are structurally adverbial sentences
as they have finite verbs at the end of every adverb clause. In order to ex-
press both the English and the Turkish adverb clauses in the same words, it
may be more helpful to use the term syntactic adverb to eliminate this dif-
ferance of terminology.

TIME

BEFORE

This time concept is expressed in “V - [me-den] ([ma-dan]) + önce” in Turk-

ish:

Ev ödevimi yaptım. Sonra okula geldim.

I did my homework. Then I came to school.

From these sentences one can understand that the time of the first sen-
tence is before the time of the second one. To furnish the first English sen-
tence with a previous time concept, The Past Perfect Tense may be used to
convey this time difference, and the conjunction “before” is put in the begin-
ning of the second sentence without its order (the simple sentence structure)
being changed:

I had done (or did) my homework before I came to school.

sentence (NP + VP) subordinating conj sentence (NP + VP)

Although the normal order of the English sentence is like the sentence
above, the regular order of the Turkish sentence is “Before I came to school,
I had done my homework.” If we think about it on the abstract level, we can
find out that there are two deep abstract sentences in our minds:

Ben ev ödevimi yaptım. Ben okula geldim.

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

In order to add a "before" time concept to the abstract sentence "I came to
school", only the word "before" is put in the beginning of the English sen-
tence. However, In Turkish, to add the same concept of "before (önce)" to
the Turkish sentence, the abstract sentence "Ben okula geldim + önce" is
transformed into  "ben okula gel-me-den önce":

ben okula geldim + önce  “ben okula gel-me-den önce”

(Ben) okula gelmeden önce ev ödevimi yaptım (yapmıĢtım).
I came to school + before  “before I came to school”
I did (had done) my homework before I came to school.

Ben eve gideceğim + önce  “ben eve git-me-den önce”

Ben eve gitmeden önce biraz meyve alacağım.
I will go home + before  “ before I go home”
I will buy some fruit before I go home.

(Ben) okula gel-me - den (önce) (ben) ev ödevimi yap-mıĢ-tı-ım.

NP infinitive - [den] postp NP NP VP
postpositional phrase of time
(o*ku*la / gel*me*den / ön*ce~ / ev / ö*de*vi*mi / yap*mış*tım↷)

In the sentence above, the [me, ma] allomorphs are a cause of confusion in
Turkish. They are considered as either the allomorphs of an infinitive mor-
pheme [me,ma], or the allomorphs of the negation morpheme [me, ma].
Therefore, Turkish students are inclined to build up English sentences like *"I
had done my homework before I didn't come to school." This is because the
syllable stress in speech is generally used on the verb stem (gel*me*den),
not on the [den, dan] allomorphs, which mislead the learners of English. In
fact, these are the infinitive allomorphs; if they were not, the [den, dan] allo-
morphs would not be attached to them.

The above sentence order may also be changed as follows:

(Ben) ev ödevimi, okula gel-me-den önce yapmıĢtım.

NP NP inf-[DEN] + postp V
postpositional phrs (adv)
(ben / e*vö*de*vi*mi~/ o*ku*la / gel*me*den / ön*ce /yap*mış*tım↷)

This sentence order is used when the adverb of time is stressed.

The adverbial clauses (syntactic adverbs) in English start with subordi-

nating conjunctions, and both the main clauses and the subordinate claus-
es in such complex sentences have finite verbs, which means that both
clauses are structurally simple sentences. When a subordinating conjunc-
tion such as “before”, “after”, since”, “although”, “until”, “when” or “while”, etc.
is placed before one of these sentences, these subordinating conjunctions
transform them into adverbial clauses (syntactic adverbs) having the con-
cepts of these conjunctions. On the contrary, when adverb clauses are

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

formed in Turkish, the simple sentences are transformed into postpositional

phrases before they become syntactic adverbs.

If we think on the abstract deep structure level, we can find the following sur-
face structure sentences:

(Ben) istasyona vardım + önce  "ben-im istasyon-a var-ma-ım”-dan + önce”

(Ben) istasyona vardım + önce  "ben istasyona var-ma-dan + (önce)"

Ben-im istasyona var-ma-ım-dan önce tren gitti (gitmiĢti).

Ben istasyona var-ma-dan (önce) tren gitmiĢti.

(Ben-im) istasyona var-ma-ım - dan önce tren gitmiĢti

noun + infinitive (synt noun) - [DEN] postp NP VP
postpositional phrase of time

This sentence is like the English sentence “The train had left before my arriv-
ing at the station.” In this sentence, “benim istasyon-a varmam” is a “noun
+ infinitive” compound. “Ġstasyon-a” is an adverb composed of “noun-[E]”.
“Ben-im istasyona varmam” is a syntactic noun. As all nouns can be followed
by [Ġ], [E], [DE], [DEN] morphemes, this compound can also be followed by a
[dan] allomorph. “Önce” is a postposition used after “noun-[DEN] + önce”
such as “öğle-den önce”, “okul-dan önce”, “sen-den önce”, yemek-ten önce”,
“sen gel-me-den önce”. So “benim istasyon-a varmam-dan once” is a “noun
compound - dan + önce”, which is a postpositional phrase acting as an
adverb of time.

Ġstasyon-a var-ma-dan önce

adv inf + [DEN] postp
postpositional phrase of time (adv)

Consider and compare the following sentences:

Ben istasyona var-ma-dan (önce) tren gitmiĢti.

( ben / is*tas*yo*na / var*ma*dan / ön*ce / tren / git*miş*ti↷)
Before I arrived at the station, the train had left.

Tren, ben istasyona var-ma-dan önce gitmiĢti.

(tren~ / ben / is*tas*yo*na / var*ma*dan / ön*ce / git*miş*ti↷)
The train had left before I arrived at the station.

Cevap ver-me-den (önce) düĢün.

(ce*vap / ver*me*den / ön*ce / dü*şün↷)
Think before you answer.

Unut-ma-dan (önce) onu defterime yazacağım.

(u*nut*ma*dan / ön*ce / o*nu / def*te*ri*me / ya*za*ca*ğım↷)
I will write it in my notebook before I forget it.

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Bürona git-me-den (önce) traĢ olmalısın.

(bü*ro*na / git*me*den / ön*ce / traş / ol*ma*lı*sın↷)
You must shave before you go to your office.

DıĢarı çık-ma-dan önce ceketini giy.

(dı*şa*rı / çık*ma*dan / ön*ce / ce*ke*ti*ni / giy ↷)
Put your coat on before you go out.

Kompozisyonunu teslim et-me-den önce babası yanlıĢlarını düzeltmiĢti.

(kom*po*zis*yo*nu*nu / tes*lim / et*me*den / ön*ce~ / ba*ba*sı /
yan*lış*la*rı*nı / dü*zelt*miş*ti↷)
Her father had corrected her mistakes before she handed in her composition.

Ġlacı al-ma-dan önce siĢeyi iyice calkala.

(i*la*cı / al*ma*dan / ön*ce~ / Ģi*şe*yi / i*yi*ce / çal*ka*la↷)
Shake the bottle well before you take the medicine.

Camiye gir-me-den önce ayakkabılarını çıkar-malı-sın.

(ca:*mi*ye / gir*me*den / ön*ce~ / a*yak*ka*bı*la*rı*nı / çı*kar*ma*lı*sın↷)
You must take your shoes off before you enter the mosque.

Bazı öğrenciler zil çal-ma-dan (önce) sınıftan çıktılar.

(ba:*zı / öğ*ren*ci*ler ~/ zil / çal*ma*dan / ön*ce / sı*nıf*tan / çık*tı*lar↷)
Some students (had) left the classroom before the bell rang.

Ġmzala-ma-dan önce onu dikkatle oku.

(im*za:*la*ma*dan / ön*ce / o*nu / dik*kat*le / o*ku↷)
Read it carefully before you sign it.

Yat-ma-dan önce ıĢıkları söndür.

(yat*ma*dan / ön*ce / ı*şık*la*rı / sön*dür↷)
Turn the lights off before you go to bed.

Soğu-ma-dan (önce) çorbanı iç.

(so*ğu*ma*dan / çor*ba*nı / iç↷)
Eat up your soup before it gets cold.

Acık-ma-dan (önce) bir Ģey yeme.

(a*cık*ma*dan / bir*şey / ye*me↷)
Don’t eat anything before you get hungry.

Acık-ma-dan (acıkmaksızın) birĢey yeme.

(a*cık*ma*dan / bir*şey / ye*me↷)
Don’t eat anything without getting hungry.

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Tiyatro’ya git-me-den (önce) piyesi okumuĢtum.

(ti*yat*ro*ya / git*me*den / ön*ce / pi*ye*si / o*ku*muş*tum↷)
I had read the play before I went to the theatre.

Hava karar-ma-dan (önce) eve dön.

(ha*va / ka*rar*ma*dan / e*ve / dön↷)
Come back home before it gets dark
.
Ġkinci el bir arabayı satın al-madan önce test etmelisin.
(i*kin*ci / el / bir / a*ra*ba*yı /sa*tın / al*ma*dan / ön*ce test / et*meli*sin↷)
You must test a second-hand car before you buy it.

Okula git-me-den önce okuyup yazabiliyordu.

(o*ku*la / git*me*den / ön*ce~ / o*ku*yup / ya*za*bi*li*yor*du↷)
He could read and write before he went to school.

Sevdigim program televizyonda baĢla-ma-dan önce evde olacağım.

(sev*di*ğim / prog*ram / te*le*viz*yon*da / baş*la*ma*dan / ön*ce / ev*de /
o*la*ca*ğım↷)
I’ll be home before my favorite program starts on TV.

Yemeğe gel-me-den önce ellerini yıkamalısın.

(ye*me*ğe / gel*me*den / ön*ce / el*le*ri*ni / yı*ka*ma*lı*sın↷)
You must wash your hands before you come to dinner.

Çık-ma-dan önce kasiyere öde.

(çık*ma*dan / ön*ce / ka*si*ye*re / ö*de↷)
Pay the cashier before you leave.

AFTER

To transform a simple sentence into an “after” clause, one should use “V-
[dik, dık, dük, duk, tik, tık, tük, tuk]-[ten, tan] + sonra” composition fol-
lowing the vowel and consonant harmony rules. “Sonra” is a postposition
used after “noun-[DEN] + sonra” such as: “okul-dan sonra”, “sen-den son-
ra”, “sen gel-dik-ten sonra”, which are postpositional phrases. For exam-
ple:

gel-dik-ten sonra, al-dık-tan sonra, gül-dük-ten sonra, oku-duk-tan

sonra, seç-tik-ten sonra, aç-tık-tan sonra, ört-tük-ten sonra, yut-tuk-
tan sonra, gör-ün-dük-ten sonra, bekle-iĢ-tik-ten sonra, anla-ıĢ-tık-tan
sonra, piĢ-ir-il-dik-ten sonra, bizden sonra, ondan sonra, anladıktan
sonra.

Note: The symbol “V” covers both the verb stems, verb frames and verb
compositions.

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

In the above composition, the [dik, dık, dük, duk, tik, tık, tük, tuk] allo-
morphs are the allomorphs of the phoneme [DĠK], which produce infinitives
that are followed by the allomorphs of [DEN] and the postposition “sonra”.

Like all infinitives, this composition does not convey a time concept. Its time
concept is inferred from the time concept of the main clause that is used
together with the syntactic adverb: Follow the examples:

(O) ev ödev-i-/n/i yap-tık-tan sonra yattı.

NP obj of “yap” infinitive-[DEN] postp V
postpositional phrase of time
He went to bed after he had done (he did) his homework.

Çocuklar zil çal-dık-tan sonra futbol oynamak için dıĢarı çıktılar.

NP inf - [DEN] + postp infinitive + postp adv V
postp phrs of time postp phrs of cause
The boys went out to play football after the bell rang.
NP V adv prep phrs of cause syntactic adv of time
VP

Bitir-dik-ten sonra kompozisyonumu teslim ettim.

(bi*tir*dik*ten / son*ra / kom*po*zis*yo*nu*mu / tes*lim / et*tim↷)
After I had finished my composition, I handed it in.

Onlar çık-tık-tan sonra çalıĢmaya baĢladım.

(on*lar / çık*tık*tan / son*ra / ça*lış*ma*ya / baş*la*dım↷)
I began to study after they (had) left.

Ġstanbul’dan ayrıl-dık-tan sonra sana bir mektup yazacağım.

(is*tan*bul*dan / ay*rıl*dık*tan / son*ra / sa*na / bir / mek*tup /
ya*za*ca*ğım↷)
I will write you a letter after I leave Ġstanbul.

Bir çift yeni ayakkabı al-dık-tan sonra eve gitti.

(bir / çift / ye*ni / a*yak*ka*bı / al*dık*tan / son*ra / e*ve / git*ti↷)
She went home after she (had) bought a new pair of shoes.

Emekli ol-duk-tan somra bir köyde yaĢamaya baĢladı.

(e*mek*li / ol*duk*tan / son*ra / bir / köy*de / ya*şa*ma*ya / baş*la*dı↷)
He began to live in a village after he (had) retired.

Okuldan ayrıl-dık-tan sonra ne yaptın?

(o*kul*dan / ay*rıl*dık*tan / son*ra / ne↝ / yap*tın↝)
What did you do after you (had) left school?

DuĢ yap-tık-tan sonra yattı.

(duş / yap*tık*tan / son*ra / yat*tı↷)
He went to bed after he had (had) a shower.

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

Konser bit-tik-ten sonra bir restorana gidelim.

(kon*ser / bit*tik*ten / son*ra / bir / res*to*ra*na / gi*de*lim↷)
Let’s go to a restaurant after the concert is over.

WHEN

To transform a simple Turkish sentence into a “when” clause, “V-[ince,

ınca, ünce, unca]” verb composition is used. The [ĠNCE] morpheme is a
suffix that is attached to verb stems or frames to express the concept of
“when” of the English language. Likewise, the [ĠRKEN] morpheme, which
has the allomorphs of [irken, ırken, ürken, ürken, erken, arken], is attached
to verb stems and frames to expresses “while”. In the following examples
the [ĠNCE] and [ĠRKEN] morphemes are attached to verbs that end with
consonants:

When while

“ben okula gel-ince” “ben okula gel-irken”

“ben onu sat-ınca” “sen onu al-ırken”
“o gül-ünce” “sen öksür-ürken”
“sen ona dokun-unca” “sen konuĢ-urken”
“zil çal-ınca “sen elmaları Ģeç-erken”
“okul açıl-ınca “sen patatesleri soy-arken”
“elmalar sat-ıl-ınca” “biz bahçede gez-erken”

However, when the verbs end with vowels, the allomorphs of [ĠNCE] are
attached to these verbs with the /y/ glides. On the other hand, when the al-
lomorphs of [ĠRKEN] are attached to verbs ending with vowels, the first
vowels of these allomorphs drop:

when while

“durakt bekle-/y/ince” “sen durakta bekle-irken”

“ben onu anla-/y/ınca” “Ahmet horozu kovala-ırken”
“ben okuma-/y/a baĢla-/y/ınca” “Mary saçını kurula-ırken”

Besides the [ĠNCE] morpheme, there are two more adverbial alternatives
that can convey the concept of “when”:

“V - [DĠK] -[possessed personal morpheme] + zaman” or

“V - [DĠK] - [possessed personal morpheme] - [de, da]”

Okula git-ince öğretmenini göreceksin. (gi*din*ce)

Okula gittik-in zaman öğretmenini göreceksin. (git*ti*ğin / za*man)
Okula gittik-in-de öğretmenini göreceksin. (git*ti*ğin*de)

The meaning of all the three sentences above is “You will see your teacher
when you go to school”, and the expressions printed in bold type are the
equivalents of the coordinating conjunction “when”.

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

We can explain how this mental composition is transformed as follows:

Sen onu göreceksin + zaman  “sen onu gör-ünce”, or “sen onu

gördük-ün zaman”, or “sen onu gör-dük-ün-de”

O beni gördü + zaman  “o beni gör-ünce”, or “o beni gördüğü za-

man”, or “o beni gördüğünde”

You will see him + when  “when you see him” (The future mental deep
structure transforms into The Simple Present surface structure form in Eng-
lish.)

1. (Sen) okula git-ince (senin) öğretmen-in-i göreceksin.

NP adverb of time (noun comp-i) NP V
VP
(o*ku*la / gi*din*ce / öğ*ret*me*ni*ni / gö*re*cek*sin↷)
You will see your teacher when you go to school.

2. Okula gittik-in zaman öğretmenini göreceksin.

(o*ku*la / git*ti*ğin / za*man / öğ*ret*me*ni*ni / gö*re*cek*sin↷)
You will see your teacher when you go to school.

3. Okula git-tik-in-de öğretmenini göreceksin.

(o*ku*la / git*ti*ğin*de / öğ*ret*me*ni*ni / gö*re*cek*sin↷)
You will see your teacher when you go to school.

When simple sentences are transformed into “when” syntactic adverbs, they
lose their time concepts as they do in “before” and “after” clauses. This time
deficiency is fulfilled by the finite verb of the main clause.

Follow the examples:

(Biz) çalıĢ-ınca (Biz) öğreniriz.

(ça*lı*şın*ca / öğ*re*ni*riz↷)
We learn when we study.

Beni gör-ünce gülümsedi.

(be*ni / gö*rün*ce / gü*lüm*se*di↷)
She smiled when she saw me.

(Siz) susa-/y/ınca (siz) ne içersiniz?

(su*sa*yın*ca / ne ↝ / i*çer*si*niz↝)
What do you drink when you are thirsty?

Öğretmen sınıfa gir-ince bütün öğrenciler ayağa kalkar.

(öğ*ret*men / sı*nı*fa / gi*rin*ce ~/ bü*tün / öğ*ren*ci*ler / a*ya*ğa /
kal*kar↷)
All the students stand up when the teacher enters the classroom.

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

(Sen) haberi iĢit-ince (sen) mutlu olacaksın.

(ha*be*ri / i*şi*tin*ce / mut*lu / o*la*cak*sın↷)
You will be happy when you hear the news.

(Sen) yabancı bir ülkeye gittiğin zaman (gidince, gittiğinde) (sen) paranı
değiĢtirmelisin. (ya*ban*cı / bir / ül*ke*ye / git*ti*ğin / za*man~ / pa*ra*nı /
de*ğiş*tir*me*li*sin↷)
When you go to a foreign country, you must change your money.

(Ben) onu gör-dük-üm-de (o) kiraz yiyordu.

(o*nu / gör*dü*ğüm*de / ki*raz / yi*yor*du↷)
She was eating cherries when I saw her.

(Sen) okumayı bitir-ince lütfen (sen) (benim) kitabımı geri gönder.

(o*ku*ma*yı / bi*ti*rin*ce / lüt*fen / ki*ta*bı*mı / ge*ri / gön*der↷)
Please send my book back when you have finished reading it.

(Ben) yorgun ol-duk-um zaman (ben) bir fincan kahve içmekten zevk
alrım. (yor*gun / ol*du*ğum / za*man ~/ bir / fin*can / kah*ve / iç*mek*ten /
zevk / a*lı*rım↷) I enjoy having a cup of coffee when I am tired.

(Ben) hazır ol-duk-um zaman (sen) (benim) ne yapmamı istiyorsun?

(ha*zır / ol*du*ğum / za*man~ / ne↝/ yap*ma*mı / is*ti*yor*sun↝)
What do you want me to do when I am ready?

Biz bir yanlıĢlık yap-ınca (bizim) öğretmenimiz düzeltir.

(biz / bir / yan*lış*lık / ya*pın*ca~ / öğ*ret*me*ni*miz / dü*zel*tir↷)
When we make a mistake, our teacher corrects it.

(Benim) vaktim ol-unca (ben) gelip seni göreceğim.

(vak*tim / o*lun*ca / ge*lip / se*ni / gö*re*ce*ğim↷)
I will come and see you when I have time.

Trafik ıĢıkları kırmızıya dön-ünce durmalıyız.

(tra*fik / ı*şık*la*rı / kır*mı*zı*ya / dö*nün*ce / dur*ma*lı*yız↷)
We must stop when the traffic lights turn red.

Fatma gel-ince ders çalıĢacağız.

(fat*ma / ge*lin*ce / ders / ça*lı*şa*ca*ğız↷)
We’ll study when Fatma comes.

Ġstasyona var-ınca biletini (satın) alabilirsin.

(is*tas*yo*na / va*rın*ca / bi*le*ti*ni / a*la*bi*lir*sin↷)
You can buy your ticket when you arrive at the station.

Note: The pronouns in parentheses are not generally used. They are put in
the sentences above to make the meaning clearer for the learners.

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

WHILE

In order to insert the duration concept of “while” into a transformed simple

sentence, “V-[ir-ken, ır-ken, ür-ken, ur-ken, er-ken, ar-ken]” structure is
used when action verbs are involved: gel-irken, git-erken, yaz-arken, otur-
urken, beklen-irken. This morpheme is like the morpheme [ĠYOR] whose
second syllable never follows the vowel harmony rules. However, when
“adjectives”, “nouns” or a “noun-[DE]” adverbs are used, only [KEN]
syllables are attached to these words to convey both “when” and “while”.
This syllable does not follow the vowel harmony rules, and consequently has
no allomorphs. In fact, the [ir, ır, ür, ur, er, ar] allomorphs are The Simple
Present Tense allomorphs attached to [KEN] morphemes.

Note: The /y/ glide is used when a word ends with a vowel; but when a word
ends with a consonant only “ken” is attached to such words such as
“evde/y/ken”, “okulda/y/-ken”, “boyalı/y/-ken”, “evli/y/-ken“, “bekâr-ken”, “ço-
cuk-ken”, var-ken”, “kasap-ken”, “genç-ken”, “yaĢlı/y/-ken”, “burada/y/-ken”,
etc.

The mental composition of "while" (duration) syntactic adverbs are as fol-

lows:

Jack okula gidiyordu + duration  “Jack okula git-erken”

Jack okula giderken bir kese altın para buldu.
Jack was going to school + duration  “while Jack was going to school”
While jack was going to school, he found a purse of gold coins.

Consider the example sentences:

Oğlum bahçede oyna-ırken eski bir para buldu.

(oğ*lum / bah*çe*de / oy*nar*ken ~/ es*ki / bir / pa*ra / bul*du↷)
My son found an old coin while he was playing in the garden.

Ben ev-de/y/-ken bütün ev iĢlerini kendim yaparım.

(ben / ev*dey*ken ~/ bü*tün / e*viş*le*ri*ni / ken*dim / ya*pa*rım↷)
I do all the housework myself when I am at home.

Biz çocuk-ken televizyon seyredemiyorduk, çünkü televizyon daha keĢ-

fedilmemiĢti.
(biz / ço*cuk*ken ~/ te*le*viz*yon / sey*re*de*mi*yor*duk↷ / çün*kü~ /
te*le*viz*yon / da*ha / keş*fe*dil*me*miş*ti↷)
We couldn’t watch television when we were children because it hadn’t been
invented yet.

Ev ödevini ben bura-da/y/-ken yap.

(ev / ö*de*vi*ni / ben / bur*day*ken / yap↷)
Do your homework while (when) I am here.

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

Ben yeni sözcükleri öğretirken Fatma pencereden dıĢarı bakıyordu.

(ben / ye*ni / söz*cük*le*ri / öğ*re*tir*ken ~ / fat*ma / pen*ce*re*den /
dı*şa*rı / ba*kı*yor*du↷)
While I was teaching the new words, Fatma was looking out of the window.

Ben bura-da/y/-ken gürültü etme.

(ben / bur*day*ken / gü*rül*tü / et*me↷)
Don’t make a noise while I am here.

Radyo dinle-irken ders çalıĢabilir misin?

(rad*yo / din*ler*ken / ders / ça*lı*şa*bi*lir ↝/ mi*sin↷)
Can you study while (when) you are listening to the radio?

KardeĢini ders çalıĢ-ırken rahatsız etme.

(kar*de*şi*ni / ders / ça*lı*şır*ken / ra*hat*sız / et*me↷)
Don’t disturb your brother while (when) he is studying.

Ben dıĢarda/y/-ken kimse bana telefon etti mi?

(ben / dı*şar*day*ken / kim*se / ba*na / te*le*fon / et*ti / mi↷)
Did anyone telephone me when (while) I was out?

Fatma onsekiz yaĢ-ı/n/-da/y/-ken çok güzeldi.

(fat*ma / on*se*kiz / ya*şın*day*ken / çok / gü*zel*di↷)
Fatma was very beautiful when she was eighteen.

Sen mutfakta meĢgul-ken kedi bütün sütü içti.

(sen / mut*fak*ta / meĢ*gul*ken~ / ke*di / bü*tün / sü*tü / iç*ti↷)
The cat drank up all the milk when you were busy in the kitchen.

Onlar ırmakta yüz-erken birisi onların giysilerini çaldı.

(on*lar / ır*mak*ta / yü*zer*ken~ / bi*ri*si / on*la*rın / giy*si*le*ri*ni / çal*dı↷)
Somebody stole their clothes while (when) they were swimming in the river.

Vaktin var-ken derslerini çalıĢ.

(vak*tin / var *ken ~/ ders*le*ri*ni / ça*lış↷)
Study your lessons while you have time.

Vaktin ol-unca arabayı yıkayabilirsin.

(vak*tin /o*lun*ca ~/ a*ra*ba*yı / yı*ka*ya*bi*lir*sin↷)
You can wash the car when you have time.

KoĢ-arken düĢtü.
(ko*şar*ken / düş*tü↷)
He fell down while he was running.

Kızıma bir hikâye anlat-ırken uyu-ya-kaldı.

(kı*zı*ma / bir / hi*kâ:*ye / an*la*tır*ken~/ u*yu*ya / kal*dı↷)
My daughter fell asleep while I was telling her a story.

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

Merdivenden aĢağı in-erken dikkatli ol.

(mer*di*ven*den / a*Ģa*ğı / i*ner*ken ~ / dik*kat*li / ol↷)
Be careful when you are walking down the stairs.

Ev ödevini yap-arken televizyon seyredemezsin.

(e*vö*de*vi*ni / ya*par*ken ~/ te*le*viz*yon / sey*re*de*mez*sin↷)
You can't watch television while you are doing your homework. (prohibition)

AS SOON AS

In order to express “as soon as” in Turkish, the positive and negative
forms of The Simple Present Tense (geniĢ zaman) are used following one
another. The syntactic adverbs that are built up with these “positive + nega-
tive” verbal compounds are just like postpositional phrases:

Zil çaldı. ↻ “zil çalar çalmaz”

Jack eve geldi. ↻ “Jack eve gelir gelmez”
Güneş doğacak. ↻ “güneĢ doğar doğmaz”
Mary beni gördü. ↻ “Mary beni görür görmez”
Mary okuldan gelecek. ↻ “Mary okuldan gelir gelmez”

As it is seen, the transformed sentences above are timeless as the infini-

tives are:

Jack eve gelir gelmez ödevini yapmaya baĢladı

Güneş doğar doğmaz yola koyulacaklar.
Mary beni görür görmez kapının arkasına saklandı.
Mary okuldan gelir gelmez annesine yardım edecek.

Zil çal-ar çal-maz öğrenciler bahçede oynamak için dıĢarı çıktılar.

syntacticadv of time NP adv infinitive + postp adv V
adv phrase of purpose
As soon as the bell rang, the students went out to play in the garden.

The places of adverbs and nouns are arranged in accordance with the im-
portance given to these units in sentences. Therefore, the following alterna-
tives of the above sentence may also be produced as follows:

Öğrenciler, zil çalar çalmaz bahçede oynamak için diĢarı çıktılar.

Öğrenciler, bahçede oynamak için zil çalar çalmaz dıĢarı çıktılar.
Zil çalar çalmaz bahçede oynamak için öğrenciler dıĢarı çıktılar.
*Dışarı çıktılar öğrenciler zil çalar çalmaz bahçede oynamak için.

The last sentence above is understandable, but a Turkish teacher does not
accept it as a good sentence.

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

The main point in changing the places of the above units is that the nearer to
the verb, the more important these units are. However, in doing this, the
grammatical units should be kept intact. The grammatical units in this sen-
tence are:

1.“zil çalar çalmaz” 2.“bahçede oynamak için” 3.“dıĢarı çıktılar”

4. “öğrenciler”.

Examples:

Yatağına yat-ar yat-maz uykuya daldı.

(ya*ta*ğı*na / ya*tar / yat*maz / uy*ku*ya / dal*dı↷)
He fell asleep as soon as he went to bed.

Sokaktaki çocuğu gör-ür gör-mez frene bastı.

(so*kak*ta*ki / ço*cu*ğu / gö*rür / gör*mez / fre*ne / bas*tı↷)
He hit the brakes as soon as he saw the boy in the street.

Sen hazır ol-ur ol-maz dıĢarı çıkacağız.

(sen / ha*zır / o*lur / ol*maz~ / dı*şa*rı / çı*ka*ca*ğız↷)
We’ll go out as soon as you are ready.

Avcı kaplanı gör-ür gör-mez ateĢ etti.

(av*cı / kap*la*nı / gö*rür / gör*mez / a*teş / et*ti↷)
As soon as the hunter saw the tiger, he fired.

Vaktin ol-ur ol-maz gel beni gör.

(vak*tin / o*lur / ol*maz / gel / be*ni / gör↷)
Come and see me as soon as you have time

GüneĢ doğar doğmaz yola koyuldular.

(gü*neş / do*ğar / doğ*maz / yo*la / ko*yul*du*lar↷)
They set off as soon as the sun rose.

UNTIL

When a noun, such as “sabah”, “yarın”, “saat altı” is chosen, they are
attached to [e, a] allomorphs followed by the postposition “kadar”:

“noun - [e, a] + kadar”

(Onlar) sabah-a kadar çalıĢacaklar. They will work until morning.
NP postp phrs of time V NP V prep phrs of time
VP VP

Gece yarısı-/n/a kadar televizyon seyrettik.

(ge*ce / ya*rı*sı*na / ka*dar / te*le*viz*yon / sey*ret*tik↷)
We watched TV until midnight.

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

Saat üç’e kadar beni bekle.

(sa*at / ü*çe / ka*dar / be*ni / bek*le↷)
Wait for me until three o’clock.

Gelecek sene-/y/e kadar Ġngilizce çalıĢma-/y/a devam edeceğim.

(ge*le*cek / se*ne*ye / ka*dar / in*gi*liz*ce / ça*lış*ma*ya / de*va:m /
e*de*ce*ğim↷) I will go on studying English until next year.

If a simple sentence is chosen to be used as an adverb of time, “V - [e-/n/e,

a-/n/a] + kadar” structure is used to express “until” in Turkish. The abstract
mental composition of "until" is as follows:

Güneş doğdu + kadar  “güneĢ doğ-a-/n/a kadar” (do*ğa*na)

GüneĢ doğ-ana kadar tarlada çalıĢtılar.
The sun rose + until  “until the sun rose”
They worked in the field until the sun rose.

Güneş doğacak + kadar  “ğüneĢ doğ-ana kadar”

GüneĢ doğana kadar tarlada çalıĢacağız.
The sun will rise + until  “until the sun rises”
We will work in the field until the sun rises.

(Onlar) güneĢ doğ-ana kadar tarla-da çalıĢtılar.

NP postp phrs of time (adv) adverb V
VP

They worked in the field until the sun rose

NP V adv phrase synt adv of time
VP

(Sen) yarın-a kadar bekle. (You) wait till tomorrow.

NP noun -[E] + postp NP prep phrase
postp phrs of time V V adv
VP VP

As an alternative to the above syntactic adverb structure “V - [in-ce-/y/e, ın-

ca-/y/a, ün-ce-/y/e, un-ca-/y/a] + kadar” form can also be used:

Boya kuru-/y/unca-/y/a kadar (kuru-/y/a-/n/a kadar) duvarlara dokunma.

(bo*ya / ku*ru*ya*na / ka*dar / du*var*la*ra / do*kun*ma↷)
Don’t touch the walls until the paint dries.

Sen eve dön-ene kadar ders çalıĢacağıma söz veriyorum.

(sen / e*ve / dö*ne*ne / ka*dar / ders / ça*lı*şa*ca*ğı*ma / söz /
ve*ri*yo*rum↷)
I promise I will study until you come back home.

Hava karar-ana kadar çocuklar bahçede oynadılar.

(ha*va / ka*ra*ra*na / ka*dar~ / ço*cuk*lar / bah*çe*de / oy*na*dı*lar↷)
The children played in the garden until it got dark.

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

Bir çiftliğe gel-ene kadar bu patikayı izle.

(bir / çift*li*ğe / ge*le*ne / ka*dar / bu / pa*ti*ka*yı / iz*le↷)
Follow this path until you come to a farm.

Yardım gel-ene kadar beklemek zorunda kaldılar.

(yar*dım / ge*le*ne / ka*dar / bek*le*mek / zo*run*da / kal*dı*lar↷)
They had to wait until the help came.

Öl-ene kadar savaĢtılar.

(ö*le*ne / ka*dar / sa*vaş*tı*lar ↷)
They fought until they died.

Çağrılana kadar dıĢarda bekle.

(çağ*rı*la*na / ka*dar / dı*şar*da / bek*le↷)
Wait outside till you are called. (passive)

Bir adaya gel-in-ce-/y/e kadar (gel-ene kadar) kürek çektiler.

(bir / a*da*ya / ge*lin*ce*ye / ka*dar / kü*rek / çek*ti*ler↷)
They rowed until they came to an island.

Yağmur dur-ana kadar bir yere sığınalım.

(yağ*mur / du*ra*na / ka*dar / bir / ye*re / sı*ğı*na*lım↷)
Let us shelter somewhere till it stops raining.

Onlar gel-ene kadar bir Ģey yapamayız.

(on*lar / ge*le*ne / ka*dar / bir*şey / ya*pa*ma*yız↷
We can’t do anything till they come.

Özür dileyene kadar seninle konuĢmayacağım.

(ö*zür / di*le*ye*ne / ka*dar / se*nin*le / ko*nuş*mı*ya*ca*ğım↷)
I won’t speak with you until you apologize.

Saat kaça kadar burda beklememi istiyorsun?

(sa*at / ka*ça↝ / ka*dar / bur*da / bek*le*me*mi / is*ti*yor*sun↝ )
Until what time do you want me to wait here?

Ne zamana kadar beklemek zorundayım?

(ne ↝/ za*ma:*na / ka*dar / bek*le*mek / zo*run*da*yım↝)
Until when do I have to wait?

Seni öl-ene kadar seveceğim.

(se*ni / ö*le*ne / ka*dar / se*ve*ce*ğim↷)
I will love you till I die.

BY and BY THE TIME

“By” or “by the time” means “not later than” in English. This time concept
is reflected into Turkish sentences by using The Future Perfect Tense “bitir-

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

miĢ olacağım”, “gel-miĢ olacak-lar”, etc. preceded by a “noun-[e, a] + kadar”

structure.

Study the following carefully:

(Ben) yarın-a kadar iĢimi bitirmiĢ olacağım.

NP postp phrs of time NP V
VP
I will have finished my work by tomorrow.
NP V NP prep phrs of time
VP

If a simple sentence is needed to be transformed, “V - [en-e, an-a]+ kadar”

structure is used in the adverbial phrase section of a sentence. The abstract
mental composition of this transformation is as follows:

Annem eve dönecek + o zamana kadar ↻ “annem eve dön-ene kadar”

Mother will come back home + by the time ↻

“by the time mother comes back home”

(Ben) annem eve dön-ene kadar iĢimi bitir-miĢ olacağım.

NP postpositional phrase of time NP V
VP
I will have finished my work by the time my mother comes back home.
NP V NP syntactic adverb of time
VP

“Dön-ün-ceye kadar” may also be used as an alternative to the above ex-

pression:

Annem eve dön-ünce-/y/e (dön-ene) kadar iĢimi bitirmiĢ olacağım.

Saat beĢ-e kadar dört sayfa daktilo etmiĢ olacağım.

(sa*at / be*şe / ka*dar / dört / say*fa / dak*ti*lo / et*miş /o*la*ca*ğım↷)
I will have typed four pages by five.

Sen eve var-ın-caya kadar (var-ana kadar) bütün pastayı yemiĢ olacak-
lar. (sen / e*ve / va*rın*ca*ya / ka*dar / bü*tün / pas*ta*yı / ye*miş /
o*la*cak*lar↷)
They will have eaten up all the cake by the time you arrive home.

SINCE

If single nouns or “determiner + noun” compounds such as “dokuz”, sa-

bah”, “öğlen”, “dün”, "geçen hafta", "geçen ay", "geçen yıl" are cho-
sen to be expressed, a “noun-[den, dan,] + beri” or a “possessor + pos-
sessed”- [den, dan] + beri” postpositional phrase structure is used to ex-
press “since nine”, “since morning”, "since last year", “since last summer” or
“since you went away” expressions. The word “beri” is a postposition. The
function of these phrases are all adverbial:

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

(Ben) onu, geçen hafta-dan beri görmedim.

NP NP (postp phrs) adverb of time V
VP
I haven’t seen her since last week.
NP V NP (prep phrs) (adv of time)
VP

Saat dokuz’dan beri bekliyorum.

(sa*at / do*kuz*dan / be*ri / bek*li*yo*rum↷)
I have been waiting since nine.

As “dokuz”, “sabah”. “öğlen”, etc. are nouns, a “noun + infinitive - [DEN] +

beri” can also be used in their places:

(Ben) seni gördüm + den beri  “(ben-im) seni gör-dük-üm-den beri”

I saw you + since ↻ “since I saw you”

(ben-im) seni gördüğüm - den beri = since I saw you

Noun compound - [DEN] + postp
postpositional phrase of time

(Benim) seni gördüğüm-den beri (sen) birsey yapmadın

postpositional phrs of time NP NP V
VP

You haven’t done anything since I saw you.

NP V NP synt adv of time
VP

Seni ilk gör-dük-üm-den beri seviyorum.

(se*ni / ilk / gör*dü*ğüm*den / be*ri / se*vi*yo*rum↷)
I have been in love with you since I saw you first.

(Sen-in) Ġstanbul’dan ayrıl-dık-ın-dan beri senden bir mektup almadım.

(is*tan*bul*dan / ay*rıl*dı*ğın*dan / be*ri / sen*den / bir / mek*tup /
al*ma*dım↷)
I haven’t received a letter from you since you left Ġstanbul.

(Ben) (sen-in) evden çık-tık-ın-dan beri birsey yapmadım.

(ev*den / çık*tı*ğın*dan / be*ri / bir / şey / yap*ma*dım↷)
I haven’t done anything since you left home.

(Ben-im) seni son gör-dük-üm-den beri (sen) ne yapıyorsun?

(se*ni / son / gör*dü*ğüm*den / be*ri / ne ↝ / ya*pı*yor*sun↝ )
What have you been doing since I saw you last?

Kızlardan bazıları sınıfa gir-dik-ler-i/n/-den beri gülüĢüp konuĢuyorlar.

(kız*lar*dan / ba*zı*la*rı / sı*nı*fa / gir*dik*le*rin*den / be*ri / gü*lü*şüp /
ko*nu*şu*yor*lar↷)

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

Some of the girls have been chatting and giggling since they came into the
classroom.

(Sen-(in) buraya gel-dik-in-den beri ne kadar oldu? or

“Sen buraya gel-eli ne kadar oldu?”
(sen / bu*ra*ya / ge*le*li / ne↝ / ka*dar / ol*du↝)
How long is it (has it been) since you came here?

Bizim komĢunun Ģu aptal köpeği ben eve geldiğim-den beri havlıyor.

(bi*zim / kom*şu*nun / şu / ap*tal / kö*pe*ği ~/ ben / e*ve / gel*di-ğim*den /
beri / hav*lı*yor↷)
That stupid dog of our neighbor’s has been barking since I came home.

Otobüsü kaçır-dık-ım-dan beri burada bekliyorum.

(o*to*bü*sü / ka*çır*dı*ğım*dan / be*ri / bur*da / bek*li*yo*rum↷)
I have been waiting here since I missed the bus.

CAUSE or REASON

“As”, “since” or “because” subordinating conjunctions are used in English

to express cause or reason. In Turkish, in place of “as” or “since”, “için”
postposition is used. Since all postpositions follow nouns in Turkish, “için”
can also follow either a noun, a pronoun, an infinitive, or a “noun + infini-
tive” compound. All “noun + infinitive” and “determiner + noun” com-
pounds are syntactic nouns. Follow the simple sentences below:

Ben eve geç geldim + için  “(ben(im) eve geç gel-dik-im için”
I came home late + as ↻ “as I came home late”

As the (ben-im) parts in the noun compounds are generally ignored, only the
possessed parts of the noun compounds are used as “geldiğim” and “geç
geldiğim”. Since these parts are the possessed parts of the noun com-
pounds, they are also “nouns”, and so, they can be followed by the post-
position “için”:

(Ben) okula geç gel-dik-im için (onlar) beni cezalandırdılar.

noun + inf compound + postp NP NP V
postpositional phrase of cause VP

Note: (Ben) and (onlar) are not generally used; they have been put there so
that the noun compounds can be well understood. The personal suffixes at
the end of the verb compositions are enough to express the subjective pro-
nouns.

(Ben) okula geç gel-dik-im için = As I came to school late,

noun + inf compound + postp syntactic adverb of cause
postpositional phrase of cause
beni cezalandırdılar they punished me
sentence sentence

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

Okula geç geldiğim için beni cezalandırdılar.

(o*ku*la / geç / gel*di*ğim / i*çin / be*ni / ce*za:*lan*dır*dı*lar↷)
They punished me as I came to school late.

Sorular güç ol-duk-u için çoğuna cevap veremedim.

(so*ru*lar / güç / ol*du*ğu / i*çin~ / ço*ğu*na / ce*vap / ve*re*me*dim↷)
As the questions were difficult, I couldn’t answer most of them.

Çok yağmur yağ-dık-ı için stadyuma zamanında varamadılar.

They couldn’t get to the stadium in time as it was raining heavily.

(Benim) gözlüğümü (benim) evde unut-tuk-um için öğretmenin tahtaya

yazdıklarını göremedim.
(göz*lü*ğü*mü / ev*de / u*nut*tu*ğum / i*çin~ / öğ*ret*me*nin / tah*ta*ya /
yaz*dık*la*rı*nı / gö*re*me*dim↷)
As I had left my glasses at home, I couldn’t see what the teacher was writing
on the blackboard.

The two "benim" words are put here to explain the compounds clearly. They
are not used in current speech, and "öğretmenin tahtaya yazdıkları” is a
“noun + infinitive” compound.

Saat beĢ ol-duk-u için çalĢmayı bıraksak iyi olur.

(sa*at / beş / ol*du*ğu / i*çin~ / ça*lış*ma*yı / bı*rak*sak / i*yi / o*lur↷)
As it is five, we had better stop working.

The conjunction “çünkü” is used in Turkish as “because” is used in Eng-

lish:

(O) yavaĢ yavaĢ yürüyordu, çünkü ağır bir sepet taĢıyordu.

She was walking slowly because she was carrying a heavy basket.

Çok çalıĢmalısın, çünkü yarın bir sınavın var.

You must study hard because you have an examination tomorrow.

“Yüzünden”, “den dolayı” or “nedeniyle” complex postpositions can be

used in Turkish as “because of” preposition is used in English:

ġiddetli yağmur yüzünden (nedeniyle) maçı ertelemek zorunda kaldılar.

(Ģid*det*li / yağ*mur / yü*zün*den~ / ma*çı / er*te*le*mek / zo*run*da /
kal*dı*lar↷) They had to postpone the match because of the heavy rain.

Yoğun trafik yüzünden (nedeniyle) okula geç kaldım.

(yo*ğun / tra*fik / yü*zün*den ~/ o*ku*la / geç / kal*dım↷)
I came to school late because of the heavy traffic.

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

Grev yüzünden (nedeniyle) eve yürüyerek gitmek zorunda kaldık.

(grev / yü*zün*den / e*ve / yü*rü*ye*rek / git*mek / zo*run*da / kal*dık↷)
We had to walk home because of the strike.

Yüksek fiyatlar yüzünden (nedeniyle) hiç birçey satın alamadım.

I couldn’t buy anything because of the high prices.

Fatma güzel gözleri nedeniyle çekicidir.

(fat*ma / gü*zel / göz*le*ri / ne*de*niy*le / çe*ki*ci*dir↷)
Fatma is attractive because of her beautiful eyes.

CONCESSION and CONTRAST

Noun compounds like “(benim) çalışma-ım-a rağmen”, “(onun) gitme-si-

/n/e rağmen” structures are used in Turkish in place of “although + sen-
tence” in English. “Ben-im çalış-ma-ım”, “senin gel-me-in”, “bizim
konuş-ma-ımız” compounds are “noun + infinitive” compounds, whose
second parts are made of infinitives. The [e, a] allomorphs are the allo-
morphs that are attached to nouns, pronouns and noun compounds,
which help them to be used as adverbs in sentences. “Rağmen” is a post-
position used after a noun ending with either an [e] or [a] allomorph:

(Kendi-/s/i-/n/in) çalıĢ-ma-/s/ı-/n/a rağmen (o) (onu) baĢaramadı

noun + infinitive compound - [E] postp NP NP V
postpositional phrase of concession VP

Note: The /s/ and /n/ are glides. "Kendisinin", "o" and "onu" are put here to
help the learners understand the deleted parts of the compounds. They are
not used in current Turkish because "kendisinin", "o" and "onu" are deleted
as they are understood from the personal suffixes. The mental production of
this sentence is as follows:

(O) çok çalıştı + rağmen  “(onun) çok çalıĢma-/s/ı-/n/a rağmen“

He studied hard + although  “although he studied hard”

(O) çok çalıĢ-ma-/s/ı-/n/a rağmen baĢaramadı.

NP adv noun comp - [E] + postp
postp phrs of concession V
VP

He couldn’t succeed although he studied hard

NP V synt adv of concession adv
VP

(Ahmet'in) otomobili olma-sı-/n/a rağmen Ahmet okula otobüsle gelir.

noun compound - /n/[a] postp NP adv adv V
postpositional phrase of concession VP
Although Ahmet has got a car, he comes to school by bus.

Yorgun ol-ma-ım-a rağmen çalıĢmaya devam etmeliyim.

(yor*gun / ol*ma*ma / rağ*men / ça*lış*ma*ya / de*va:*met*me*li*yim↷)
I must go on working although I am tired.

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

Ġki kez oku-ma-ım-a rağmen dersi anlayamadım.

(i*ki / kez / o*ku*ma*ma / rağ*men / der*si / an*la*ya*ma*dım↷)
I couldn’t understand the lesson although I read twice.

ġiĢman ol-ma-/s/ı-/n/a rağmen hızlı koĢabiliyor.

(ĢiĢ*man / ol*ma*sı*na / rağ*men / hız*lı / ko*şa*bi*li*yor↷)
Although he is fat, he can run fast.

Aynı otelde kal-ma-ım-ız-a rağmen birbirimize rastlamadık.

(ay*nı / o*tel*de / kal*ma*mı*za / rağ*men~ / bir*bi*ri*mi*ze /
rast*la*ma*dık↷)
Although we were staying in the same hotel, we didn’t meet.

On yaĢ-ı/n/-da olmasına rağmen okuyup yazamıyor.

(on / ya*şın*da / ol*ma*sı*na / rağ*men / o*ku*yup / ya*za*mı*yor↷)
Although he is ten years old, he can’t read and write.

Büyük annem çok yaĢlı ol-ma-/s/ı-/n/a rağmen ev iĢini kendisi yapar.

(bü*yü*kan*nem / çok / yaĢ*lı / ol*ma*sı*na / rağ*men~ / e*vi*şi*ni /
ken*di*si / ya*par↷)
Although my grandmother is very old, she does her housework herself.

Yoksul ol-ma-lar-ı-/n/a rağmen mutludurlar.

(yok*sul / ol*ma*la*rı*na / rağ*men / mut*lu*dur*lar↷)
Although they are poor, they are happy.

One can use a “V - [DĠK]-possessed personal morpheme + halde” struc-

ture as an alternative to the above postpositional phrase of concession:

ÇalıĢ-tık-ım halde baĢaramadım.

(ça*lış*tı*ğım / hal*de / ba*şa*ra*ma*dım↷)
Although I studied hard, I couldn’t succeed.

Gör-e-me-dik-i halde piyano çalabiliyordu.

(g ö*re*me*di*ği / hal*de / pi*ya*no / ça*la*bi*li*yor*du↷)
Although he wasn’t able to see, he could play the piano.

Ġyi gör-e-me-dik-i halde gözlük takmak istemiyor.

(i*yi / gö*re*me*di*ği / hal*de~/ göz*lük / tak*mak / is*te*mi*yor↷)
Although he can’t see well, he doesn’t want to wear glasses.

“determiner + noun-[e, a] + rağmen” can be used like “in spite of + “de-

terminer + noun” English prepositional phrase:

(Biz) Ģiddetli sağanak-a rağmen konsere zamamında yetiĢtik.

NP determiner noun - [E] postp adverb adverb
postp phrase of concession (adv) V
VP

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

We got to the concert on time in spite of the heavy rainfall.

NP V adverb adverb prep determiner noun
prep phrase of concession

Tüm güçlükler-e rağmen dağın doruğuna tırmanabildiler.

(tüm / güç*lük*le*re / rağ*men~ / da*ğın / do*ru*ğu*na /
tır*ma*na*bil*di*ler↷)
They were able to climb the peak of the mountain in spite of all difficulties.

Tüm kötü hava şart-lar-ı-/n/a rağmen pilot uçağı baĢarıyla indirdi.

The pilot landed the plane successfully in spite of all the unfavorable weath-
er conditions.

Küçük göz-ler-i-/n/e rağmen yakıĢıklıdır.

(kü*çük / göz*le*ri*ne / rağ*men / ya*kı*şık*lı*dır↷)
He is handsome in spite of his small eyes.

Note: Some speakers and writers tend to use "karĢın" in place of "rağmen"
to avoid this borrowed word: "Küçük gözlerine karĢın (rağmen) yakıĢıklıdır".

“Ken” can also be used like “while” to express contrast:

Bazı kimseler zengin-ken diğer bazıları yoksuldur.

(ba:*zı / kim*se*ler / zen*gin*ken ~ / di*ğer / ba:*zı*la*rı / yok*sul*dur↷)
While some people are wealthy, some others are poor.

Karınca çalıĢ-ır-ken, ağustos böceği zamanını Ģarkı söyleyerek boĢa

harcar. While the ant works, the cicada wastes time singing.
Bazı kimseler çayı tercih ed-er-ken, diğer bazıları kahveyi tercih eder.
While some people prefer tea, some others prefer coffee.

Bazı öğrenciler öğrenmek için istek-li/y/-ken, diğer bazıları derslere

karĢı kayıtsızdır.
While some students are eager to learn, some others are indifferent to les-
sons.

PURPOSE

In order to compose a syntactic adverb of purpose, a simple sentence con-

taining “wish mood” (dilek kipi) is used without being structurally trans-
formed, and by doing so the “wish” simple sentence becomes a syntactic
noun to be used preceding the postposition “diye” to compose a “postposi-
tional phrase of purpose”:

Ġçeri gir-e-/y/im. Let me go in.

Ġçeri gir-e-sin. I wish you to go in
Ġçeri gir-sin. Let him go in.
Ġçeri gir-e-lim. Let us go in.
Ġçeri gir-e-siniz. I wish you to go in.
Ġçeri gir-sin-ler. Let them go in.

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

Ġçeri gir-e-/y/im diye kapıyı açtı. He opened the door to let me go in.
sentence (noun) postp sentence sentence infinitive of purpose
postp phrase of purpose

Ġçeri gir-e-bil-e-/y/im. Let me be able to go in.

Ġçeri gir-e-bil-e-sin. I wish you to be able to go in.
Ġçeri gir-e-bil-sin. I wish him to be able to go in.
Ġçeri gir-e-bil-e-lim. Let us be able to go in.
Ġçeri gir-e-bil-e-siniz. I wish you to be able to go in.
Ġçeri gir-e-bil-sin-ler. I wish you to let them be able to go in.

1. “V - [e-bil, a-bil]-[e-/y/im, e-/s/in, /s/in, e-lim, e-/s/i-/n/iz, /s/in-ler] +

diye”
2. “V - [e-/y/im, a-/y/ım], [e-/s/in, a-/s/ın], [/s/in, /s/ın, /s/ün, /s/un], [e-/s/i-
/n/iz, a-/s/ı-/n/ız], [/s/in-ler, /s/ı/n-lar] + diye”

Follow the examples:

(Ben) içeri gir-e-bil-e-/y/im diye (o) kapıyı açtı.

nominalized sentence postp NP NP V
postpositional phrase of purpose sentence
Ġçeri gir-eyim diye kapıyı açtı.
sentence + postp sentence
postp phrs of purpose

Öğretmen beni daha iyi gör-e-bil-sin diye gözlüklerini taktı.

(öğ*ret*men / be*ni / da*ha / i*yi / gö*re*bil*sin / di*ye / göz*lük*le*ri*ni /
tak*tı↷) The teacher put on her glasses so that she could see me better.

Herkes gör-e-bil-/s/in diye onu daha büyük çiz.

(her*kes / gö*re*bil*sin / di*ye / o*nu / da*ha / bü*yük / çiz↷)
Draw it larger so that everybody can see it.

Ġçeri gir-e-bil-/s/in diye kenara çekildim.

Ġçeri gir-/s/in diye kenara çekildim.
(i*çe*ri / gir*sin / di*ye / ke*na*ra / çe*kil*dim↷)
I stepped aside so that she might come in.

Kimse bul-a-ma-/s/ın diye para-/s/ı-/n/ı dikkatle sakladı.

(kim*se / bu*la*ma*sın / di*ye / pa*ra*sı*nı / dik*kat*le / sak*la*dı↷)
(In negatives [e-me, a-ma] are used in place of [e-bil, a-bil])
He hid his money carefully so that nobody could find it.

Bir sözlük al-a-bil-/s/in diye ona biraz para verdim.

(bir / söz*lük / a*la*bil*sin / di*ye~ / o*na / bi*raz / pa*ra / ver*dim↷)
I gave her some money so that she could buy a dictionary.

Ahmet, sınavı geç-e-bil-/s/in diye çok çalıĢıyor.

(ah*met ~/ sı*na*vı / ge*çe*bil*sin / di*ye / çok / ça*lı*şı*yor↷)
Ahmet is studying hard so that he can pass the examination.

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

Erken kalk-a-bil-/s/in diye ona bir çalar saat satınaldım.

(er*ken / kal*ka*bil*sin / di*ye / o*na / bir / ça*lar / sa*at / sa*tı*nal*dım↷)
I bought an alarm clock for him so that he could get up early.

The postposition "diye" can also be used after some other simple sen-
tences used as nouns without being structurally changed. Consider the
following:

(Ben) (o) gelecek diye bekledim.

NP NP V V
sent (noun) + postp
postp phrase of purpose
(ge*le*cek / di*ye / bek*le*dim↷)
I waited hoping that he would come. (He didn’t come.)

Herkes anlamıĢtır diye sözüme devam ettim.

(her*kes / an*la*mış*tır / di*ye / sö*zü*me / de*va:*met*tim↷)
I went on talking thinking that everybody must have understood me.

Ertesi gün Pazar diye geç vakte kadar oturduk.

(er*te*si / gün / pa*zar / di*ye / geç / vak*te / ka*dar / o*tur*duk↷)
We sat up late knowing that the following day was Sunday.

Otobüs kalabalık diye binmedim.

(o*to*büs / ka*la*ba*lık / di*ye / bin*me*dim↷)
Seeing that the bus was crowded, I didn't get on.

Kedi dıĢarı çık-/s/ın diye kapıyı açtım.

I opened the door to let the cat go out.
(I opened the door so that the cat might go out.)

All the underlined parts of the sentences above are “wish” sentences that
are used as “nouns”.

If the concept of ability is ignored, the [ebil, abil] are omitted, and the se-
cond type of the above chain is used following the vowel and consonant
harmony rules. The underlined parts of the sentences below are sentences
of “wish” that are used as “nouns”:

Hiç yanlıĢlık yap-ma-/s/ın diye onu dikkatle yazdı.

(hiç / yan*lış*lık / yap*ma*sın / di*ye~ / o*nu / dik*kat*le / yaz*dı↷)
He wrote it carefully so that he shouldn’t make a mistake.

Güzel gör-ün-/s/ün diye yeni elbisesini giydi.

(gü*zel / gö*rün*sün / di*ye / ye*ni / el*bi*se*si*ni / giy*di↷)
She put her new dress on so that she might (should) look beautiful.

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

Kaç-ma-sın diye atımı bir ağaca bağladım.

(kaç*ma*sın / di*ye / a*tı*mı / bir / a*ğa*ca / bağ*la*dım↷)
I fastened my horse to a tree so that it shouldn’t escape.

Hiç parmak izi bırak-ma-sın diye hırsız eldiven takmıĢtı.

(hiç / par*mak / i*zi / bı*rak*ma*sın / di*ye / hır*sız / el*di*ven / tak*mış*tı↷)
The thief wore gloves so that he shouldn’t leave any fingerprints.

Ġngilizce’mi uygula-/y/ım diye babam beni Ġngiltere’ye götürecek.

(in*gi*liz*ce*mi / uy*gu*la*yım / di*ye / ba*bam / be*ni / in*gil*te*re*ye /
gö*tü*re*cek↷)
My father will take me to London so that I may practice my English.

If the subject of the main clause and that of the syntactic adverb are the
same, an “infinitive + için” postpositional phrase can be used:

Güzel gör-ün-mek için yeni elbisesini giydi.

(gü*zel / gö*rün*mek / i* çin / ye*ni / el*bi*se*si*ni / giy*di↷)
She put on her new dress to look beautiful.

Hırsız parmak izi bırak-ma-mak için eldiven takmıĢtı.

(hır*sız / par*mak / i*zi / bı*rak*ma*mak / i*çin / el*di*ven / tak*miş*tı↷)
The thief wore gloves not to leave any fingerprints.

Sınav-ı-/n/ı geç-mek için Ahmet çok çalıĢıyor.

(sı*na*vı*nı / geç*me*ki*çin~ / ah*met / çok / ça*lı*şı*yor↷)
Ahmet is studying hard to pass his examination.

Köpeğe atmak için yerden bir taĢ aldı.

(kö*pe*ğe / at*ma*ki*çin~/ yer*den / bir / ta*şal*dı↷)
He picked up a stone to throw at the dog.

Islan-ma-mak için Ģemsiyemi aldım.

(ıs*lan*ma*ma*ki*çin~ / Ģem*si*ye*mi / al*dım↷)
I took my umbrella not to get wet.

Ġngilizcesini ilerlet-mek için özel dersler alıyor.

She is taking private lessons to improve her English.

Beni iyi (iyice) anla-mak için dikkatle dinle.

(be*ni / i*yi / an*la*mak / i*çin / dik*kat*le / din*le↷)
Listen to me carefully to understand me well.

Bu kitabı anlamak için çok dikkatli oku.

(bu / ki*ta*bı / an*la*mak / i*çin / dik*kat*le / o*ku↷)
Read very carefully to understand this book.

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

PLACE

To produce an adverbial concept of place in Turkish, one can use “istedik-in

yer-e” (to the place where you wish), or “nere-/y/e istersen” (where you wish)
expressions.

(Sen) istedik-in yer-e gidebilirsin. You can go (to the place) where you wish.
NP determiner noun -[e] V NP V prep phrase determiner
adv syntactic adv

(Sen) kitabı (senin) bul-duk-un yer-e koy.

NP NP noun comp (deter) + noun-e V
Adv

(You) put the book (in the place) where you found it.
NP V NP prep phrs (adv) determiner
syntactic adverb of place

(Her)nereye gid-er-sen (git) Ġngilizce konuĢabilen birisini bulabilirsin.

(her*ne*re*ye / gi*der*sen / git ~/ in*gi*liz*ce / ko*nu*şa*bi*len / bi*ri*ni /
bu*la*bi*lir*sin↷)
You can find someone who can speak English wherever you go.

Nasrettin Hoca eĢeğini kaybet-tik-i yerde buldu ve bu onu çok mutlu etti.
Nasrettin Hoca found his donkey where he had lost it, which made him very
happy.

Beğendiğin (herhangi bir) yere oturabilirsin.

(be*ğen*di*ğin / ye*re / o*tu*ra*bi*lir*sin↷)
You can sit wherever you like.

MANNER

To transform a simple sentence into a syntactic adverb of manner, the con-

junction “as” is put in the beginning of a simple English sentence. In Turk-
ish “gibi” postposition is used after a “noun + infinitive” compound:

AS

The mental process of a syntactic adverb of manner is as follows:

Ben sana döyledim + gibi  “benim sana döyledik-im gibi"

I told you + as  "as I told you"

(Sen) onu, (benim) sana söyle-dik-im gibi yap.

NP NP noun compound + postp V
postpositional phrase of manner
(You) do it as I told you (to do).
NP V NP synt adv of manner

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

(Ben) (ben-im) konuĢ-tuk-um gibi yazarım. I write as I talk.

NP postpositional phrase of manner. V
VP
(Sen) onu (o-/n/un) ol-duk-u gibi bırak. Leave it as it is.
NP NP noun compound postp V
postpositional phrs of manner

Geldikleri gibi giderler.

(gel*dik*le*ri / gi*bi / gi*der*ler↷) (Mustafa Kemal Atatürk)
They will go as they came.

Onu, (onun) bize söylendiği gibi yaptık.

(o*nu~ / bi*ze / söy*len*di*ği / gi*bi / yap*tık↷)
We did it as we had been told

The words in brackets are used to make the meaning understandable for the
learners. They are not necessary in current Turkish. For instance, instead of
saying "Sen benim kardeĢimi gördün mü?" people say "KardeĢimi gördün
mü?" because the [im] in "kardeĢ-im" and the [ün] in “gör-dü-ün“ are
enough to express both “sen” and "benim" in this sentence. This is because
there may be two personal morphemes in a Turkish sentence; one in the be-
ginning of a sentence as a pronoun, the other one at the end as a suffix.
Besides them, there are also two personal morphemes in noun compounds
such as [im] in “ben-im”, and [im] in “Ģeker-im”`; “ben-im Ģeker-im” (my
sugar). If the speaker does not want to stress the pronoun or the possessor
morpheme intentionally, he uses only the personal or the possessed per-
sonal suffix in a sentence. For instance, instead of “Ben yarın Ankara’ya
gideceğim” you should say “Yarın Ankara’ya gideceğim”. Likewise, you may
say “kalem-im” in place of “ben-im kalem-im”.

(Ben) gelecek hafta Ankara'ya gidiyor-um

subj NP subj NP
pronoun suffix

AS IF (AS THOUGH)

“V - [time] - [miĢ, mıĢ, müĢ, muĢ] - (pers) + gibi” verb structure is

used to express “as if” in Turkish. The mental procedure of "as if" is as fol-
lows:

"Sen bir soru soracaksın" + gibi  "sen bir soru sor-acak-mıĢ-(sın) gibi"
"You are going to ask a question" + as if  "as if you are going to ask a question"

(Sen) bir soru sor-acak-mış-(sın) gibi görünüyorsun.

sentence used as a noun postp V
postpositional phrase of manner
( bir / so*ru / so*ra*cak*mış / gi*bi / gö*rü*nü*yor*sun↷)
You look as if you are going to ask a question.
(It seems that you are going to ask a question.)

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

Bana kızmıĢ (gibi) görünüyorsun.

(ba*na / kız*mış / gö*rü*nü*yor*sun↷)
You look as if you are angry with me.
(It seems that you are angry with me.)

Bu kumaĢ pamuktan yapılmıĢ hissi veriyor.

(bu / ku*maş ~ / pa*muk*tan / ya*pıl*mış / his*si / ve*ri*yor↷)
This material feels as if it is made of cotton.

KomĢudan bir parti veriyorlarmıĢ gibi ses(ler) geliyor.

(kom*şu*dan~ / bir / par*ti / ve*ri*yor*lar*mış / gi*bi / ses*ler / ge*li*yor↷)
It sounds as if the neighbors are giving a party.
(I hear that the neighbors are giving a party.)

Bir Ģey yanıyormuĢ gibi bir koku alıyorum.

(bi*şey / ya*nı*yor*muş / gi*bi / bir / ko*ku / a*lı*yo*rum↷)
I smell as if something is burning. (Something is burning.)

The same “miĢ gibi” is also used for the unreal past time, but in the follow-
ing sentences, nouns, “determiner + noun” compounds, or “noun com-
pounds” are used.

The mental development of such sentences may be as follows:

Ben çocuk-um + gibi ↻ “ben çocuk-muĢ-um gibi”

I am a child + as if ↻ “as if I were a child”

(Sen) (ben) bir çocuk-muĢ-um gibi benimle konuĢma.

NP sentence (noun) + postp adverb V
postpositional phrase of manner
Don’t talk to me as if I were a child. (I am not a child.)

(Onun) koca-/s/-ı/y/-mıĢ-ım gibi bana bağırıyor.

(ko*ca*sıy*mı*şım / gi*bi / ba*na / ba*ğı*rı*yor↷)
She shouts at me as if I were her husband.
(I am not her husband.) (complaint)

(Onun) hizmetçi-/s/i/y/-miĢ-im gibi bana emir veriyor.

(hiz*met*çi*siy*mi*şim / gi*bi / ba*na / e*mir / ve*ri*yor↷)
She orders me round as if I were her servant. (I am not her servant.)

Hiçbir Ģey ol-ma-mıĢ gibi çalıĢmaya devam etti.

(hiç / bir / şey / ol*ma*mış / gi*bi / ça*lış*ma*ya / de*va:* met*ti↷)
He went on working as if nothing had happened.
(Something had happened, but he didn’t mind.)

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

Çocuklar yapacakları bir Ģey yok-muĢ gibi bahçede oynuyorlar.

(ço*cuk*lar / ya*pa*cak*la*rı / bir / şey / yok*muş / gi*bi / bah*çe*de /
oy*nu*yor*lar ↷)
The children are playing in the garden as if they had nothing to do.

Karım (ben) bir superman-miĢ-im gibi herĢeyi (ben-im) yapmamı istiyor.

(ka*rım ~/ bir / sü*per*men*mi*şim / gi*bi~ / her*şe*yi / yap*ma*mı /
is*ti*yor↷)
My wife wants me to do everything as if I were a superman.
(I am not a superman.)

Salak-mıĢ-ım gibi bana bakıp durma.

(sa*lak*mı*şım / gi*bi / ba*na / ba*kıp / dur*ma↷)
Don’t stare at me as if I were a fool. (I am not a fool.)

Bana köle-in-miĢ-im gibi davranma.

(ba*na / kö*len*mi*şim / gi*bi / dav*ran*ma↷)
Don’t treat me as if I were your slave.

RESULT

In place of “so” or “therefore”, “böylece”, “bu yüzden” , “bu nedenle”,

“bu sa:yede” or “bu Ģekilde” conjunctions may be used to supply a simple
sentence with a result concept:

Sabahleyin erken kalktım, ve böylece ev ödevimi bitirebildim.

(sa*bah*le*yin / er*ken / kalk*tım ~/ ve / böy*le*ce / e*vö*de*vi*mi /
bi*ti*re*bil*dim↷)
I got up early, and so I was able to finish my homework.

Çok açım, bu yüzden üç sandöviç bile yiyebilirim.

I am very hungry, therefore I can eat even three sandwiches.

Yağmur çok Ģiddetli yağıyordu, bu nedenle bir yere sığınmak zorunda

kaldık.
It was raining heavily, therefore we had to shelter somewhere.

GüneĢli bir pazar sabahıydı, bu yüzden kırda yürüyüĢe çıkmaya karar

verdik.
It was a sunny Sunday morning, so we decided to go for a walk in the coun-
try.

Sanırım tren tehirli, bu yüzden beklemek zorundayız.

I think the train is late, so we have to wait.

Elektrik kesildi, bu yüzden ev ödevimi yapamadım.

The electricity went off, therefore I couldn’t do my homework.

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

Geç oluyor, bu yüzden eve dönsek iyi olur.

It’s getting late, so we’d better go back home.

Kız kardeĢin ev ödevini yapıyor, bu yüzden televizyonu kapatsan iyi

olur.
Your sister is doing her homework, therefore you’d better turn off the TV.

SO … THAT SUCH … THAT

Such result clauses are formed by an “o kadar + adjective (adverb) - [time]

+ ki + sentence” structure in Turkish as it is used in English. Consider the
following:

Sorular o kadar güç-tü ki sadece birkaç öğrenci cevap verebildi

NP adv V conj adv adj noun NP V
VP NP VP
sentence of result

The questions were so difficult that only few students were able to answer.
NP VP conj adv adj noun V NP (inf)
NP VP
sentence of result

Yük o kadar ağır-dı ki, iki at bile arabayı çekemedi.

(yük / o*ka*dar / a*ğır*dı / ki ~/ i*ki / at / bi*le / a*ra*ba*yı / çe*ke*me*di↷)
The load was so heavy that even two horses could not pull the cart.

O kadar hızlı konuş-ur ki onu anlayamazsın.

(o*ka*dar / hız*lı / ko*nu*şur / ki~ / o*nu / an*lı*ya*maz*sın↷)
She speaks so fast that you can’t understand her.

Otobüs şoförü o kadar hızlı sür-üyor-du ki bütün yolcular korktu.

(o*to*büs / Ģo*fö*rü / o*ka*dar / hız*lı / sü*rü*yor*du / ki ~ / bü*tün /
yol*cu*lar / kork*tu↷)
The bus driver was driving so fast that all the passengers were frightened.

Sokaklar o kadar kaygan ki kayıp düĢebilirsin.

(so*kak*lar / o*ka*dar / kay*gan / ki ~/ ka*yıp / dü*şe*bi*lir*sin↷)
The streets are so slippery that you may slip and fall down.

Oda o kadar karanlıktı ki birbirlerini göremediler.

(o*da / o*ka*dar / ka*ran*lık*tı / ki ~/ bir*bir*le*ri*ni / gö*re*me*di*ler↷)
The room was so dark that they couldn’t see each other.

If a “determiner + noun” compound such as “an interesting book” is used

as a predicate with the intensifier “çok” in a simple sentence such as “kitap
çok ilginçti”, this intensifier is changed into “o kadar” implying that a main
close will be following the subordinate clause beginning with the “ki” con-
junction:

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

“o kadar + adjective + noun - [time] + ki”

Çok ilginç bir kitaptı. ↻ “o kadar ilginç bir kitaptı”

O kadar ilginç bir kitaptı ki (onu) bir günde bitirdim.
(o*ka*dar / il*ğinç / bir / ki*tap*tı / ki ~/ o*nu / bir / gün*de / bi*tir*dim↷)
It was such an interesting book that I finished it in one day

Arkadaşlarım çok hızlı koşuyordu. ↻ “arkadaĢlarım o kadar hızlı koĢuyodu”

ArkadaĢlarım o kadar hızlı koĢuyordu ki onlara yetiĢemedim.
My friends were running so fast that I couldn’t catch up with them.

O kadar kalabalık bir otobüstü ki binemedim.

It was such a crowded bus that I couldn’t get on.

O kadar çok kitabı var-dı ki hangisini okuyacağına karar veremiyordu.

He had such a lot of books that he couldn’t decide which to read.

O kadar uzun saçları vardı ki herkes onu kız sanıyordu.

(o*ka*dar / u*zun / saç*la*rı / var*dı / ki ~/ her*kes / o*nu / kız /
sa*nı*yor*du↷)
He had such long hair that everybody thought he was a girl.

Öyle (o kadar) güçlü bir rüzgâr vardı ki futbol oynayamadık.

(öy*le / güç*lü / bir / rüz*gâr / var*dı / ki ~/ fut*bol / oy*nı*ya*ma*dık↷)
There was such a strong wind that we couldn’t play football.

“too + adjective + to + V” and “adjective + enough + to + V”

To form a Turkish chain that can be used in place of the above first pattern,
“V - [mek, mak] + için + çok + adjective - [time] - [pers] structure is used:

Ben basketbol oyna-mak için çok yaĢlıyım.

NP noun infinitive postp intens V
postpositional phrs of reason
I am too old to play basketball.

Kızım araba sür-mek için çok genç-ti.

(kı*zım / a*ra*ba / sür*mek / i*çin / çok / genç*ti↷)
My daughter was too young to drive.

Oğlum araba sürmek için çok yaĢlı olduğumu söylüyor.

(oğ*lum~ / a*ra*ba / sür*mek / i*çin / çok / yaş*lı / ol*du*ğu*mu /
söy*lü*yor↷)
My son says that I am too old to drive.

As an alternative to the above sentences “oyna-/y/a-ma-/y/a-cak kadar”,

“sür-e-me-/y/e-cek kadar” expressions may also be used:

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

Hava dıĢarı çık-a-ma-/y/a-cak kadar soğuk.

(ha*va / dı*şa*rı / çı*ka*mı*ya*cak / ka*dar / so*ğuk↷)
It is too cold to go out.

Sorular cevap ver-il-e-me-/y/e-cek kadar güç.

(so*ru*la r / ce*vap / ve*ri*le*mi*ye*cek / ka*dar / güç↷)
The questions are too difficult to answer.

Sen beni anla-/y/a-ma-/y/a-cak kadar gençsin.

(sen ~/ be*ni / an*lı*ya*mı*ya*cak / ka*dar / genç*sin↷)
You are too young to understand me.

Bu araba satın al-ın-a-ma-/y/a-cak kadar eski.

(bu / a*ra*ba / sa*tı*na*lı*na*mı*ya*cak / ka*dar / es*ki↷)
This car is too old to be bought (to buy).

ÇalıĢmaya devam ed-e-me-/y/e-cek kadar yorgunum.

I am too tired to go on working.

When the verb is positive, “V - [ecek, acak] + kadar + adjective (ad-verb) +

V- [pers]” composition is used in place of “adjective + enough + V” com-
position of the English language:

Sorular hepsine cevap verecek kadar kolaydı.

(so*ru*lar~ / hep*si*ne / ce*vap / ve*re*cek / ka*dar ~/ ko*lay*dı↷)
The questions were easy enough to answer all of them.

Sen herşeyi anlayacak yaĢtasın.

(sen / her*Ģe*yi / an*lı*ya*cak / yaş*ta*sın↷)
You are old enough to understand everything.

Oğlum, basketbol oynayabilecek kadar uzun boylu.

(oğ*lum ~/ bas*ket*bol / oy*nı*ya*bi*le*cek / ka*dar / u*zun / boy*lu↷)
My son is tall enough to play basketball.

Sen bu cümleleri anlayabilecek kadar akıllısın.

(sen~ / bu / cüm*le*le*ri / an*la*ya*bi*le*cek / ka*dar / a*kıl*lı*sın↷)
You are clever enough to understand these sentences.

DEGREE

COMPARATIVE DEGREE (COMPARISON OF INEQUALITY)

To compare something with another, at least two nouns should exist in a

sentence. These nouns may be either nouns, pronouns, infinitives or
noun compounds. To add comparison to a sentence “noun / noun - [den,
dan, ten, tan] + daha (az) + adjective (adverb) + V” structure is used.

Follow the example sentences:

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

(Ben) sen-den (daha) yaĢlı-/y/ım. I am old - er than you.

NP adv of comparison V NP V adj adv of comparison
VP VP

(Ben) sen-den (daha) hızlı koĢ-ar-ım. I run fast - er than you.

NP adv of comparison V NP V adv adv of comparison
VP VP

Türkçe Ġngilizce-den (daha) karmaĢıktır.

NP adv of comparison predicate adj
VP
Turkish is more complicated than English.
NP V adv predicate adj adv of comparison
VP

Besides nouns and pronouns, noun compounds, infinitives. and “noun+

Infinitive” compounds can be compared:

Otobüsle seyahat etmek uçakla seyahat etmek-ten (daha) ucuzdur.

infinitive (noun) infinitive + [DEN] = adverb adv pred adj
NP VP
Traveling by bus is cheaper than traveling by air.

Benim arabam senin araban-dan (daha) iyi.

(be*nim / a*ra*bam~ / se*nin / a*ra*ban*dan / da*ha / i*yi↷)
My car is better than your car.

Benim taĢıdığım senin taĢıdığından daha ağırdı.

(be*nim / ta*şı*dı*ğım~ / se*nin / ta*şı*dı*ğın*dan / da*ha / a*ğır*dı↷)
What I carried was heavier than what you did.

Daha sağlıklı görünüyorsun.

(da*ha / sağ*lık*lı / gö*rü*nü*yor*sun↷)
You look healthier. (then you were before)

As the expression in parentheses is already in the minds of both the speaker

and the listener, it is not generally put into words. (deletion)

(Sen) ben-den daha sağlıklı görünüyorsun.

(ben*den / da*ha / sağ*lık*lı / gö*rü*nü*yor*sun↷)
You look healthier than I.

(Sen) bugün daha erken kalktın.

(bu*gün / da*ha / er*ken / kalk*tın↷)
You got up earlier today (than before).

Kız kardeĢin senden daha çok çalıĢıyor.

(kız*kar*de*şin / sen*den / da*ha / çok / ça*lı*şı*yor↷)
Your sister works harder than you (work).

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

Bizim ürünlerimiz ithâl ürünlerden daha ucuzdur.

(bi*zim / ü*rün*le*ri*miz~/ it*hâl / ü*rün*ler*den / da*ha / u*cuz*dur↷)
Our products are cheaper than imported ones.

Beklediğimden daha çabuk öğreniyorsun.

(bek*le*di*ğim*den / da*ha / ça*buk / öğ*re*ni*yor*sun↷)
You are learning faster than I expected.

Sen göründüğünden daha akıllısın.

(sen~ / gö*rün*dü*ğün*den / da*ha / a*kıl*lı*sın↷)
You are cleverer than you look.

Filmi umduğumdan daha ilginç buldum.

(fil*mi / um*du*ğum*dan / da*ha / il*ginç / bul*dum ↷)
I found the film more interesting than I expected.

Bu marka ayakkabılar öteki-ler-den daha az dayanıklıdır.

(bu / mar*ka / a*yak*ka*bı*lar ~/ ö*te*ki*ler*den / da*ha / az /
da*ya*nık*lı*dır↷)
This brand of shoes is less durable than those.

Benim arabam seninkinden daha az konforlu.

(be*nim / a*ra*bam~ / se*nin*kin*den / da*ha / az / kon*for*lu↷)
My car is less comfortable than yours.

Kendisini herkesten daha akıllı sanıyor.

(ken*di*si*ni~ / her*kes*ten / da*ha / a*kıl*lı / sa*nı*yor↷)
She thinks herself to be cleverer than everybody.

Kızlar erkek çocuklardan daha çalıĢkandır.

(kız*lar ~ / er*kek / ço*cuk*lar*dan / da*ha / ça*lış*kan*dır↷)
Girls are more hardworking than boys.

Sen benden daha az akıllı değilsin.

(sen~ / ben*den / da*ha / az / a*kıl*lı / de*ğil*sin↷)
You are not less clever then me (I am).

Ucuz ürünler pahalı ürünlerden daha az dayanıklıdır.

(u*cuz / ü*rün*ler~ / pa*ha*lı / ü*rün*ler*den / da*ha / az / da*ya*nık*lı*dır↷)
Inexpensive products are less durable than the expensive ones.

SUPERLATIVE DEGREE

The superlative degree of an adjective or an adverb is made by putting the

adverb “en” before an adjective or an adverb:

Benim arabam Ģehirdeki en ekonomik arabadır.

(be*nim / a*ra*bam~ / Ģe*hir*de*ki / en / e*ko*no*mik / a*ra*ba*dır↷)
My car is the most economical car in town.

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

Fatma dünya’nın en güzel kadınıdır.

(fat*ma ~/ dün*ya:*nın / en / gü*zel / ka*dı*nı*dır↷)
Fatma is the most beautiful woman of the world.

Çita dünyadaki en hızlı hayvandır.

(çi*ta~ / dün*ya:*da*ki / en / hız*lı / hay*van*dır↷)
The cheetah is the swiftest animal in the world.

Çita en hızlı koĢar.

(çi*ta / en / hız*lı / ko*şar↷)
The cheetah runs the swiftest.

(Benim) karım hep en iyisini seçer.

(ka*rım / hep / en / i*yi*si*ni / se*çer↷)
My wife always chooses the best.

Jack okuldaki en yakıĢıklı çocuktur.

(jack / o*kul*da*ki / en / ya*kı*şık*lı / ço*cuk*tur↷)
Jack is the most handsome boy in school.

POSITIVE and NEGATIVE EQUALITY

All intensifiers are adverbs that either intensify or weaken adjectives or

adverbs. To build up an adjectival or adverbial equality, “NP + NP + kadar
+ adverb (adjective) + V” chain is used. Consider the following sentences:

Karım çok hızlı yüzebilir. My wife can swim very fast.

NP intens adv V NP V intens adv
VP VP

Bir kedi bir köpek kadar hızlı koĢabilir.

NP NP postp adv
postp phrs of comp V
VP
A cat can run as fast as a dog.

Karım ben-im (yüz-dük-üm) kadar hızlı yüzebilir.

NP noun compound + postp adv V
postpositional phrase of comparison
My wife can swim as fast as I can.

As all noun compounds are nominal phrases “NP”, the last sentence above
can be written as “NP + NP + kadar + adv + V”.

Jack kız kardeĢi kadar akıllıdır.

NP noun comp + postp V
postp phrs of comparison
Jack is as clever as her sister is.

Ben senin sandığın kadar akıllı değilim.

NP NP (noun comp) postp V
postp phrs of comparison

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

I am not so (as) clever as you think.

Bir Jeep kullanmak normal bir araba kullanmak kadar ekonomik değil.
Driving a Jeep is not as economical as driving an ordinary car.

Bir masal kitabı okumak bir ansiklopedi okumak kadar öğretici değildir.
Reading a story book is not so instructive as reading an encyclopedia.

(Sen) sorulara (sen-in) elinden geldik-i kadar dikkatli cevap vermelisin.

You must answer the questions as carefully as you can.

Arabanı baban kadar dikkatli sürmelisin.

(a*ra*ba*nı ~ / ba*ban / ka*dar / dik*kat*li / sür*me*li*sin↷)
You must drive your car as carefully as your father does.
.
O bir katır kadar inatçıdır.
NP NP postp V
postp phrs of comp
He is as obstinate as a mule.

Hava dünkü kadar soğuk değil.

(ha*va~ / dün*kü / ka*dar / so*ğuk / de*ğil↷)
It is not as cold as it was yesterday.

Kız çocukları, erkek çocuklardan daha fazla anne ve babalarına düĢkündür.

Daughters are more devoted to their parents than sons.

PARALLEL PROPORTION (NE KADAR … O KADAR)

A parallel proportion can be built up using the following sentence struc-

ture:

“ne + kadar + adverb (adjective) + V - [ir, ır, ür, ur, er, ar, ] - [se, sa]-
[pers]” “o + kadar + adverb (adjective) + V”

Compare and consider the following sentences:

(Sen) ne kadar erken kalk-ar-sa-ın, o kadar iyi (dir)

NP intens (adv) adv verb (cond) intes (adv) pred adj
adverb of condition predicate

Ne kadar erken kalkarsan o kadar iyi.

(ne*ka*dar / er*ken / kal*kar*san ~/ o*ka*dar / i*yi↷)
The earlier you get up, the better.

Insanlar ne kadar kolay yüksel-ir-ler-se, o kadar kötü düĢerler.

(in*san*lar / ne*ka*dar / ko*lay / yük*se*lir*ler*se~ / o*ka*dar / kö*tü /
dü*şer*ler↷) The easier they (the people) rise, the harder they fall.

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

Ne kadar çok çalıĢırsan, o kadar iyi sonuçlar alırsın.

(ne*ka*dar / çok / ça*lı*şır*san ~/ o*ka*dar / i*yi / so*nuç*lar / a*lır*sın↷)
The harder you work, the better results you get.

Ne kadar erken yola çıkarlarsa o kadar erken varırlar.

(ne*ka*dar / er*ken / yo*la / çı*kar*lar*sa ~/ o*ka*dar / er*ken / va*rır*lar↷)
The earlier they leave, the sooner they will arrive.

Telefonla ne kadar uzun konuĢursan, o kadar fazla ödemek zorunda

kalısın. The longer you talk on the telephone, the more you will have to pay.

Ne kadar hesaplı olursa, o kadar iyi.

(ne*ka*dar / he*sap*lı / o*lur*sa ~ / o*ka*dar / i*yi↷)
The more economical, the better.

Ne kadar yetki, o kadar sorumluluk.

(ne*ka*dar / yet*ki~ / o*ka*dar / so*rum*lu*luk↷)
The more authority, the more responsibility.

WISH
WISH + WOULD

The above expression is used when the speaker wishes something to hap-
pen, or he is complaining about the present situation. “ I wish” is generally
translated into Turkish as “ keĢke”, which may sometimes be misleading
when it is used with “would”. In Turkish, this sort of expression is called “dilek
kipi”, which means “wish mood". The structure of this expression is

“V-([me, ma])-[se, sa]- [pers]” or “V - [ebil, abil] - [se, sa]-[pers]”

Compare and consider the following sentences:

Ah Ģu adam çekiç gürültüsünü bir durdur-sa!

(ah / şu / a*dam / çe*kiç / gü*rül*tü*sü*nü / bir / dur*dur*sa~)
I wish that man would stop hammering.

Ah birisi Ģu televizyonun sesini bir kıs-sa!

(ah / bi*ri*si / şu / te*le*viz*yo*nun / se*si*ni / bir / kıs*sa~)
I wish someone would turn down that TV.

Birisi Ģu telefona cevap ver-se!

(bi*ri*si / şu / te*le*fo*na / ce*vap / ver*se~)
I wish someone would answer this telephone call.

Biri bana yardım et-se!

I wish somebody would help me.

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

ġu sigarayı bir bırak-abil-se-im!

( şu / si*ga*ra*yı / bir / bı*ra*ka*bil*sem~)
I wish I could stop smoking.

ġu arabayı bu kadar hızlı sür-me-sen olmaz mı?

(şu / a*ra*ba*yı / bu *ka*dar / hız*lı / sür*me*sen / ol*maz↝ / mı↷)
I wish you wouldn’t drive the car so fast.

Ġnsanlar keĢke pikniğe gidince etrafa çöp at-ma-sa-lar.

I wish people wouldn’t throw litter all around when they go for a picnic.

WISH + PAST SUBJUNCTIVE

People use “wish” and “past tense” in English when they regret something at
present. In place of “wish”, Turkish people use “keĢke” and “V-[se/y/-di],
[sa/y/-dı]-[pers]” verb chain. This chain is also used when somebody is sorry
about a past fact or event:

KeĢke daha genç ol-sa-/y/dı-ım.

(keş*ke~ / da*ha / genç / ol*say*dım↷)
I wish I were younger. (But I am not young now.)

KeĢke senin yerinde ol-sa/y/-dı-ım.

(keş*ke ~/ se*nin / ye*rin*de / ol*say*dım↷)
I wish I were you.

KeĢke herĢey o kadar kolay ol-sa/y/-dı.

(keş*ke~ / her*şey / o*ka*dar / ko*lay / ol*say*dı↷)
I wish everything were so easy. (They aren’t so easy.)

KeĢke bütün gün hava güneĢli ol-sa/y/-dı.

(keş*ke~ / bü*tün / gün / ha*va / gü*neş*li / ol*say*dı↷)
I wish it were sunny all day long. (Unfortunately, it isn’t.)

Jack daha yakıĢıklı olmayı arzu ederdi.

Jack wishes he were more handsome. (But he isn’t.)

Ġpek masmavi gözleri olmasını arzu ederdi.

(i*pek / mas*ma:*vi / göz*le*ri / ol*ma*sı*nı / ar*zu: / e*der*di↷)
Ġpek wishes she had deep blue eyes.

Herkes zengin olmayı arzu eder.

Everybody wishes they were wealthy. (But they aren't.)

KeĢke karım bu kadar inatçı olmasaydı.

(keş*ke~ / ka*rım / bu*ka*dar / i*nat*çı / ol*ma*say*dı↷)
I wish my wife weren’t so obstinate. (But she is.)

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

KeĢke sana yardım ed-ebil-se/y/-di-im.

(keş*ke / sa*na / yar*dım / e*de*bil*sey*dim↷)
I wish I could help you. (Unfortunately I can’t.)

KeĢke yarın okula gitmek zorunda ol-ma-sa/y/-dı-ım.

(keş*ke / ya*rın / o*ku*la / git*mek / zo*run*da / ol*ma*say*dım↷)
I wish I wouldn’t have to go to school tomorrow. (But I will have to go.)

KeĢke bir spor arabam ol-sa/y/-dı.

(keş*ke / bir / spor / a*ra*bam / ol*say*dı↷)
I wish I had a sports car. (But I don’t have.)

Daha büyük bir evim olmasını arzu ederdim.

(da*ha / bü*yük / bir / e*vim / ol*ma*sı*nı / ar*zu / e*der*dim↷)
I wished I had a larger house.

Yabancı bir dil öğrenmek keĢke daha kolay olsaydı.

(ya*ban*cı / bir / dil / öğ*ren*mek~ / keş*ke / da*ha / ko*lay / ol*say*dı↷)
I wish learning a second language were easier.

KeĢke öğretmenler daha dost davranıĢlı olsalardı.

(keş*ke / öğ*ret*men*ler / da*ha / dost / dav*ra*nış*lı / ol*sa*lar*dı↷)
I wish teachers were more friendly.

WISH + PAST PERFECT or PERFECT MODAL

In Turkish, the present, the future and the past wish concepts are all reflect-
ed into sentences by using the previous verb chain. When somebody is
sorry about a past fact or event, The Past Perfect Tense or a Perfect Modal
is used in English:

KeĢke geçen pazar konsere git-se/y/-di-im.

(keş*ke / ge*çen / pa*zar / kon*se*re / git*sey*dim↷)
I wish I had gone to the concert last Sunday. (I wished but I couldn’t.)

KeĢke dün sorulara daha dikkatli cevap ver-se/y/-di-im.

(keş*ke / dün / so*ru*la*ra / da*ha / dik*kat*li / ce*vap / ver*sey*dim↷)
I wish I had answered the questions more carefully.
(I regret to say that I didn’t answer the questions carefully.)

KeĢke o spor arabayı satın al-a-bil-se/y/-di-im.

(keş*ke / o / spor / a*ra*ba*yı / sa*tı*na*la*bil*sey*dim↷)
I wish I could have bought that sports car.

KeĢke dün maçı kazan-abil-se/y/di-ik.

(keş*ke / dün / ma*çı / ka*za*na*bil*sey*dik↷)
I wish we could have won the game.

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

KeĢke onu geçen hafta bitir-ebil-se/y/-di-im.

(keş*ke / o*nu / ge*çen / haf*ta / bi*ti*re*bil*sey*dim↷)
I wish I could have finished it last week.

CONDITIONAL SENTENCES

There are two parts in a conditional sentence; “if clause” and the “main
clause”. In an “if clause”, the supposition is either real or unreal. These
real and unreal suppositions in Turkish are also classified according to their
times:

1 (a): present real supposition. 1(b): present unreal supposition. 2 (a):

past real supposition. 2 (b): past unreal supposition.

1 (a): If the supposition is real at present, “V - [ir, ır, ür, ur, er, ar]-[se,
sa]-[pers]” verb structure is used in the condition part, and The Simple
Present (GeniĢ Zaman) is used in the result part of a conditional sentence.

1 (b): If the supposition is unreal at present , “V -[se] or [sa]-[pers]”

verb structure is used in the condition part, and “used to” (GeniĢ Zaman’ın
Hikâyesi) is used in the result part of a conditional sentence.

2 (a): If the supposition is real in the past, “V-[di, dı, dü, du, ti, tı, tü, tu]-
/y/[se, sa]-[pers]” is used in the condition part, and “V - [miĢ, mıĢ, müĢ,
muĢ] -[tir, tır, tür, tur]” verb composition is used in the result part of a condi-
tional sentence.

2 (b): If the supposition is unreal in the past, “V - [se, sa]- /y/ [di, dı] -
[pers]” verb structure is used in the condition part, and “used to” (ġimdiki
Zaman’ın Hikâyesi) is used in the result part of a conditional sentence.

1 (a): PRESENT REAL SUPPOSITION

Kapıyı açık bırak-ır-sa-ın, kedi dıĢarı çık-ar.

If you leave the door open, the cat will go out.

In Turkish, if someone says “dıĢarı çıkacak(tır)” instead of “dıĢarı çıkar”, the

sentence will mean “The cat will certainly go out.” If The Simple Present
Tense is preferred, it means “as a natural result of the if clause”.

Yağmur yağ-ar-sa evde otur-ur-uz.

(yağ*mur / ya*ğar*sa ~ / ev*de / o*tu*ru*ruz↷)
If it rains, we will stay at home. We will stay at home if it rains.

ÇalıĢ-ır-sa-ın sınavı geç-er-/s/in.

(ça*lı*şır*san ~ / sı*na*vı / ge*çer*sin↷)
If you study, you will pass the exam.

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

Çok çalıĢ-ır-sa-ın baĢar-a-bil-ir-/s/in.

(çok / ça*lı*şır*san ~ / ba*şa*ra*bi*lir*sin↷
If you work hard, you can succeed.

Onu düĢür-ür-se-in kırıl-ır.

(o*nu / dü*şü*rür*sen ~ / kı*rı*lır↷)
If you drop it, it will break.

Onu tekrar yap-ar-sa-ın tokadı yer-/s/in.

(o*nu / tek*rar / ya*par*san ~ / to*ka*dı / yer*sin↷)
If you do that again, I will slap you.

BulaĢıkları yıka-ar-sa-ın sana ev ödevinde yardım et-er-im.

(bu*la*şık*la*rı / yı*kar*san ~/ sa*na / ev / ö*de*vin*de / yar*dım /
e*de*rim↷)
If you wash the dishes, I will help you with your homework.

YavaĢ sür-er-se-in kaza yap-maz-sın.

(ya*vaş / sü*rer*sen~ / ka*za: / yap*maz*sın↷)
If you drive carefully, you won’t have an accident.

Hazır-sa-ın dıĢarı çık-a-bil-ir-iz.

(ha*zır*san~ / dı*şa*rı / çı*ka*bi*li*riz↷)
We can go out if you are ready.

Seyret-me-iyor-sa-ın televizyonu kapat.

(sey*ret*mi*yor*san ~/ te*le*viz*yo*nu / ka*pat↷)
Turn it off if you are not watching television.

Onlar gel-ir-ler-se memnun ol-ur-uz. (Not *”gelirseler”.)

(on*lar / ge*lir*ler*se ~/ mem*nun / o*lu*ruz↷)
We will be happy if they come.
(In the third person plural [se] and [ler] allomorphs change places.)

Bu düğmeye bas-ar-sa-ın asansör aĢağı gel-ir.

(bu / düğ*me*ye / ba*sar*san ~ / a*san*sör / a*Ģa*ğı / ge*lir↷)
If you press this button, the elevator will come down.

Öğretmen bana bak-ar-sa onun bana bir soru soracağını tahmin ederim.
If the teacher looks at me, I guess that he is going to ask me a question.

Sokaklar ıslak-sa dün gece yağmur yağ-mıĢ-tır.

(so*kak*lar / ıs*lak*sa ~/ dün / ge*ce / yağ*mur / yağ*mış*tır↷)
If the streets are wet, it must have rained last night.

(Kendini) yorgun hissed-iyor-sa-ın, dün gece geç yat-mıĢ-sın-dır.

(yor*gun / his*se*di*yor*san~ / dün / ge*ce / geç / yat*mış*sın*dır↷)
If you feel tired, you must have gone to bed late last night.
(I am sure you went to bed late, that is why you are tired now.)

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

Biraz Ġngilizce biliyorsan, bu cümleleri anlamıĢsındır.

(bi*raz / in*gi*liz*ce / bi*li*yor*san ~/ bu / cüm*le*le*ri / an*la*mış*sın*dır↷)
If you know some English, you must have understood these sentences.

In English, there are some conditional sentences whose both parts are
Simple Present Tense. These sentences are formed in Turkish as follows:

Buzu ısıt-ır-sa-ın suya dönüĢ-ür.

(bu*zu / ı*sı*tır*san ~ / su*ya / dö*nü*şür↷)
If you heat ice, it turns to water.

Aç-sa-ık birsey yer-iz.

(aç*sak~ / bir*sey / ye*riz↷)
If we are hungry, we eat something.

Yourul-ur-sa-ık dinlen-ir-iz.
(yo*ru*lur*sak ~ / din*le*ni*riz↷)
If we get tired, we rest.

1 (b): PRESENT UNREAL (CONTRARY TO FACT) SUPPOSITION

In the present unreal supposition, the “V - [se, sa] - [pers]” verb chain is
used in the condition part, and "used to" (Ģimdiki zaman'ın hikâyesi) is used
in the second part of a conditional sentence:

Evde ol-sa kapıyı aç-ar-dı.

(ev*de / ol*sa ~ / ka*pı*yı / a*çar*dı↷)
If he were at home, he would open the door. (He is not at home now.)

Cevabı bil-se-im sana söyle-ir-di-im.

(ce*va:*bı / bil*sem ~/sa*na / söy*ler*dim↷)
If I knew the answer, I would tell you. (I don't know the answer.)

Senin yerinde ol-sa-ım böyle davran-maz-dı-ım.

(se*nin / ye*rin*de / ol*sam ~ / böy*le / dav*ran*maz*dım↷)
If I were you, I wouldn’t behave like that. (advice)

Yapacak bir sürü iĢim ol-ma-sa seninle dıĢarı çık-ar-dı-ım.

(ya*pa*cak / bir*sü*rü / i*şim / ol*ma*sa ~/ se*nin*le / dı*şa*rı / çı*kar*dım↷)
If I didn’t have a lot of things to do, I would go out with you.
(Sorry, I have a lot of things to do.)

Babanın yerinde ol-sa-ım, araba kullanmana izin ver-mez-di-im.

(ba*ba*nın / ye*rin*de / ol*sam ~ / a*ra*ba / kul*lan*ma*na / i*zin /
ver*mez*dim↷) If I were your father, I wouldn’t let you drive.↷)

The present unreal suppositions can also be used to express future re-
gret:

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Yarın tatil ol-sa pikniğe gider-di-ik.

(ya*rın / ta:*til / ol*sa ~/ pik*ni*ğe / gi*der*dik↷)
If tomorrow were a holiday, we would go for a picnic.

2 (a): PAST REAL SUPPOSITION

In the past real supposition, the “if clause” is thought to be “true” and the
main clause is based on this real supposition. The structure of this type “if
clause” is “V - [di, dı, dü, du, ti, tı, tü, tü] /y/-[se, sa]-[pers]”. The main
clause is in The Simple Past form:

Paris’e git-ti-/y/se Eyfel Kulesi’ni gör-dü.

(pa*ri*se / git*tiy*se ~/ ey*fel / ku*le*si*ni / gör*dü↷)
If he went to Paris, he saw The Eiffel Tower.

In such sentences, the main clause is generally strengthened as “gör-müĢ-

tür” (must have seen):

Paris’e git-ti/y/-se, Eyfel Kulesi’ni gör-müĢ-tür.

(pa*ri*se / git*tiy*se ~ / ey*fel / ku*le*si*ni / gör*müş*tür↷)
If he went to Paris, he must have seen the Eiffel Tower.
(I think he went to Paris and certainly he saw The Eiffel Tower.)

Yeterince çok çalıĢ-tı/y/-sa, baĢar-mıĢ-tır.

(ye*te*rin*ce / ça*lış*tıy*sa / ba*şar*mış*tır↷)
If he worked hard enough, he must have succeeded.
(I believe he worked hard enough and consequently he succeeded.)

Söyledikleri doğru idi/y/-se, cezalandırılmıĢ olamaz.

(söy*le*dik*le*ri / doğ*ru / i*diy*se ~ / ce*za:*lan*dı*rıl*mış / o*la*maz↷)
If what he said was true, he can’t have been punished.

Kafesi açık bırak-tı/y/-sa-ın, kuĢ uçup gitmiĢtir.

(ka*fe*si / a*çık / bı*rak*tıy*san ~ / kuş / u*çup / git*miş*tir↷)
If you left the cage open, the bird must have flown away.

2 (b): PAST UNREAL (CONTRARY TO FACT) SUPPOSITION

To form an unreal past supposition, “V - [se, sa]/y/-[di, dı]-[pers]” verb

chain is used in the if part of a sentence, and the (ġimdiki Zaman'ın Hikâye-
si) “used to” is used in the second part of a conditional sentence.

Compare the following:

Kapıyı çaldığında evde ol-sa/y/-dı aç-ar-dı.

(ka*pı*yı / çal*dı*ğın*da / ev*de / ol*say*dı ~ / a*çar*dı↷)
If he had been at home when you knocked at the door, he would have
opened it. (He was not at home, so he didn’t open the door.)

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Yarın tatil olsa sinemaya giderdik.

(ya*rın / ta:*til / ol*sa ~/ si*ne*ma*ya / gi*der*dik↷)
If tomorrow were a holiday, we would go to the cinema. (unreal)

Bugün tatil olsa sinemaya giderdik.

(bu*gün / ta:*til /ol*sa ~/ si*ne*ma*ya / gi*der*dik↷)
If today were a holiday, we would go to the cinema. (unreal)

Dün tatil olsaydı sinemaya giderdik.

(dün / ta:*til / ol*say*dı~ / si*ne*ma*ya / gi*der*dik↷) (unreal)
If yesterday had been a holiday, we would have gone to the cinema. (Yes-
terday was not a holiday, so we didn’t go.)

Dün onu gör-se/y/-di-im, onunla konuĢ-ur-du-um.

(dün / o*nu / gör*sey*dim / o*nun*la / ko*nu*şur*dum↷)
If I had seen him yesterday, I would have talked to him.
(I didn’t see him, so I didn’t talk to him.)

Kafesi açık bırak-ma-sa/y/-dı-ın, kuĢ uçup git-mez-di.

(ka*fe*si / a*çık / bı*rak*ma*say*dın ~ / kuş / u*çup / git*mez*di↷)
If you hadn’t left the cage open, the bird wouldn’t have flown away.
(You left the cage open, so the bird flew away.)

Birkaç tane daha problem çöz-se/y/-di-im, daha iyi bir not al-ır-dı-ım.
(bir*kaç / ta:*ne / da*ha / prob*lem / çöz*sey*dim~/ da*ha / i*yi / bir / not /
a*lır*dım↷)
If I had solved a few more problems, I would have got a better grade.
(I couldn’t solve some more problems, and so I couldn’t get a better grade.)

Çabucak dur-ma-sa/y/-dı-ım, adam fena halde yaralan-a-bil-ir-di.

(ça*bu*cak / dur*ma*say*dım~ / a*dam / fe*na: / hal*de /
ya*ra*la*na*bi*lir*di↷)
If I hadn’t stopped suddenly, the man might have been badly injured.

Bizim kaleci daha dikkatli oyna-sa/y-/dı, maçı kaybet-mez-di-ik.

(bi*zim / ka*le*ci ~/ da*ha / dik*kat*li / oy*na*say*dı ~/ ma*çı /
kay*bet*mez*dik↷)
If our goalkeeper had played more carefully, we wouldn’t have lost the
match. (I regret to say that we lost the match.)

O araba o kadar pahalı ol-ma-sa/y/-dı, satın al-ır-dı-ım.

( o / a*ra*ba / o / ka*dar / pa*ha*lı / ol*ma*say*dı ~/ o*nu / a*lır*dım↷)
If that car hadn’t been so expensive, I would have bought it.

Ġsviçre’de o kadar çok sağanağa yakalan-ma-sa/y/-dı-ık, muhteĢem

manzaranın zevkıne var-ır-dı-ık.
(is*viç*re*de / o / ka*dar / çok / sa*ğa*na*ğa / ya*ka*lan*ma*say*dık ~/
muh*te*şem / man*za*ra*nın / zev*ki*ne / va*rır*dık↷)

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If we hadn’t had so many thunder storms in Switzerland, we would have en-

joyed the wonderful scenery.

Sometimes the “if” part of a conditional sentence may begin with an unreal
past supposition, but the main clause ends with an unreal present tense.

Dün mektupları daktilo etmeyi bitir-se-/y/di-in, bugün onları postala-

/y/a-bil-ir/di-ik.
(dün / mek*tup*la*rı / dak*ti*lo / et*me*yi / bi*tir*sey*din~ / bu*gün / on*la*rı /
pos*ta*la*ya*bi*lir*dik↷)
If you had finished typing the letters yesterday, we could post them today.

ORDERS and REQUESTS

The speech intention of a speaker is decided and shaped in his mind just
before he begins speaking or writing something, and as he considers the
feelings of the hearer, he chooses the most suitable sentence and intonation
pattern to produce in his speech. The intonation of a speaker generally ref-
lects his feelings and intentions much more than the words that he uses in
his speech. Therefore, even a politest request sentence pattern may turn
into a strict order if someone’s intonation is not soft and tentative enough to
persuade the hearer without injuring his or her feelings.

PLAIN ORDERS AND REQUESTS

The numbers below start from the strictest order and goes onto the softest
and kindest request:

1.
Kapıyı aç. (ka*pı*yı / aç↷) Open the door.
Televizyonu kapat. (te*le*viz*yo*nu / ka*pat↷) Turn the TV off.
Söylediğimi yap. (söy*le*diğ*mi / yap↷) Do what I tell you.

(Benim) bilgisayarıma dokunma.

(bil*gi*sa*ya*rı*ma / do*kun*ma↷)
Don’t touch my computer.

Eve geç gelme.

(e*ve / geç / gel*me↷)
Don’t come home late.

Kalbimi kırma.
( kâl*bi*mi / kır*ma↷)
Don’t break my heart.

2.
Lutfen kapıyı aç.
(lut*fen / ka*pı*yı / aç↷)
Open the door, please.

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

Lutfen televizyonu kapat. Please turn the TV off.

Lutfen beni dinle. Listen to me, please.

Lutfen söylediğimi dinle.

(lut*fen / söy*le*di*ği*mi / din*le↷)
Listen to what I tell you, please.

POLITE REQUESTS

3.
Kapıyı aç, olur mu?
( ka*pı*yı / aç↷ / o*lur↝ / mu↷)
Open the door, will you?

Televizyonu kapat, olur mu?

( te*le*viz*yo*nu / ka*pat↷ / o*lur↝ / mu↷)
Turn the TV off, will you?

Söylediğimi yap, olur mu?

(söy*le*diğ*mi / yap↷ / o*lur↝ / mu↷)
Do what I tell you, will you?

Eve geç gelme, olur mu ?

(e*ve / geç / gel*me↷ / o*lur↝ / mu↷)
Don’t come home late, will you?

4.
Lutfen kapıyı açar mısın?
(lut*fen / ka*pı*yı / a*çar ↝/ mı*sın ↷)
Will you open the door, please?

Lutfen bana yardım eder misin?

(lut*fen / ba*na / yar*dım / e*der ↝/ mi*sin↷)
Will you help me, please?

Lutfen radyoyu kısar mısın?

(lut*fen / rad*yo*yu / kı*sar↝ / mı*sın↷)
Will you turn down the radio, please?

Lutfen bana bir fincan kahve yapar mısın?

(lut*fen / ba*na / bir / fin*can / kah*ve / ya*par↝ / mı*sın↷)
Will you please make me a cup of coffee?

5.
Televizyonu kapatma-ım-ın sizce bir sakıncası var mı?
(te*le*viz*yo*nu / ka*pat*ma*mın / siz*ce / bir / sa*kın*ca*sı /
var↝ / mı↷) Do (would) you mind my turning the TV off?

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

Bir saat sonra gelmemin sizce bir sakıncası var nı?

(bir / sa*at / son*ra / gel*me*min / siz*ce / bir / sa*kın*ca*sı / var / mı↷)
Would you mind if I came two hours later? (somewhat formal)

Sizi bir saat sonra arasam olur mu?

(si*zi / bir / sa*at / son*ra / a*ra*sam / o*lur*mu↷)
Would you mind if I called you two hours later? (somewhat formal)

6. (more friendly)
Hadi bana bir fincan kahve yapıver.
(ha*di / ba*na / bir / fin*can / kah*ve / ya*pı*ver↷ / o*lur↝ mu↷)
Just make me a cup of coffee, will you?

ġu televizyonu kapatıver, olur mu?

( şu / te*le*viz*yo*nu / ka*pa*tı*ver↷ / o*lur↝ mu↷)
Just turn off the TV, will you?

Benimle bir fincan kahve içiver, olur nu?

(be*nim*le / bir / fin*can / kah*ve / i*çi*ver / o*lur↝ mu↷ )
Jast have a cup of coffee with me, will you?

POLITE REFUSALS

To accept an offer or a request is easy. You may just say “Evet, mem-
nuniyetle.” (Yes, with pleasure.”), “Bayılırım.” (Yes, I’d love to.), or “Elbet-
te.” (Certainly). When you have to refuse a request or an offer, however, you
have to be politer than ever in order not to offend the person who has asked
for permission:

Televizyonu açabilir miyim? Can I turn on the TV?

Açmasan iyi olur; çünkü bir iĢ mektubu üzerinde odaklanmaya çalıĢı-
yorum. You’d better not, because I’m trying to concentrate on a business
letter.

Odanızı Ģimdi temizleyebilir miyim? Can I clean your room now?

Temizlemesen (yapmasan) iyi olur, çünkü bu odada yapacak bir sürü
iĢim var. I’d rather you didn’t because I have got a lot of things to do in this
room.

Ġstersen maça gidelim. Let’s go to the match, if you wish.

Korkarım gidemem; ev ödevimi bitirmek zorundayım.
I’m afraid I can’t because I have to finish my homework.

OFFERS

To make an offer in Turkish “V - [e-li, a-lı] - [pers]” verb composition is

used:

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

Konsere git-e-li-im.
(kon*se*re / gi*de*lim↷)
Let’s go to the concert.

Televizyon seyret-e-li-im.
(te*le*viz*yon / sey*re*de*lim↷)
Let’s watch television.

If someone wishes, he can put question tags after the above expressions:

Konsere gidelim mi, ne dersin?

(kon*se*re / gi*de*lim ↝ / mi↷ / ne / der*sin↝)
Let’s go to the concert, shall we? Shall we go to the concert?

“V - [me, ma] - [/y/e, /y/a] + ne dersin” verb chain can also be used as an
alternative to the above expression. The [me, ma] allomorphs are the infini-
tive allomorphs:

Konsere git-me-/y/e ne dersin?

(kon*se*re / git*me*ye / ne / der* sin ↝)
What (how) about going to the concert?

Evde oturup çalıĢ-ma-/y/a ne dersin?

(ev*de / o*tu*rup / ça*lış*ma*ya / ne / der*sin ↝ )
What about staying at home and studying?

Futbol maçına gitmeye ne dersin?

(fut*bol / ma*çı*na / git*me*ye / ne / der*sin↝)
How about going to a football match?

V - [ĠP]
When two actions are carried out one after the other, the first verb stem is
suffixed with one of the [ip, ıp, üp, up] allomorphs before the final verb com-
position is used in all tenses:

Otur-up düĢün-dü-üm.
(o*tu*rup / dü*şün*düm↷)
I sat down and thought.

Bekle-/y/ip göreceğiz.
(bek*le*yip / gö*re*ce*ğiz↷)
We’ll wait and see

ÇalıĢ-ıp baĢarabilirsin.
(ça*lı*şıp / ba*şa*ra*bi*lir*sin↷)
You can work and succeed.

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

Çocuklar bahçede koĢ-up oynuyorlardı.

(ço*cuk*lar / bah*çe*de / ko*şup ~/ oy*nu*yor*lar*dı↷)
The children were running and playing in the garden.

Hayaleti gör-üp bayıldı.

(ha*ya:*le*ti / gö*rüp / ba*yıl*dı↷)
She saw the ghost and fainted.

QUESTION TAGS: (DEĞĠL MĠ?)

“Değil mi?” is used in Turkish in place of all question tags of the English
language:

Pop müzik sev-iyor-/s/un, değil mi?

(pop / mü*zik / se*vi*yor*sun↷/ de*ğil ↝ / mi ↷)
You like pop music, don’t you?

Pop müzik sev-me-iyor-/s/un, değil mi?

(pop / mü*zik / sev*mi*yor*sun↷ / de*ğil ↝ / mi↷)
You don’t like pop music, do you?

Daha karar ver-me-di-in, değil mi?

(da*ha / ka*rar / ver*me*din↷/ de*ğil ↝ / mi↷)
You haven’t decided yet, have you?

Yorgun-sun, değil mi?

(yor*gun*sun↷ / de*ğil↝ / mi↷)
You are tired, aren’t you?

Konserden memnun oldun, değil mi?

(kon*ser*den / mem*nun / ol*dun↷/ de*ğil ↝/ mi↷)
You enjoyed the concert, didn’t you?

Sigara içmiyorsun, değil mi?

(si*ga*ra / iç*mi*yor*sun↷ / de*ğil ↝ / mi↷)
You don’t smoke, do you?

Yarın Ankara’ya gidiyorsun, değil mi?

(ya*rın / an*ka*ra*ya / gi*di*yor*sun↷/ de*ğil↝ / mi↷)
You are going to Ankara tomorrow, aren’t you?

Türkçe biliyorsun, değil mi?

(türk*çe / bi*li*yor*sun↷ / de*ğil↝ / mi↷)
You know Turkish, don’t you?

ġaka yapıyorsun, değil mi?

(Ģa*ka / ya*pı*yor*sun↷ / de*ğil↝ / mi↷)
You are joking, aren’t you?

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(SO DO I) (NEITHER DO I) BEN DE, O DA, ANNEM DE.

In response to a positive or a negative statement, a listener may answer in

agreement or disagreement using the words “so” or “neither” followed by an
inverted sentence type in English. In Turkish, however, there is only one
response pattern to use in such situations such as “Ben de”, “O da” “Ah-
met de”, “Annem de” etc. Consider and compare the following sentences:

"Ben pop müzik seviyorum." "Ben de."

(ben / pop / mü*zik / se*vi*yo*rum↷) ( ben / de↷)
"I like pop music." "So do I." (I do, too.) (Me too.)

“Ben pop müzik sev-me-iyor-um." “Ben de."

(ben / pop / mü*zik / sev*mi*yo*rum↷) (ben / de↷)
"I don’t like pop music." "Neither do I." (I don’t, either.)

"Annem yemek yapmayı sevmiyor." “Benim annem de."

"Mother doesn’t like cooking." "Neither does my mother."

"Çok yorgunum." "Ben de."

"I’m very tired." "So am I." ( I am, too.)

"Babam bir jeep satın aldı." "Benim babam da."

"My father has bought a jeep." "So has my father."

"Sen delisin." "Sen de."

"You are crazy." "So are you." (You are, too.)

"Fatma güzel değil." "Kız kardeĢi de."

"Fatma isn’t beautiful." "Neither is her sister."

"Yarın sabah erken kalkmak zorundayım." "Ben de."

"I have to get up early tomorrow morning." "So do I."

"Muzlar çok pahalı." "Elmalar da."

"Bananas are very expensive." " So are the apples.”

"Benim babam kel." "Benim babam da."

"My father is bald." "So is my father."

CONJUNCTIONS and TRANSITIONAL PHRASES

Conjunctions are the words that join sentences, clauses and words. There
are two kinds of conjunctions in English: Coordinating conjunctions and
subordinating conjunctions. The coordinating conjunctions are words like
"and", "but", "or", "for" or "yet". The subordinating conjunctions are the words
that are used preceding simple sentences to form syntactic adverbs (adverb
clauses) in English such as "although", "until", "before", "after", "while",
"when", etc., all of which have been explained in the previous chapters.

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

Transitional words and phrases, however, link sentences and paragraphs

by carrying over a thought coherently from one sentence or paragraph to
another.

Some of the most frequently used Turkish coordinating conjunctions and

transitional adverbs and phrases are as follows:

açıkçası : in plain words, in short, frankly speaking

BaĢının ağrıdığını ve evde bir sürü yapacak iĢi olduğunu söylüyor.

Açıkçası, bizimle gezmeye gitmek istemiyor.
She says she has a headache and has so many things to do at home.
In plain words, she doesn’t want to go for a walk with us.

aksi takdirde : otherwise

ġu televizyonu kapat. Aksi takdirde, ne yapacağımı biliyorsun.

Turn the TV off; otherwise you know what I’ll do.

aksine, bilakis : on the contrary

Ben televizyonda futbol seyretmeyi seviyorum. Aksine, öğlum maç sey-

retmekten nefret ediyor.
I like watching football on television. On the contrary, my son hates watching
football matches.

ama : but, yet, still, really, truly

Akıllıdır ama biraz tembeldir. She is clever, but rather lazy.

ancak : but, however, yet

Çok güzel bir kız, ancak baĢarılı değil.

She is a beautiful girl; yet, she is not successful.
Jack Mary’e aĢık. Ancak, Mary Jack’e aĢık değil.
Jack is in love with Mary; however, Mary is not in love with him.

aslında : in fact

Mary ev iĢini kendisinin yaptığını söyüyor. Ama aslında, iĢin çoğunu

kocası yapıyor.
Mary says that she does the housework herself. In fact, her husband does
most of the housework.

aynı biçimde : likewise

Öteki sorulara aynı Ģekilde cevap verebilirsin.

You can answer the other questions likewise.

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

baĢka bir deyiĢle: in other words,

bilhassa : in particular, particularly, specifically, above all

bir yandan : on the one hand

bu amaçla : for this purpose

bu doğrultuda : accordingly

Öğretmen öğrencilere sessiz olmalarını söyledi ve onlar da bu

doğrultuda davrandılar.
The teacher told the students to be quiet and the students acted accordingly.

bu durumda, öyleyse : in that case

Sabahleyin sana ev ödevinde yardım etmemi istiyorsun. Öyleyse sa-

bahleyin daha erken kalk.
You want me to help you with your homework in the morning. In that case
get up earlier.

bu sırada : meanwhile

Sen mutfakta yemek yapmaya devam et. Bu sırada ben de oturma

odasında biraz uyurum.
You go on cooking in the kitchen. Meanwhile I’ll have a nap in the sitting
room.

bunun için : because of this, for this reason, therefore

Onun çok kez yalan söyledigini duydum. Bunun için ona artık inanmı-
yorum. I have heard him tell lies so many times; for this reason, I don’t be-
lieve him any more.

bunun yerine : instead

Adam bana cevap vermedi. Bunun yerine salakmıĢım gibi yüzüme baktı
durdu.
The man did not answer; instead, he stared at me as if I were a fool.

bu yüzden : therefore, for that reason, so, that is why

Hindistan’a hiç gitmedim; bu yüzden sana akıl veremem.

I have never been to India; therefore, I can’t advise you.

YürüyüĢe çıkmak için sokağa çıktığımda yağmur yağmaya baĢladı. Bu

yüzden, ben de sinemaya gitmeye karar verdim.

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

When I left home to go for a walk, it began to rain; so I decided to go to the

cinema.

bu Ģartlar altında : under these circumstances

çünkü : because

Televizyonu kapatsan iyi olur, çünkü iĢime devam edemiyorum.

You had better turn off the TV because I can’t go on with my work.

-den baĢka : except for

Sınıf iki istekli öğrenciden baĢka (iki öğrenciyi saymazsak) boĢtu.

The classroom was empty except for two eager students.

diğer bir deyiĢle: in other words, to put it differently

Evde yemek yapacak kimse yok. BaĢka bir deyiĢle, ben yemek yapmak
zorunda kalacağim.
There is nobody to cook at home. In other words, I will have to cook.

doğal olarak : naturally

Bu bölgedeki bazı göller kurudu. Bu yizden, doğal olarak bazı kuĢlar ül-
kenin değiĢik yörelerine göç edecekler.
Some lakes have dried up in this area. Some birds, naturally, will migrate to
different parts of the country.

-e nazaran : in comparison to (with), compared to

Erkek çocuklar kızlara nazaran matematikte daha iyidirler.

Boys are better at mathematics compared to girls.

en nihayet : after all

esasen : in fact, as a matter of fact

fakat : but, yet, however

Bütün yıl çalıĢtı, fakat bir araba satın almak için yeterince para birikti-
remedi.
He worked hard all the year long, but he couldn’t save enough money to buy
a car.

farzet ki : supposing

Farzet ki iĢsizim, benimle evlenir miydin?

Supposing I were unemployed, would you marry me?

garip belki ama: strange to say, strangely enough

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Garip belki ama peri onu kurbağaya dönüĢtürdü.

Strange to say, the fairy changed him into a frog.
genel anlamda : generally speaking

genel hatları ile: in general terms

genellikle : as a rule, on the whole

gösterildiği gibi: as has been indicated, as has been noted

halbuki, oysa : whereas, but, however

Ben oturup kitap okumayı severim; oysa eĢim seyahat etmeyi tercih
eder.
I like sitting and reading books; whereas, my wife prefers traveling.

hariç : excluding

hatta : even, moreover, besides, even more, furthermore

Kızım beĢ yıl önce evlendi; hatta (üstelik) iki oğlu bile var.
My daughter got married five years ago; besides, she has got two sons.

hem … hem (de): both …. and

Hem kadınlar hem erkekler ailelerini geçindirmek için çalıĢmalıdır.

Both men and women must work to support their families.

Hem Ahmet hem Mehmet aynı bürada çalıĢıyorlar.

Both Ahmet and Mehmet work in the same office.

Her Ģey göz önüne alındığı takdirde : all things considered

ile (le, la) : and

Ahmet’le Mehmet aynı bürada çalıĢıyorlar.

Ahmet and Mehmet work in the same office.

ilkönce : to begin with

kâh … kâh : sometimes … sometimes

Kâh güleriz kâh ağlarız acıklı kaderimize.

Sometimes we laugh sometimes we cry for our miserable faith.

ki : that

Korkarım (ki) pastanı kedi yedi.

I’m afraid (that) the cat has eaten up your cake.

Ġnanırım (ki) haklısın.

I believe (that) you are right.

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kısaca : in short, in brief

madem (ki) : since, seeing that, considering that, as

Madem (ki) çok çalıĢtın, sınavı geçebilirsin.

Seeing that you have studied hard, you can pass the exam.

meğer : it seems that, apparently

Meğer evliymiĢ.
It seemed that he was married.

meselâ : for example, for instance

Bazı hayvanlar insanlara sadıktır; meselâ, köpeklerle kediler.

Some animals are loyal to human beings; for example cats and dogs.

ne... ne (de) : neither …. nor

Ne sen, ne ben Çince anlıyoruz

Neither you nor I can understand Chinese.

Mutfakta ne domates ne soğan var.

There are neither tomatoes nor onions in the kitchen.
Onu ne gördüm, ne de onunla konuĢtum.
I have neither seen nor talked to him.

Neyse : anyway, in any case, at any rate

Neyse, biz çalıĢmaya devam edelim.

Anyway, let’s go on working.

o kadar … ki : so + adj (adv) + that

Bu günlerde fiyatlar o kadar yüksek ki, kimse bir Ģey satın almak iste-
miyor. Nowadays, the prices are so high that nobody wants to buy anything.

olsun … olsun : whether … or

Zengin olsun fakir olsun herkes kanuna uymak zorundadır.

Whether rich or poor everybody has to obey laws.

Oysa : but, yet, however, whereas

HerĢeyden bıktığını söylüyorsun. Oysa, ben inanıyorum ki sen bütün

güçlüklerin üstesinden gelebilirsin.
You say you are tired of everything, but I believe, you can overcome all diffi-
culties.

Örneğin : for example, for instance

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öte yandan : on the other hand

öyle bile olsa : even so

öyleyse : in that case, if so, then

Uykulu hissettiğini söylüyorsun. Öyleyse, git bir fincan kahve iç.

You say you are feeling sleepy; If so, go and have a cup of coffee.

özellikle, bilhassa: in particular, particularly

özetliyecek olursak: to sum up

sanki : as if

Habire bana emir verip duruyor; sanki benim patronum!

He is always ordering me around as if he were my boss.

Sonra : then

Eve geldi, sonra mutfağa daldı ve yemek hazırlamaya baĢladı.

She came home, then hurried into the kitchen and started preparing dinner.

sonuç olarak : as a result, as a consequence

sonuçta : in conclusion

üstelik : furthermore, in addition, what is more, even, besides,

moreover
En kolay problemleri bile çözemiyor; üstelik kendini bir dâhî sanıyor.
He can’t solve even the simplest problems; besides, he thinks he is a genius.

Ģüphesiz ki : undoubtedly

tam aksine : in contrast

tam tersine : on the contrary

tüm bunlara rağmen: for all that

tümüyle : on the whole

ve : and

velhasıl : after all, in conclusion

ve saire : etc.

veya : or

ya … ya (da) : either… or

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Ya beni dinle, ya da sınıfı terket.

Either listen to me, or leave the classroom.

yalnız : but, however

Seni affediyorum. Yalnız, bana bir daha yalan söylemeyeceğine söz ver.
I’ll forgive you now; but promise me, you won’t tell any lies any more.

yani : that is why, I mean, in other words, that is to say

HastaymıĢ gibi rol yapıyor; yani, okula gitmek istemiyor.

He pretends as if he were ill; that is to say, he doesn’t want to go to school.

yeter ki : provided that, providing

Sana bir bisiklet alacağım; yeter ki sen sınavlarını geç.

I’ll buy a bicycle for you; provided that you pass your examinations.

yoksa : otherwise, or else, if not, or

KoĢ, yoksa otobüsü kaçıracağız.

Run, or else we’ll miss the bus.

zaten : anyway

INTENSIFIERS
Intensifiers are adverbs that are used before adjectives or adverbs to streng-
then or weaken their meanings. Besides these words, there are some pre-
fixes, which are the only ones in Turkish that are attached to adjectives and
adverbs to strengthen their meanings:

Süt çok sıcak.

(süt / çok / sı*cak↷)
The milk is very hot.

Sorular biraz güçtü.

(so*ru*lar / bi*raz / güç*tü↷)
The questions were rather difficult.

Sen tamamen haklısın.

(sen / ta*ma:*men / hak*lı*sın↷)
You are quite right.

Bazı kelebekler son derece güzeldir.

(ba:*zı / ke*le*bek*ler / son / de*re*ce / gü*zel*dir↷)
Some butterflies are extremely beautiful.

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Öğrenciler sorulara çok dikkatli cevap verdiler.

(öğ*ren*ci*ler / so*ru*la*ra / çok / dik*kat*li / ce*vap / ver*di*ler↷)
The students answered the questions very carefully.

Ev oldukça iyi.
(ev / ol*duk*ça / i*yi↷)
The house is pretty good.

Cevapların hepsi tamamen yanlıĢ.

(ce*vap*la*rın / hep*si / ta*ma:*men / yan*lış↷)
All the answers are completely wrong.

Burada sigara içmek kesinlikle yasaktır.

(bu*ra*da / si*ga*ra / iç*mek~ / ke*sin*lik*le / ya*sak*tır ↷)
Smoking here is strictly forbidden.

O ciddi bir Ģekilde hasta.

(o / cid*di: / bir / Ģe*kil*de / has*ta↷)
He is seriously ill.

Ġyi bir iĢ bulmak onun için yaĢamsal derecede önemliydi.

(i*yi / bir / iş / bul*mak ~/ o*nun / i*çin / ya*şam*sal / de*re*ce*de /
ö*nem*liy*di↷)
To find a good job was vitally important for him.

Yabancı bir dil öğrenmek fevkalâde zordur.

(ya*ban*cı / bir / dil / öğ*ren*mek~ / fev*ka*lâ:*de / zor*dur ↷)
Learning a foreign language is extremely difficult.

Arabası yepyeniydi.
(a*ra*ba*sı / yep*ye*niy*di↷)
His car was brand new.

Hava buz gibi soğuktu.

(ha*va / buz / gi*bi / so*ğuk*tu↷)
It was icy cold.

Çok fena baĢım ağrıyordu.

(çok / fe*na: / ba*şım / ağ*rı*yor*du↷)
I had an awful headache.

Uyandığımda her yer günlük güneĢlikti.

(u*yan*dı*ğım*da / her / yer / gün*lük / gü*neş*lik*ti↷)
When I woke up, it was broad daylight.

Annem bana gıcır gıcır bir elli dolar verdi.

(an*nem / ba*na / gı*cır / gı*cır / bir / el*li / do*lar / ver*di↷)
Mother gave me a crisp new fifty dollar bill.

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Sorular sürpriz bir Ģekilde kolaydı.

(so*ru*lar / sürp*riz / bir / Ģe*kil*de / ko*lay*dı↷)
The questions were surprisingly easy.

O beni oldukça düzenli ziyaret eder.

(be*ni / ol*duk*ça / dü*zen*li / zi*ya:*ret / e*der↷)
He visits me quite regularly.

Konser gerçekten iyiydi.

(kon*ser / ger*çek*ten / i*yiy*di↷)
The concert was really good.

Bazı diller diğerleriyle karĢılaĢtırıldığında nispeten daha karmaĢıktır.

Some languages are relatively complicated when compared with others.

Bugün biraz yorgunum.

(bu / gün / bi*raz / yor*gu*num↷)
I'm a little tired today.

Tamamen haklısın.
(ta*ma:*men / hak*lı*sın↷)
You're absolutely right.

Fena halde yorgunum.

(fe*na: / hal*de / yor*gu*num↷)
I'm awfully tired.

Bizim sorularımız sizin sorularınızdan çok daha güçtü.

(bi*zim / so*ru*la*rı*mız / si*zin / so*ru*la*rı*nız*dan ~/ çok / da*ha / güç*tü↷)
Our questions were far more difficult than yours.

Bugün gerçekten yorgunum.

(bu*gün / ger*çek*ten / yor*gu*num↷)
I am really tired today.

Sana deli gibi aĢığım.

(sa*na / de*li / gi*bi / a:*şı*ğım↷)
I am madly in love with you.

KıĢın bu dağa tırmanmak fevkalâde tehlikelidir.

Climbing this mountain in winter is extremely dangerous.

Oldukça az öğrenci sınavı geçti.

Quite a few students passed the exam.

Zerre kadar ilgilenmiyorum.

(zer*re / ka*dar / il*gi*len*mi*yo*rum↷)
I am not interested in the least.

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Araba tertemizdi.
(a*ra*ba / ter*te*miz*di↷)
The car was spotlessly clean.

Dosdoğru yürü.
(dos*doğ*ru / yü*rü↷)
Walk straight ahead.

YaĢlı adamın bembeyaz sakalı vardı.

(yaĢ*lı / a*da*mın / bem*be*yaz / sa*ka*lı / var*dı↷)
The old man had snow white beard.

Mary’nin masmavi gözleri var.

(me*ri*nin / mas*ma*vi / göz*le*ri / var↷)
Mary has deep blue eyes.

Ev tamtakırdı.
(ev / tam*ta*kır*dı↷)
The house was absolutely empty.

Onun evinde sımsıcak bir odası vardı.

(o*nun / e*vin*de / sım*sı*cak / bir / o*da*sı / var*dı↷)
She had a cozy room in her house.

Sorun apaçık. (so*run / a*pa*çık↷)

The problem is obvious, (beyond dispute, clear)

Sebzeler taptazeydi.
(seb*ze*ler / tap*ta*zey*di↷)
The vegetables were as fresh as daisies.

Korkudan kaskatı kesildiler.

(kor*ku*dan / kas*ka*tı / ke*sil*di*ler ↷)
They became rigid with fear.

IĢıklar sönünce her yer kapkaranlık oldu.

(ı*şık*lar / sö*nün*ce / her*yer / kap*ka*ran*lık / ol*du↷)
Everywhere became pitch dark when the lights went off.

Dosdoğru yürü.
(dos*doğ*ru / yü*rü↷)
Walk straight ahead.

Bunlar apayrı kavramlar.

(bun*lar / a*pay*rı / kav*ram*lar ↷)
These are quite different concepts.

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Oda karmakarıĢıktı.
(o*da / kar*ma*ka*rı*şık*tı↷)
The room was in a mess.

Kuraklıkta tarlalar kupkuruydu.

(ku*rak*lık*ta / tar*la*lar / kup*ku*ruy*du↷)
During the draft (draught) the fields were as dry as a bone.

O bizden apayrı düĢünüyor.

(o / biz*den / a*pay*rı / dü*şü*nü*yor.↷)
He thinks quite differently from us.

Onların amacı besbelliydi.

(on*la*rın / a*ma*cı / bes*bel*liy*di ↷)
Their aim was obvious.

Küçük kız yapayalnızdı.

(kü*çük / kız / ya*pa*yal*nız*dı↷)
The little girl was all alone.

Senin güzel vazon paramparça oldu.

(se*nin / gü*zel / va*zon / pa*ram*par*ça / ol*du↷)
Your beautiful vase has been broken to pieces.

REPORTED SPEECH
ĠĢitilen Sözün BaĢkasına Ġletilmesi

When a speaker or writer wants to report what he or she heard to someone,

he or she can use two sorts of structures both in English and Turkish:

1: In English and Turkish one can convey what one heard without trans-
forming it:

Mary said, “I dislike boring people.”

NP V (sentence) NP
Mary “Ben sıkıcı kimselerden hoĢlanmam” de-di.
NP (sentence) NP V

“Do you enjoy making fun of me?” Jack said to Mary.

(sentence) NP NP V prep phrs
Jack, Mary’ye “Benimle alay etmekten zevk mi alıyorsun?” dedi.
NP adv (sentence) NP V

"Come back home before it gets dark," Mary's father said to her.
(sentence) NP NP V prep phrs
Mary'nin babası Mart'ye, "Hava kararmadan eve dön" dedi.
NP adv (sentence) NP V

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2: Both in English and Turkish, one can report what one (has) heard by
transforming it:
Mary said that she disliked boring people.
NP V noun clause NP
Mary sıkıcı kimselerden hoĢlan-ma-dık-ı-/n/ı söyledi.
NP (infinitive) NP (obj of “söyle”) V

Jack asked Mary if she enjoyed making fun of him.

NP V ind obj (noun clause) NP (obj of “ask”)
Jack Mary’ye onunla alay etmekten zevk alıp al-ma-dık-ı-/n/ı sordu.
NP adv adv (infinitive) NP (obj of “sor”) V

Jack asked Mary why she was crying.

NP V adv (noun clause) NP
Jack Mary’ye niçin ağla-dık-ı-/n/ı sordu.
NP adv (inf) NP (obj of “sor”) V

Mary's father warned her to come back home before it gets dark.
NP V NP prep phrs of reason syntactic adv of time
Mary'nin babası (Mary'nin) hava kararmadan eve dönmesi için Mary'yi uyardı.
NP noun compound postp NP V
postpositional phrs of reason

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SYMBOLS and ABBREVIATIONS

Asterisks: Asterisks (*) are used to separate syllables: (ça*lı*Ģı*yor*duk)

Brackets: Brackets ( ) are used to show optional elements: (benim)

Brackets: Some brackets ( ) are used to give further explanation.

Brackets: Some other brackets are used to give alternative words, phrases,
or sentences.

Colon: A colon (:) is used to show a long vowel: (te*da:*vi:)

Hyphens: Hyphens (-) are used to separate suffixes (allomorphs): (gel-iyor-lar)

Double underlined vowels: These vowels (u) show that they are dropped.
Sign of transformation: () This sign shows that the previous simple sen-
tence is transformed into the following syntactic form.

Monosyllabic: The words that have only one syllable: (gel), (gör), (mor)
Polysyllabic: The words that have two or more syllables: (yü*rü), (kır*mı*zı)

[DĠ] : morpheme

[di, dı, dü, du, ti, tı, tü, tu]: The allomorphs (phonemic variants) of the mor-
pheme [DĠ]. The allomorphs printed in bold type follow the stems or allo-
morphs ending with vowels or voiced consonants; the others, printed in nor-
mal type follow the stems or allomorphs ending with unvoiced consonants.

[pers] : Any one of the personal allomorphs ( im, ım, sin, sın, ik, ık, etc.) rep-
resenting personal suffixes.

adj : adjective synt : syntactic

adv : adverb phrs : phrase
comp : compound VP : Verbal Phrase
D : determiner NP : Nominal Phrase
inf : infinitive pred : predicate
intens : intensifier sent : sentence
intr : intransitive deter : determiner
tran : transitive V : verb stem, verb
frame, verb composition
c
obj : object V : a verb that ends with
subj : subject a consonant
v
pers : personal allomorph V : a verb that ends with
a vowel
phrs : phrase
prep : preposition (English)
postp : postposition (Turkish)
S : sentence

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REFERENCES

Allen Harold B.,

Applied English Linguistics, 1958

Allen J.B.P and Buren Paul Van, Chomsky:

Selected Readings, 1971

Aydın Özgür
İkinci Dil Olarak Türkçe Öğretiminde Türkçe Dilbilgisi
Betimlemelerinin Görünümü

Başkan Özcan,
Lengüistik Metodu, 1967

Beach, Emmon,
An Introduction to Transformational Grammars.
Holt, Rinchart and Winston, Inc.

Bloomfield Leonard,
Language, 1933

Bolinger Dwight,
Aspects of Language 1981
Harper and Row, Publishers, New York

Bruce L. Liles,
An introductory Transformational Grammar
Prentice Hall, Inc., Englewood Cliffs, N.J. 1971

Chomsky Noam,
Language and Mind, 2006

Chomsky Noam,
Syntactic Structures, 1957

Chomsky Noam,
Aspects of the Theory of Syntax, 1969

Chomsky Noam and Halle Morris,

The Sound Pattern of English 1968

Ediskun Haydar,
Yeni Türk Dilbilgisi, 1996

Ergin Muharrem,
Türk Dil Bilgisi, 1972

Fries Carl Carpenter,

The Structure of English, 1952

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 TURKISH GRAMMAR

Gatenby, Hornby and Wakefield;

The Advanced Learner’s Dictionary of Current English, 1952

Gencan Tahir Nejat,

Dilbilgisi, Kanaat Yayınları, İstanbul

Göknel Yüksel,
English Workbook,
Ahmet Sait Matbaası İstanbul 1976

Göknel Yüksel,
Modern Türkçe Dilbilgisi, 1974
Esen Kitabevi, Kemeraltı No. P. 30 İZMİR

Göknel Yüksel,
Üretici Dönüşümlü Dilbilgisi ve Türkçe Sözdizimi
1976, Türk Dili XXXIII / 295

Göksel Aslı, Celia Kerslake,

Turkish: A Comprehensive Grammar, 2005

Hengirmen Mehmet,
Türkçe Dilbilgisi, 2005

Hornby A.S.,
A Guide to Patterns and Usage in English 1954
Oxford Unıversıty Press

Liles Robert B.,

An introductory Transformational Grammar, 1971
Max Black, Frederick A. Praeger

Longman Dictionary Of Contemporary English

R. A. Close,
A Reference Grammar for Students of English. Longman 1982

Sezer Ayhan,
Üretimsel-Dönüşümlü Dilbilgisinin Türkçe’ye Uygulanması Üzerine Bir
Gözlem

Thomas Owen,
Transformational Grammar and the Teacher of English, 1974

Tureng Sözlük, www.tureng.com

Webster’s New World Dictionary of the American Language, 1957

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