Turkish Private Lessons 5
Turkish Private Lessons
📘 Turkish to English Translation & Grammar Table
| Turkish Sentence | English Translation | Grammar Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| Çokta severdim Antalyayı. Antalya çok güzel bir şehir. | I used to love Antalya so much. It’s such a beautiful city. | -dİ (Past Tense Suffix): The suffix -dİ (e.g., -di, -dı, -du, -dü, -ti, -tı, -tu, -tü) indicates the definite past tense, used for actions that were witnessed or completed in the past.-İ (Accusative Case): The suffix -İ (e.g., -ı, -i, -u, -ü) marks the definite direct object of the verb (answers “whom?” or “what?”).Çok da: An adverbial phrase meaning “so much,” used for emphasis. |
| Yüzmek için Antalyaya gidiyordum. | I used to go to Antalya to swim. | -mAk için (Purpose Clause): The structure Verb-mAk + için means “in order to verb.”-A (Dative Case): The suffix -A (e.g., -a, -e) indicates direction or movement towards something (answers “to where?”).-(İ)yordu (Past Continuous Tense): The structure -(İ)yor + -dİ describes a continuous or habitual action in the past. |
| Sadece yüzmeye değil ama yüzmeyede gittim. | I didn’t go just to swim, but I did go for that too. | Sadece … değil, ama … da: A conjunction pattern meaning “not only… but also.” -A (Dative Case): Used twice here ( yüzme**ye**) to indicate the purpose or goal of the action.-dİ (Past Tense): The definite past tense suffix indicates a completed action. |
| Sadece yüzmeye değil ama yüzmeyede gittim tabi. | It wasn’t just for swimming, but of course I went for that too. | Tabi (Tabii): An adverb meaning “of course” or “naturally,” used to affirm a statement. |
| Türkler genelde tatil için Muğla, Antalya, özellikle bu iki şehir ve İzmir olabilir Didim Çeşme vs. Bunlar popüler mekanlar(şehirler). | Turks usually go on vacation to Muğla, Antalya—especially these two cities—and also to İzmir, like Didim, Çeşme, etc. These are popular spots. | için: A postposition meaning “for,” indicating purpose. özellikle: An adverb meaning “especially,” used for focus. gibi / vs. (vesaire): Words used to give examples, meaning “like” and “etc.” |
| Yaz tatili için | for (the) summer vacation / for summer break | için: The postposition “for,” showing the purpose or reason. |
| Her yer otel Antalyada çok geniş bir sahil şeridi var. | There are hotels everywhere in Antalya. It has a really long coastline. | Var: The existential verb “there is/are” or “to exist.” -dA (Locative Case): The suffix -dA (e.g., -da, -de, -ta, -te) indicates location (answers “where?”). |
| Yani ne bileyim Kaş, Kemer, Kalkan, öbür tarafta Antalya merkez, Alanya, Lara bir sürü yer var. | So, you know, there are so many places: Kaş, Kemer, Kalkan… on the other side, central Antalya, Alanya, Lara… There’s a ton of spots. | Yani / ne bileyim: Discourse fillers meaning “I mean” or “you know,” used in spoken language. Öbür tarafta: A phrase meaning “on the other side.” bir sürü: A quantifier meaning “a lot of” or “a ton of.” |
| Bu yüzden orası tercih ediliyor. | That’s why it’s so popular. | Bu yüzden: A conjunction meaning “that’s why” or “therefore.” tercih ediliyor: A verb in the passive voice ( edilgen), meaning “is preferred.” The suffix -İl is used to form the passive voice. |
| Sezon geniş, uzun bir sezonu var. (tatil için) | It has a long season. / The season there is really long. | -(s)U (Possessive Suffix): The 3rd person possessive suffix -(s)U (e.g., -ı, -i, -u, -ü, -sı, -si, -su, -sü) indicates ownership (“its season” or “his/her season”).Var: The verb “to have” or “to possess” is also expressed with var in Turkish. |
📖 Key Turkish Grammar Elements Explained
| Element | Explanation in English | Example |
|---|---|---|
| -dİ (Definite Past Tense) | The suffix for the seen/direct past tense. It is used for actions the speaker witnessed or is certain about. The form changes based on vowel harmony and the last sound of the verb. | gitti (he went), sevdi (she loved), yürüdüm (I walked) |
| -(İ)yor (Present Continuous) | The suffix for the present continuous tense, describing an ongoing action or a general habit. It is one of the most common tenses. | gidiyor (he is going), seviyorum (I love) |
| -mAk için (Purpose Clause) | This structure is used to express the purpose or reason for an action. It translates to “in order to” or simply “to.” | Yüzmek için gidiyorum. (I am going to swim.) |
| -İ (Accusative Case) | This case suffix marks the definite direct object of a verb. It answers the question “whom?” or “what?” It is crucial for correct sentence structure. | Kitab**ı** okudum. (I read the book.) `Antalyayı seviyo |
📘 Turkish to English Translation & Grammar Table (New Sentences)
| Turkish Sentence | English Translation | Grammar Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| Sana diyecektim ki sen Isparta’da öğrenciydin. | I was going to tell you that you were a student in Isparta. | -(y)ecektİ (Past Future / Reported Intention): This compound tense (Verb-(y)ecək + past copula -dİ) expresses an intention or plan that was held in the past. It translates to “was going to.”ki (Conjunction): The subordinating conjunction ki means “that” and connects two clauses.-dA (Locative Case): The suffix -dA (e.g., -da, -de) indicates location (Isparta'da = in Isparta).-(y)dİ (Past Copula / Was): The past form of the copula to be (i-mek) is -(y)dİ. It is attached to nouns, adjectives, or locations to state what something/someone was in the past (öğrenciydin = you were a student). |
| Isparta Antalya’ya yakın. | Isparta is close to Antalya. | -A (Dative Case): The dative case suffix -A (e.g., -a, -e) is used here because the adjective yakın (close) requires it. It answers the question “close to what?” (Antalya'ya). |
| O yüzden Antalya’ya sık sık mı gidiyordun? | So, were you going to Antalya often? | O yüzden (Conjunction): Means “that’s why,” “so,” or “therefore.” sık sık (Adverb): Means “often” or “frequently.” mı (Question Particle): This particle is used to form yes/no questions. It follows the word it questions and follows vowel harmony ( mı, mi, mu, mü).-(İ)yor (Past Continuous Tense): The structure -(İ)yor + -dİ describes a continuous or habitual action in the past. |
| Yani baya sık gittim. | So I went quite often. | Yani (Discourse Filler): A filler word meaning “I mean,” “so,” or “well,” used to start a sentence casually. baya (Adverb – Colloquial): A common colloquial shortening of oldukça or epey, meaning “quite,” “pretty,” or “rather.”-dİ (Definite Past Tense): The definite past tense suffix indicates a completed action that the speaker is sure about. |
| Akrabalar var. Arkadaşlar var. | There are relatives. There are friends. | Var (Existential “There is/are”): The existential particle var is used to state the existence or presence of something or someone. It is the opposite of yok (there isn’t/aren’t). The subject typically comes before var. |
📖 Key Turkish Grammar Elements from These Sentences
| Element | Explanation in English | Example from Text |
|---|---|---|
| -(y)ecektİ (Past Future Tense) | This tense is used to talk about an intention, plan, or future-in-the-past that was held but not necessarily completed. It is formed by adding the future suffix -(y)ecek to the verb root, followed by the past tense form of the copula (to be). |
diyecektim (I was going to say) |
| ki (Subordinating Conjunction) | This conjunction is used to introduce a subordinate clause that complements the main clause, often translating to “that.” In modern Turkish, it is often written separately from the previous word. | ...diyecektim **ki** sen... (I was going to say that you…) |
| -(y)dİ (Past Form of “to be”) | This is the past tense copula (the “to be” verb). It is suffixed to nouns, adjectives, or other predicates to state what something or someone was in the past. | öğrenci**ydin** (you were a student) |
| -A (Dative Case with Adjectives) | Some adjectives, like yakın (close), uzak (far), and benzer (similar), require a noun in the dative case (-A) to complete their meaning. |
Antalya'**ya** yakın (close to Antalya) |
| mı (Question Particle) | This particle is used to form yes/no questions. It follows the word it questions and changes based on vowel harmony (mı, mi, mu, mü). In the past continuous tense, it is placed after the -(İ)yor part. |
gidiyor **muydun**? (were you going?) |
| baya (Colloquial Adverb) | A very common informal adverb derived from oldukça or epeyce. It means “quite,” “pretty,” “rather,” or “a lot.” It adds emphasis to the following adjective or adverb. |
baya sık (quite often) |
| Var (Existential Particle) | This word is used to state that something exists or is present. The word order is typically Subject + Var. It is not a verb but functions as the main predicate in these existential sentences. |