How to make negative sentences in past tense in Turkish

Turkish Simple Past Tense (Görülen Geçmiş Zaman)

Explanation of Simple Past Tense

The Simple Past Tense in Turkish (also known as the Definite Past Tense) is formed by adding the suffix -dı/-di/-du/-dü/-tı/-ti/-tu/-tü to the verb root, followed by a personal suffix. This tense is used for actions that were completed in the past and were directly witnessed or experienced by the speaker.

Negative Form: To make the negative form, we add -ma/-me between the verb root and the past tense suffix.

Simple Past Tense – Negative Form Examples

Türkçe Cümle	İngilizce Çeviri
Dün okula gitmedim.	I didn’t go to school yesterday.
Film izlemedik.	We didn’t watch the movie.
Ali partiye katılmadı.	Ali didn’t attend the party.
Sınavı geçemedim.	I couldn’t pass the exam.
Bana aramadın.	You didn’t call me.

Reported Past Tense (-mış/-miş/-muş/-müş) – Usage and Examples

1. For Events Not Witnessed Personally (Heard from Others)

Türkçe Cümle	İngilizce Çeviri
Dün İstanbul’a gitmiş.	I heard he went to Istanbul yesterday.
Yeni bir araba almışlar.	They say they bought a new car.
Sınavı geçmiş.	Apparently, he passed the exam.
Tatile çıkmış.	I was told she went on vacation.
Ev taşınmışlar.	I heard they moved house.

2. For Events Discovered Later

Türkçe Cümle	İngilizce Çeviri
Çantan burada unutmuşsun.	I see that you left your bag here.
Kapıyı kilitlememişim.	I just realized I didn’t lock the door.
Cüzdanımı evde unutmuşum.	It turns out I left my wallet at home.
Anahtarlar arabanın içinde kalmış.	I discovered that the keys were left in the car.
Telefonun şarjı bitmiş.	I just noticed your phone battery died.

3. For Surprising or Unexpected Events

Türkçe Cümle	İngilizce Çeviri
Lotoyu kazanmış!	Surprisingly, he won the lottery!
İki dil biliyormuş.	Unexpectedly, she knows two languages.
Çok iyi piyano çalıyormuş.	To my surprise, he plays piano very well.
Aslında zengin miş.	It turns out he’s actually rich.
Doktor olmuş.	Surprisingly, she became a doctor.

4. In Narratives and Stories

Türkçe Cümle	İngilizce Çeviri
Bir varmış, bir yokmuş.	Once upon a time, there was and there wasn’t.
Evvel zaman içinde yaşamış.	They say he lived in times past.
Kalbur saman içinde kalmış.	The story goes it remained in sieve through straw.
Çok uzak diyarlara gitmiş.	Legend has it he went to very distant lands.
Büyük bir savaş çıkmış.	The tale tells a great war broke out.

Definite vs Reported Negative Past Tense Comparison

Türkçe (Definite)	İngilizce (Definite)	Türkçe (Reported)	İngilizce (Reported)
Dün İstanbul’a gitmedi	He didn’t go to Istanbul yesterday	Dün İstanbul’a gitmemiş	Apparently, he didn’t go to Istanbul yesterday
Ödevini yapmadı	She didn’t do her homework	Ödevini yapmamış	They say she didn’t do her homework
Bize gelmediler	They didn’t come to us	Bize gelmemişler	I heard they didn’t come to us
Yemeği beğenmedim	I didn’t like the food	Yemeği beğenmemişim	It seems I didn’t like the food
Seni aramadık	We didn’t call you	Seni aramamışız	Apparently, we didn’t call you
Evden çıkmadı	He didn’t leave the house	Evden çıkmamış	I heard he didn’t leave the house
Haberi duymadım	I didn’t hear the news	Haberi duymamışım	It seems I didn’t hear the news
Partiye katılmadı	She didn’t attend the party	Partiye katılmamış	They say she didn’t attend the party
Soruyu cevaplamadın	You didn’t answer the question	Soruyu cevaplamamışsın	I heard you didn’t answer the question
Araba kullanmadı	He didn’t drive the car	Araba kullanmamış	Apparently, he didn’t drive the car
Para ödemedi	She didn’t pay the money	Para ödememiş	They say she didn’t pay the money
Kapıyı açmadı	He didn’t open the door	Kapıyı açmamış	I heard he didn’t open the door
Bizi beklemedin	You didn’t wait for us	Bizi beklememişsin	Apparently, you didn’t wait for us
Mektubu yazmadı	She didn’t write the letter	Mektubu yazmamış	They say she didn’t write the letter
Şarkı söylemedik	We didn’t sing the song	Şarkı söylememişiz	It seems we didn’t sing the song
Çay içmedi	He didn’t drink the tea	Çay içmemiş	I heard he didn’t drink the tea
Ders çalışmadı	She didn’t study for the lesson	Ders çalışmamış	Apparently, she didn’t study for the lesson
Telefon etmedin	You didn’t phone	Telefon etmemişsin	They say you didn’t phone
Sınava girmedi	He didn’t take the exam	Sınava girmemiş	I heard he didn’t take the

ÖRNEKLER

Türkçe Cümle	İngilizce Çeviri
Dün maça git….	I didn’t go to the match yesterday.
Siz bizi bekle….	You didn’t wait for us.
Kardeşim ödevini yap….	My sibling didn’t do their homework.
Oğlum yemek ye….	My son ate the meal.
Onlar bize gel…	They didn’t come to us.
Ben kitap oku….	I read a book.
Annem yemek pişir….	My mother didn’t cook.
Sen dün ara….	You didn’t call yesterday.
Öğrenciler sınavı geç….	The students passed the exam.
Biz konsere git…	We went to the concert.
Arkadaşım partiye katıl….	My friend didn’t attend the party.
Çocuklar uyu…	The children slept.
Müdür toplantıya katıl….	The manager didn’t attend the meeting.
Biz müze gez….	We visited the museum.
Siz raporu tamamla…..	You didn’t complete the report.
Takımımız maçı kazan….	Our team won the match.
Komşular tatile git…..	The neighbors didn’t go on vacation.
Kuzenim üniversiteden mezun ol….	My cousin graduated from university.
Misafirler erken ayrıl….	The guests didn’t leave early.
Ben yeni bir iş bul….	I found a new job.

Türkçe Soru	İngilizce Çeviri
1. Dün çay iç… ..?	Did you drink tea yesterday?
2. Üniversitede İspanyolca öğren… …..?	Had you learned Spanish in university?
3. Geçen hafta sinemaya git… ..?	Did you go to the cinema last week?
4. Çocukken piyano çal… …..?	Had you played piano as a child?
5. Dün akşam yemek yap… ..?	Did you cook dinner yesterday evening?
6. Lisede Fransızca öğren… …..?	Had you learned French in high school?
7. Sabah kahvaltı yap… ..?	Did you have breakfast this morning?
8. Gençken yurtdışında yaşa… …..?	Had you lived abroad when you were young?
9. Dün arkadaşlarınla buluş… ..?	Did you meet with your friends yesterday?
10. Çocukken bisiklete binmeyi öğren… …?	Had you learned to ride a bike as a child?
11. Geçen hafta sonu dinlen…. ..?	Did you rest last weekend?
12. Üniversitede yurt odasında kal… ……?	Had you stayed in a dorm room in university?
13. Dün kitap oku… ..?	Did you read a book yesterday?
14. Gençliğinde gitar çal…. …..?	Had you played guitar in your youth?
15. Sabah spor yap… ..?	Did you exercise this morning?
16. Lisede tiyatro kulübüne katıl… ………?	Had you joined the theater club in high school?

Türkçe Cümle	İngilizce Çeviri (Simple Past)	İngilizce Çeviri (Reported Past)
Dün okula git….	I didn’t go to school yesterday.	Apparently, I didn’t go to school yesterday.
Ayşe dün beni ara….	Ayşe didn’t call me yesterday.	I heard Ayşe didn’t call me yesterday.
Biz konsere git….	We didn’t go to the concert.	They say we didn’t go to the concert.
Oğlum ödevini yap….	My son didn’t do his homework.	Apparently, my son didn’t do his homework.
Siz bizi bekle….	You didn’t wait for us.	I heard you didn’t wait for us.
Onlar partiye katıl….	They didn’t attend the party.	They say they didn’t attend the party.
Ben kitap oku….	I didn’t read a book.	Apparently, I didn’t read a book.
Çocuklar uyu….	The children didn’t sleep.	I heard the children didn’t sleep.
Müdür toplantıya gel….	The manager didn’t come to the meeting.	Apparently, the manager didn’t come to the meeting.
Misafirler erken ayrıl….	The guests didn’t leave early.	I heard the guests didn’t leave early.
Dün sinemaya git….	I went to the cinema yesterday.	Apparently, I went to the cinema yesterday.
Ali ödevlerini bitir….	Ali finished his homework.	I heard Ali finished his homework.
Biz akşam yemeği ye….	We ate dinner.	They say we ate dinner.
Sen dün beni ara…..	You called me yesterday.	Apparently, you called me yesterday.
Onlar eve erken gel….	They came home early.	I heard they came home early.
Ben kitap oku….	I read a book.	They say I read a book.
Öğrenciler sınavı geç….	The students passed the exam.	Apparently, the students passed the exam.
Biz müze gez….	We visited the museum.	I heard we visited the museum.
Takımımız maçı kazan….	Our team won the match.	They say our team won the match.
Kuzenim üniversiteden mezun ol….	My cousin graduated from university.	Apparently, my cousin graduated from university.

Turkish Reported Past Tense Questions with “-miş”

Türkçe Soru	İngilizce Çeviri	Neden “-miş” Kullanıldı? (English Explanation)
1. Dün yemek sipariş etmiş miydiniz?	Had you ordered food yesterday?	Used because the speaker didn’t witness the action and is asking based on hearsay or evidence
2. İki sene önce İzmir’e gitmiş miydiniz?	Had you gone to Izmir two years ago?	Asking about an unverified past event that wasn’t witnessed by the speaker
3. Geçen hafta konsere gitmiş miydi?	Had she gone to the concert last week?	The speaker learned this information from someone else
4. Çocukken piyano çalmış mıydın?	Had you played piano as a child?	Asking about childhood memories that weren’t personally witnessed by the speaker
5. Dün akşam yağmur yağmış mıydı?	Had it rained yesterday evening?	Asking based on indirect evidence (like wet ground) rather than direct observation
6. Üniversitede almış mıydın bu dersi?	Had you taken this course in university?	Referring to past education that the speaker didn’t witness
7. Geçen ay tatil için rezervasyon yapmış mıydınız?	Had you made reservations for vacation last month?	Asking about past planning that wasn’t directly observed
8. Çocuklar dün ödevlerini yapmışlar mıydı?	Had the children done their homework yesterday?	Asking based on what someone said rather than direct knowledge
9. Gençken futbol oynamış mıydın?	Had you played football when you were young?	Inquiring about past activities from before the speaker knew the person
10. Dün toplantıya katılmış mıydı?	Had he attended the meeting yesterday?	Asking about someone else’s attendance that wasn’t witnessed
11. Önceki evinizde yüzmeyi öğrenmiş miydiniz?	Had you learned to swim in your previous house?	Asking about past learning experiences not directly observed
12. Geçen yıl bu kursa kaydolmuş muydun?	Had you registered for this course last year?	Referring to past registration that the speaker didn’t witness
13. Çocukken bisiklete binmeyi öğrenmiş miydin?	Had you learned to ride a bike as a child?	Asking about childhood skills acquisition not personally seen
14. Dün maçı izlemiş miydiniz?	Had you watched the match yesterday?	Inquiring about past viewing that wasn’t directly observed
15. Gençliğinde yurtdışında yaşamış mıydın?	Had you lived abroad in your youth?	Asking about past life experiences from before knowing the person
16. Geçen hafta sonu şehir dışına çıkmış mıydınız?	Had you gone out of town last weekend?	Asking based on hearsay or indirect information
17. Çocukken denizi ilk ne zaman görmüştün?	When had you first seen the sea as a child?	Asking about childhood memories not personally witnessed
18. Dün akşam arkadaşlarınla buluşmuş muydun?	Had you met with your friends yesterday evening?	Inquiring about past meetings not directly observed
19. Üniversitede yurt odasında kalmış mıydın?	Had you stayed in a dorm room in university?	Asking about past living arrangements not personally seen
20. Geçen ay doğum günü kutlamış mıydınız?	Had you celebrated your birthday last month?	Asking about past celebrations that weren’t witnessed

“-miş” Kullanımının Genel Açıklaması:

The “-miş” suffix (reported/hearsay past) is used in Turkish when:

The speaker didn’t witness the action personally
The information was learned from someone else
Talking about past events that were discovered later
Referring to historical or biographical information
Expressing surprise about newly learned information
When there’s indirect evidence rather than direct observation

This form creates distance between the speaker and the action, indicating that the information is secondhand or based on inference rather than direct experience.

Turkish Grammer