How to Use Was Going to Be Able To in Turkish
How to Use “Was Going to Be Able To” in Turkish
This structure is used to express a past intention or plan that was also contingent on ability or possibility. It combines the future-in-the-past tense with the modal verb for ability (“can”). Think of it as “I was going to be able to do…”
In Turkish, this complex meaning is created by adding a specific sequence of suffixes to the verb root. Let’s break it down step-by-step.
The Step-by-Step Formula
To form this structure, we follow this specific order of suffixes:
Verb Root + Ability Suffix (-Ebil) + Future Tense Suffix (-EcEK) + Past Tense Suffix (-Dİ) + Personal Suffix
Let’s analyze this with the example verb yapmak (to do/make).
| Step | Component | Suffix | Explanation | Example with yapmak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Verb Root | – | Take the verb without the “-mak/-mek” infinitive ending. | yap |
| 2 | Ability/Can (“e-bilmek”) | -Ebil |
Adds the meaning “to be able to”. The -E vowel harmonizes. |
yap + *ebil* =yapabil |
| 3 | Future Tense | -EcEK |
Adds the future/planned action meaning. The -E vowel harmonizes. |
yapabil + *ecek* =yapabilecek |
| 4 | Past Tense (“di’li geçmiş zaman”) | -Dİ |
Anchors the whole planned action in the past. The -İ vowel harmonizes. |
yapabilecek + *di* =yapabilecekti |
| 5 | Personal Suffix | -m / -n / -k / -niz / -ler |
Indicates the person. Crucially, this suffix is added according to the Past Tense rules, not the Future Tense. | yapabilecekti + *m* =yapabilecektim |
Final Translation: yapabilecektim = I was going to be able to do.
Full Conjugation Table (Verb: Gitmek – to go)
Let’s see the full conjugation with different pronouns. Notice the vowel harmony in every suffix .s
| Pronoun | English Meaning | Turkish Conjugation | Breakdown |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ben | I was going to be able to go | gidebilecektim |
git-ebil–ecek–di-m |
| Sen | You (sing.) were going to be able to go | gidebilecektin |
git-ebil–ecek–di-n |
| O | He/She/It was going to be able to go | gidebilecekti |
git-ebil–ecek–di– |
| Biz | We were going to be able to go | gidebilecektik |
git-ebil–ecek–di-k |
| Siz | You (pl./formal) were going to be able to go | gidebilecektiniz |
git-ebil–ecek–di-niz |
| Onlar | They were going to be able to go | gidebileceklerdi |
git-ebil–ecek–ler-di |
Practice table for Turkish students
| Türkçe Cümle | İngilizce Çeviri ve Kelimeler |
|---|---|
| 🧑🎓 Ben, dün okula kek götür…. | 🗣️ I was going to be able to take cake to school yesterday. 📝 (Ben = I, dün = yesterday, okul = school, kek = cake, götürebilmek = to be able to take) |
| 👩 O, partiye yeni bir oyun getir…. | 🗣️ She was going to be able to bring a new game to the party. 📝 (O = She, parti = party, yeni = new, oyun = game, getirebilmek = to be able to bring) |
| 👥 Siz, bu kitabı kütüphaneye iade ed…. | 🗣️ You were going to be able to return this book to the library. 📝 (Siz = You, bu = this, kitap = book, kütüphane = library, iade edebilmek = to be able to return) |
| 👨👩👧 Biz, onlara evimizin fotoğraflarını göster….. | 🗣️ We were going to be able to show them the photos of our house. 📝 (Biz = We, onlara = them, ev = house, fotoğraf = photo, gösterebilmek = to be able to show) |
| 🏖️ Onlar, sahilde bize katıl…. | 🗣️ They were going to be able to join us on the beach. 📝 (Onlar = They, sahil = beach, biz = us, katılabilmek = to be able to join) |
| 🎵 Sen, bana bu şarkıyı öğret…. | 🗣️ You were going to be able to teach me this song. 📝 (Sen = You, ben = me, bu = this, şarkı = song, öğretebilmek = to be able to teach) |
| 👨 O, annesi için çiçek topla…. | 🗣️ He was going to be able to pick flowers for his mother. 📝 (O = He, anne = mother, için = for, çiçek = flowers, toplayabilmek = to be able to pick) |
| 💌 Ben, sana bir mektup yaz…. | 🗣️ I was going to be able to write you a letter. 📝 (Ben = I, sen = you, bir = a, mektup = letter, yazabilmek = to be able to write) |
| ⚽ Onlar, maçı birlikte izle…. | 🗣️ They were going to be able to watch the match together. 📝 (Onlar = They, maç = match, birlikte = together, izleyebilmek = to be able to watch) |
| 🧩 Siz, bu problemi çöz…z. | 🗣️ You were going to be able to solve this problem. 📝 (Siz = You, bu = this, problem = problem, çözebilmek = to be able to solve) |
| 🏫 Ben, yeni bir okula gid…. | 🗣️ I was going to be able to go to a new school. 📝 (Ben = I, yeni = new, okul = school, gidebilmek = to be able to go) |
| 🚗 O, arabasını tamir ed…. | 🗣️ He was going to be able to repair his car. 📝 (O = He, araba = car, tamir etmek = to repair, edebilmek = to be able to do) |
| 📖 Biz, bu romanı oku….. | 🗣️ We were going to be able to read this novel. 📝 (Biz = We, bu = this, roman = novel, okuyabilmek = to be able to read) |
| 🎉 Onlar, partiye erken gel….. | 🗣️ They were going to be able to come to the party early. 📝 (Onlar = They, parti = party, erken = early, gelebilmek = to be able to come) |
| 🍳 Sen, kahvaltıyı hazırla….. | 🗣️ You were going to be able to prepare the breakfast. 📝 (Sen = You, kahvaltı = breakfast, hazırlayabilmek = to be able to prepare) |
| 🎁 Ben, ona hediye al….. | 🗣️ I was going to be able to buy him a gift. 📝 (Ben = I, ona = him, hediye = gift, alabilmek = to be able to buy) |
| 🏃 O, yarışmayı kaz…. | 🗣️ She was going to be able to win the race. 📝 (O = She, yarışma = race, kazanabilmek = to be able to win) |
| 🌍 Biz, yurtdışına taşın…. | 🗣️ We were going to be able to move abroad. 📝 (Biz = We, yurtdışı = abroad, taşınabilmek = to be able to move) |
| 🎬 Onlar, filmi bitir… | 🗣️ They were going to be able to finish the movie. 📝 (Onlar = They, film = movie, bitirebilmek = to be able to finish) |
| 💼 Siz, yeni işi bul…. | 🗣️ You were going to be able to find the new job. 📝 (Siz = You, yeni = new, iş = job, bulabilmek = to be able to find) |
How can you ask questions in Turkish using the phrase “Was Going to Be Able To”?
Quiz examples for Turkish language learners. Please fill in the blanks with the correct suffixes.
