Past Simple Tense in Turkish
Past Simple Tense in Turkish
🎯 A Complete Guide to Turkish Past Simple Tense (-di’li Geçmiş Zaman)
❓ Question 1: How is the Past Simple Tense used in Turkish?
The Past Simple Tense in Turkish, known as “-di’li Geçmiş Zaman” or “The Definite Past Tense,” is used for actions that were completed in the past. The speaker has direct, first-hand knowledge of the event, having witnessed it or known it to be a definite fact.
Key Usage Points:
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Completed Actions: For events that started and finished at a specific time in the past.
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Example:
Dün film izledim.(I watched a movie yesterday.)
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Definite Knowledge: When the speaker is certain about the occurrence of the event.
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Example:
Ahmet dün ofstaydı.(Ahmet was offside yesterday.) – The speaker saw it.
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Past Habits: To describe habits or repeated actions in the past.
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Example:
Çocukken her yaz dedemlere giderdik.(We used to go to my grandparents’ house every summer when I was a child.)
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🔤 Question 2: What are the Past Simple Tense suffixes in Turkish?
The Past Simple is formed by adding the -dı/-di/-du/-dü or -tı/-ti/-tu/-tü suffix to the verb root. The choice depends on the Verb Root’s Last Letter and is governed by Turkish consonant harmony (ünsüz benzeşmesi).
The following table shows the rules for choosing the correct suffix.
| Rule | Explanation | Verb Root | Past Tense Form | English Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vowel or Soft Consonant | If the verb root ends in a vowel or a soft consonant (f, s, t, k, ç, ş, h, p), use the -dı/-di/-du/-dü set. | Oku (to read) |
Okudu | Read |
| Hard Consonant | If the verb root ends in one of the hard consonants (ç, f, h, k, s, ş, t, p), use the -tı/-ti/-tu/-tü set. This is a phonetic change for easier pronunciation. | Seç (to choose) |
Seçti | Chose |
| Other Consonants | If the verb root ends with other consonants (e.g., m, n, r, y), use the -dı/-di/-du/-dü set. | Gel (to come) |
Geldi | Came |
👤 Question 3: Are personal suffixes added after the Past Simple suffix in Turkish?
Yes, absolutely. This is a fundamental difference from English. After the past tense suffix (-di/-ti), you must add a personal suffix that indicates the subject (I, you, he, we, etc.). This is why the subject pronoun (ben, sen, o, biz, siz, onlar) is often dropped in Turkish; the person is already clear from the suffix.
Personal Suffixes:
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I → –m (
-ım/-im/-um/-üm) -
You (sing.) → –n (
-ın/-in/-un/-ün) -
He/She/It → – (no suffix)
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We → –k (
-ık/-ik/-uk/-ük) -
You (formal/pl.) → –nız (
-ınız/-iniz/-unuz/-ünüz) -
They → –lar (
-ları/-leri/-luru/-lürü)
The table below conjugates the verb Bakmak (to look) in both affirmative and negative forms for all persons.
Affirmative Form (Olumlu)
| Person | Suffix Combination | Example: Bakmak |
English Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| I (Ben) | -di + -m | Baktım | I looked |
| You (Sen) | -di + -n | Baktın | You looked |
| He/She/It (O) | -di (no suffix) | Baktı | He/She looked |
| We (Biz) | -di + -k | Baktık | We looked |
| You (Formal) (Siz) | -di + -nız | Baktınız | You looked |
| They (Onlar) | -di + -lar | Baktılar | They looked |
Negative Form (Olumsuz)
The negative is formed by adding -ma/-me to the verb root before the tense and personal suffixes.
| Person | Suffix Combination | Example: Bak + ma + mak |
English Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| I (Ben) | -ma + -di + -m | Bakmadım | I didn’t look |
| You (Sen) | -ma + -di + -n | Bakmadın | You didn’t look |
| He/She/It (O) | -ma + -di | Bakmadı | He/She didn’t look |
| We (Biz) | -ma + -di + -k | Bakmadık | We didn’t look |
| You (Formal) (Siz) | -ma + -di + -nız | Bakmadınız | You didn’t look |
| They (Onlar) | -ma + -di + -lar | Bakmadılar | They didn’t look |
💡 Grammar Note: Vowel Harmony
Remember that all suffixes (past tense and personal) must follow Major Vowel Harmony, changing their vowels to match the last vowel of the word they are attached to.
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For
a, ı, o, u→ use-dı/-tı,-ım,-ız -
For
e, i, ö, ü→ use-di/-ti,-im,-iz
Example with Gelmek (to come):
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Gel+di+m→Geldim(I came) -
Gel+me+di+m→Gelmedim(I didn’t come)
Turkish Dialogue Breakdown: Mastering the Past Tense
Here is a detailed, table-based explanation of your Turkish dialogue. The third column specifically explains the crucial grammar rules for the past tense suffixes (-di, -du, -ydı, -ydi).
| Turkish Sentence / Phrase | Word-for-Word Translation & Meaning | Grammar Explanation (Focus on Past Tense) |
|---|---|---|
| Nasılsın? | How are you? (Literal: “How you are?”) | Present tense. “Nasıl” (how) + “-sın” (you are). |
| Teşekkürker | Thanks. | A common typo/friendly shortening of “Teşekkürler”. |
| Bugün geçmiş zaman hakkında konuşalım. | Let’s talk about the past tense today. | “Konuşalım” is the imperative “Let’s talk”. The topic is the past tense. |
| Yarın | Tomorrow | Future time expression. |
| Bugün | Today | Present time expression. |
| Dün | Yesterday | Past time expression. This word signals that the past tense will be used. |
| Güzel | Beautiful (Present/General) | The base form of the adjective. |
| Güzeldi. | It was beautiful. | Rule 1: Consonant Ending. “Güzel” ends with a consonant (L). Therefore, the past tense suffix -di is added directly. |
| Deli | Crazy (Present/General) | The base form of the adjective. |
| Deliydi. | He/She was crazy. | Rule 2: Vowel Ending. “Deli” ends with a vowel (İ). To avoid two vowels clashing, we add a buffer letter -y-, then the past tense suffix -di. |
| Akıllıydı. | He/She was smart. | Rule 2: Vowel Ending. “Akıllı” ends with a vowel (I). Buffer -y- + -dı. The suffix is -dı (not -di) due to vowel harmony from the last vowel “I”. |
| Zeki | Intelligent (Present/General) | The base form of the adjective. |
| Zekiydi. | He/She was intelligent. | Rule 2: Vowel Ending. “Zeki” ends with a vowel (İ). Buffer -y- + -di. |
| Zengin | Rich (Present/General) | The base form of the adjective. |
| Zengindi. | He/She was rich. | Rule 1: Consonant Ending. “Zengin” ends with a consonant (N). The past tense suffix -di is added directly. |
| Adam çok zengindi. | The man was very rich. | Same as above. The subject (“Adam”) is specified, but the person is still marked on the adjective. |
| Fakir | Poor (Present/General) | The base form of the adjective. |
| Adam fakirdi. | The man was poor. | Rule 1: Consonant Ending. “Fakir” ends with a consonant (R). The past tense suffix -di is added directly. |
| Uzun | Long (Present/General) | The base form of the adjective. |
| Yolculuk uzundu. | The journey was long. | Rule 1: Consonant Ending + Vowel Harmony. “Uzun” ends with a consonant (N). The past tense suffix is -du (not -di) because of vowel harmony. The last vowel in “uzun” is “U”, so the suffix must be -du. |
| Son sesli harf önemli. | The last vowel is important. | This is the key to vowel harmony! The last vowel in the word determines the vowel in the suffix (e.g., -di, -du, -dı, -dü). |
| Evli | Married (Present/General) | The base form of the adjective. |
| O evliydi. | He/She was married. | Rule 2: Vowel Ending. “Evli” ends with a vowel (İ). Buffer -y- + -di. |
| Dün Malezya’da hava nasıldı? | How was the weather in Malaysia yesterday? | Rule 1: Consonant Ending + Vowel Harmony. “Nasıl” ends with a consonant (L). The last vowel is “I”, so the past tense suffix becomes -dı. “Nasıldı?” |
| Nasıl | How (Present/General) | The base form of the question word. |
| Nasıldı? | How was it? | The past tense form of “how?”. |
| Dün hava yağmurluydu. | The weather was rainy yesterday. | Rule 2: Vowel Ending. “Yağmurlu” ends with a vowel (U). Buffer -y- + -du. The suffix is -du because of the vowel “U”. |
| Güneşli | Sunny (Present/General) | The base form of the adjective. |
| Hava güneşliydi. | The weather was sunny. | Rule 2: Vowel Ending. “Güneşli” ends with a vowel (İ). Buffer -y- + -di. |
| Karlı | Snowy (Present/General) | The base form of the adjective. |
| Dün karlıydı. | It was snowy yesterday. | Rule 2: Vowel Ending + Vowel Harmony. “Karlı” ends with a vowel (I). Buffer -y- + -dı. The suffix is -dı because of the vowel “I”. |
| Sisli | Foggy (Present/General) | The base form of the adjective. |
| Dün hava sisliydi. | The weather was foggy yesterday. | Rule 2: Vowel Ending. “Sisli” ends with a vowel (İ). Buffer -y- + -di. |
| İstanbul’da yemek yedin mi? | Did you eat food in Istanbul? | Past tense for a verb. “Ye-” (to eat) + “-di” (past) + “-n” (you). “Yedin” = “You ate”. The “-mi” is the question particle. |
| İstanbul’da yemek yedim. | I ate food in Istanbul. | Past tense for a verb. “Ye-” (to eat) + “-di” (past) + “-m” (I). “Yedim” = “I ate”. |
| Yemekler nasıldı? | How were the foods? | Same as “nasıldı” above. Asking about a past state. |
| Yemekler lezzetliydi. | The foods were delicious. | Rule 2: Vowel Ending. “Lezzetli” ends with a vowel (İ). Buffer -y- + -di. |
| Bu sabah kahvaltı yaptın mı? | Did you have breakfast this morning? | Past tense for a verb. “Yap-” (to do/make) + “-tı” (past, because root ends in P) + “-n” (you). “Yaptın” = “You did”. |
| Evet, tabiki kahvaltı yaptım. | Yes, of course I had breakfast. | Past tense for a verb. “Yap-” (to do/make) + “-tı” (past) + “-m” (I). “Yaptım” = “I did”. |
| Kahvaltıda neler vardı? | What was there at breakfast? / What did you have for breakfast? | Past tense for the verb “var” (to exist). “Var” + “-dı” (past). “Vardı” = “There was/were”. |
| Kahvaltıda çay, peynir, domates ve yumurta vardı. | There was tea, cheese, tomato, and egg at breakfast. | Same as above. “Vardı” is used to list things that existed. |
Summary of Key Grammar Rules:
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The Core Suffix: The past tense suffix for nouns and adjectives is -dı/-di/-du/-dü.
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Rule 1: Words Ending in a CONSONANT
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Add the suffix directly: Güzel -> Güzeldi, Zengin -> Zengindi.
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The vowel in the suffix follows vowel harmony from the last vowel in the word: Uzun (U) -> Uzundu.
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Rule 2: Words Ending in a VOWEL
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You must use a buffer letter -y- to separate the two vowels: Deli -> Deliydi, Akıllı -> Akıllıydı.
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The suffix still follows vowel harmony: Yağmurlu (U) -> Yağmurluydu.
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