Passive Voice in Turkish
What is the Passive Voice in Turkish?
In Turkish, the passive voice (edilgen çatı) is used when the doer of the action is either unknown, unimportant, or explicitly mentioned with “tarafından” (by someone). Passive sentences focus on the object rather than the subject.
How to Form the Passive Voice in Turkish?
To make a verb passive in Turkish:
- If the verb root ends in a vowel, add -n before the tense suffix.
- If the verb root ends in a consonant, add -l before the tense suffix.
For example:
- Oku (read) → Oku-n-du (was read)
- Yaz (write) → Yaz-ıl-dı (was written)
Example 1:
Active:
Erkek kardeşim bu kitabı bir haftada okudu.
(My brother read this book in a week.)
Passive:
Bu kitap bir haftada erkek kardeşim tarafından okundu.
(This book was read by my brother in a week.)
Passive formation explanation:
- Oku ends in a vowel (u), so we add -n before the past tense suffix -du → okun-du.
- Tarafından (by) is used to specify the doer.
Example 2:
Active:
Kız kardeşim dün bulaşıkları yıkadı.
(My sister washed the dishes yesterday.)
Passive:
Bulaşıklar dün kız kardeşim tarafından yıkandı.
(The dishes were washed by my sister yesterday.)
Explanation:
- Yıka ends in a vowel (a), so we add -n → yıkan-dı.
Example 3:
Active:
Teyzem partide çikolatalı pasta yedi.
(My aunt ate chocolate cake at the party.)
Passive:
Çikolatalı pasta partide teyzem tarafından yenildi.
(The chocolate cake was eaten by my aunt at the party.)
Explanation:
- Ye is an irregular verb, and its passive form is yenildi instead of following the normal pattern.
Example 4:
Active:
Amcam dün duvarı boyadı.
(My uncle painted the wall yesterday.)
Passive:
Duvar dün amcam tarafından boyandı.
(The wall was painted by my uncle yesterday.)
Explanation:
- Boya ends in a vowel (a), so we add -n → boyan-dı.
Verbs Ending in a Consonant (Use “-l”)
Example 5:
Active:
Annem geçen hafta mektubu yazdı.
(My mother wrote the letter last week.)
Passive:
Mektup geçen hafta annem tarafından yazıldı.
(The letter was written by my mother last week.)
Explanation:
- Yaz ends in a consonant (z), so we add -l → yazıl-dı.
Example 6:
Active:
Babam sabah kapıyı açtı.
(My father opened the door in the morning.)
Passive:
Kapı sabah babam tarafından açıldı.
(The door was opened by my father in the morning.)
Explanation:
- Aç ends in a consonant (ç), so we add -l → açıl-dı.
Example 7:
Active:
Kuzenim bu sabah Türk kahvesi içti.
(My cousin drank Turkish coffee this morning.)
Passive:
Türk kahvesi bu sabah kuzenim tarafından içildi.
(Turkish coffee was drunk by my cousin this morning.)
Explanation:
- İç ends in a consonant (ç), so we add -l → içil-di.
Example 8:
Active:
Yeğenim akşam yemeği için salata yaptı.
(My nephew/niece made salad for dinner.)
Passive:
Salata akşam yemeği için yeğenim tarafından yapıldı.
(The salad was made by my nephew/niece for dinner.)
Explanation:
- Yap ends in a consonant (p), so we add -l → yapıl-dı.
İmportant passive rule in Turkish
Passive Voice Suffix: -in or -il?
In Turkish, verbs take either -in or -il in the passive form. The choice depends on the number of syllables in the verb root.
Rule:
- If the verb has only ONE syllable → Use “-il”
- If the verb has TWO or more syllables → Use “-in”
- Exception: Some historically two-syllable verbs (e.g., gel, gör, sev, ver) take “-in”, even though they seem like one syllable today.
Comparison Table:
| Verb Root | Syllables | Ends in | Passive Form | Explanation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| iç (to drink) | 1 | Consonant | içildi | 1 syllable → “-il” |
| yap (to do) | 1 | Consonant | yapıldı | 1 syllable → “-il” |
| bul (to find) | 1 | Consonant | bulundu | 1 syllable → “-il” |
| gel (to come) | 1 (historically 2) | Consonant | gelindi | Exception → “-in” |
| gör (to see) | 1 (historically 2) | Consonant | görüldü | Exception → “-in” |
| sev (to love) | 1 (historically 2) | Consonant | sevildi | Exception → “-in” |
| aç (to open) | 1 | Consonant | açıldı | 1 syllable → “-il” |
| yaz (to write) | 1 | Consonant | yazıldı | 1 syllable → “-il” |
| yıka (to wash) | 2 | Vowel | yıkandı | 2 syllables → “-in” |
| sil (to wipe) | 1 | Consonant | silindi | 1 syllable → “-il” |
Key Takeaways (Özet Kurallar)
✅ If the verb is one syllable, use -il (iç → içildi).
✅ If the verb is two or more syllables, use -in (yıka → yıkandı).
✅ Some historically two-syllable verbs (like gel, gör, sev) take -in, even though they seem like one syllable today (gel → gelindi).
This explains why we say “içildi” but “gelindi”.
Lesson Number 87