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Turkish Negative Past Tense
Turkish Negative Past Tense
Lesson: How to Say “DIDN’T” in Turkish! 🚫⏰
(Focus: Definite Past Tense – Negative Form)
Hello everyone! Today, we are tackling a fundamental part of Turkish grammar: talking about what you DIDN’T do in the past. Let’s learn it step-by-step through questions!
Answer | Examples & Visual Aids |
---|---|
🤔 QUESTION: What is the “Definite Past Tense” (-dı Past)? 💡 ANSWER: It is called the “-dı past” or “seen past.” It is used for actions you witnessed, experienced, or are certain about, just like the English Simple Past (I went, I did). |
geldim (I came) yazdın (you wrote) okudu (he/she read) 👁️ ➡️ Used for events you saw. |
🚫 QUESTION: How do we make it NEGATIVE? 💡 ANSWER: By adding a “not” suffix. The structure is: Verb Root + -ma/-me + -dı/-di + Personal Suffix |
|
1. Step: Start with the VERB ROOT This is the core of the verb (remove -mek/-mak). |
gitmek (to go) → git- yemek (to eat) → ye- |
2. Step: Add the NEGATION SUFFIX (-ma/-me) This is the “not” part. It follows vowel harmony. |
git- + -me = gitme ye- + -me = yeme |
3. Step: Add the PAST TENSE SUFFIX (-dı/-di/-du/-dü) This is the “-ed” or “did” part. It also follows vowel harmony. |
gitme + -di = gitmedi yeme + -di = yemedi |
4. Step: Add the PERSONAL SUFFIX (I, you, he, etc.) This tells us who did the action. |
Ben gitme + di + m = gitmedim (I did not go) O ye + me + di = yemedi (He did not eat) |
✨ NEGATIVE FORM – FULL CONJUGATION TABLE (“gitmek” – to go)
English | Turkish | English | Turkish |
---|---|---|---|
I did not go | gitmedim | We did not go | gitmedik |
You did not go | gitmedin | You did not go | gitmediniz |
He/She did not go | gitmedi | They did not go | gitmediler |
🎯 THIRD QUESTION: What are the Personal Suffixes?
Here is the key. For the negative definite past, the personal suffixes are:
Person | Suffix | Example (from gitmek – to go) |
---|---|---|
I | -m |
git-me-di-m (I didn’t go) |
You (sing.) | -n |
git-me-di-n (You didn’t go) |
He/She/It | - |
git-me-di (He didn’t go) |
We | -k |
git-me-di-k (We didn’t go) |
You (formal/pl.) | -nız/-niz |
git-me-di-niz (You didn’t go) |
They | -lar/-ler |
git-me-di-ler (They didn’t go) |
👉 IMPORTANT NOTE: For the 3rd person singular (he/she/it), there is NO personal suffix. The word ends with the past tense suffix (-dı
).
Examine the sentences and grammar rules in the video.
🧠 Turkish Past Tense Practice & Grammar Breakdown
Turkish Sentence & Translation | English Grammar Explanations |
---|---|
1. Sınav başladı. The exam started. |
baş-la-dıbaşla (verb root: “to start”) + -dı (past tense suffix for 3rd person singular – he/she/it). Because the verb root ends with a vowel, we use the -dı form directly. |
2. Film başladı. The movie started. |
baş-la-dı Same structure as above. Film is the subject. The verb doesn’t need a personal suffix because the subject is the 3rd person singular (it). |
3. Yarış başladı. The race started. |
baş-la-dı Again, the same grammatical structure. Yarış (race) is the 3rd person singular subject. |
4. Dün adam çalıştı. The man worked yesterday. |
çalış-tıçalış (verb root: “to work”) + -tı (past tense). Here, the past tense is -tı because the verb root ends in a consonant (ç, f, h, k, p, s, ş, t). Adam (the man) is the subject. |
5. Sen dün Türkçe çalıştın mı? Did you study Turkish yesterday? |
çalış-tı-nçalış (to work/study) + -tı (past tense) + -n (personal suffix for “you” – sen). mı is the question particle. |
6. Evet, dün Türkçe çalıştım. Yes, I studied Turkish yesterday. |
çalış-tı-mçalış + -tı (past tense) + -m (personal suffix for “I” – ben). |
7. Çalışmadım. I didn’t study. |
çalış-ma-dı-mçalış + -ma (negative suffix “not”) + -dı (past tense) + -m (I). The negative -ma comes before the past tense -dı . |
8. Senin annen Türkçe çalıştı mı? Did your mother study Turkish? |
çalış-tıçalış + -tı (past tense). No personal suffix is needed because the subject annen (your mother) is 3rd person singular. Senin means “your”. |
9. Annem Türkçe çalışmadı. My mother didn’t study Turkish. |
çalış-ma-dıçalış + -ma (not) + -dı (past tense). 3rd person singular, so no personal suffix. Annem means “my mother”. |
10. Geldim. I came. |
gel-di-mgel (verb root: “to come”) + -di (past tense) + -m (I). The verb root ends in a consonant, but it’s “l”, so we use -di , not -ti . |
11. Geldin. You came. |
gel-di-ngel + -di (past tense) + -n (you). |
12. Geldin mi? Did you come? |
gel-di-n Same as above, with the question particle mi added. |
13. İçtin. You drank. |
iç-ti-niç (verb root: “to drink”) + -ti (past tense; root ends in ‘ç’) + -n (you). |
14. İçtin mi? Did you drink? |
iç-ti-n Same structure, with question particle mi . |
15. Annen içti mi? Did your mother drink? |
iç-tiiç + -ti (past tense). 3rd person singular (annen ), so no personal suffix. |
16. Gitti. He/She/It went. |
git-tigit (verb root: “to go”) + -ti (past tense; root ends in ‘t’). 3rd person singular. |
17. Gittin. You went. |
git-ti-ngit + -ti (past tense) + -n (you). |
18. Gittin mi? Did you go? |
git-ti-n Same as above, with question particle mi . |
19. Hiç Fransa’ya gittin mi? Have you ever been to France? |
git-ti-ngit + -ti + -n (you). Hiç means “ever” in questions. Fransa'ya means “to France” (-a is the dative case suffix meaning “to”). |
20. Ben Fransa’ya hiç gitmedim. I have never been to France. |
git-me-di-mgit + -me (not) + -di (past tense) + -m (I). Hiç means “never” in negative sentences. |
21. Neden gitmedin? Why didn’t you go? |
git-me-di-ngit + -me (not) + -di (past tense) + -n (you). Neden means “why”. |
22. Çünkü merak etmedim. Because I wasn’t curious. |
et-me-di-met (verb root from “merak etmek”: to be curious) + -me (not) + -di (past tense) + -m (I). Çünkü means “because”. |
23. Koştum. I ran. |
koş-tu-mkoş (verb root: “to run”) + -tu (past tense; root ends in ‘ş’) + -m (I). |
24. Koştun. You ran. |
koş-tu-nkoş + -tu (past tense) + -n (you). |
25. Koştun mu? Did you run? |
koş-tu-n Same as above, with question particle mu (used after the vowel ‘u’). |
26. Koşmadım. I didn’t run. |
koş-ma-dı-mkoş + -ma (not) + -dı (past tense) + -m (I). |
27. Sen koşmadın mı? Didn’t you run? |
koş-ma-dı-nkoş + -ma (not) + -dı (past tense) + -n (you) + mı . A negative question. |
28. Sen dün parkta koşmadın mı? Didn’t you run in the park yesterday? |
koş-ma-dı-n Same verb structure. Parkta means “in the park” (-ta is the locative case suffix meaning “in/on/at”). |
29. Parkta koşmadım. I didn’t run in the park. |
koş-ma-dı-mkoş + -ma (not) + -dı (past tense) + -m (I). |
30. Ne yaptın? What did you do? |
yap-tı-nyap (verb root: “to do”) + -tı (past tense; root ends in ‘p’) + -n (you). Ne means “what”. |
31. Ben oturdum. I sat down. |
otur-du-motur (verb root: “to sit”) + -du (past tense) + -m (I). |
📚 20 Example Table: Negative Definite Past Tense
Turkish Sentence (Negative) | English Translation | Explanation & Breakdown |
---|---|---|
1. Ben git-me-di-m. | I did not go. | git-(go) + -me(not) + -di(past) + -m(I) |
2. Sen anla-ma-dın. | You did not understand. | anla-(understand) + -ma(not) + -dı(past) + -n(you) |
3. O oku-ma-dı. | He/She/It did not read. | oku-(read) + -ma(not) + -du(past). No suffix for He/She/It! |
4. Biz yaz-ma-dık. | We did not write. | yaz-(write) + -ma(not) + -dı(past) + -k(we) |
5. Siz gel-me-di-niz. | You did not come. (Formal/Plural) | gel-(come) + -me(not) + -di(past) + -niz(you) |
6. Onlar bak-ma-dı-lar. | They did not look. | bak-(look) + -ma(not) + -dı(past) + -lar(they) |
7. Ben aç-ma-dım. | I did not open. | aç-(open) + -ma(not) + -dı(past) + -m(I) |
8. Sen sev-me-din. | You did not love. | sev-(love) + -me(not) + -di(past) + -n(you) |
9. O bul-ma-dı. | He/She/It did not find. | bul-(find) + -ma(not) + -du(past). No suffix! |
10. Biz gör-me-dik. | We did not see. | gör-(see) + -me(not) + -dü(past) + -k(we) |
11. Siz iç-me-di-niz. | You did not drink. | iç-(drink) + -me(not) + -di(past) + -niz(you) |
12. Onlar sor-ma-dı-lar. | They did not ask. | sor-(ask) + -ma(not) + -dı(past) + -lar(they) |
13. Ben bil-me-di-m. | I did not know. | bil-(know) + -me(not) + -di(past) + -m(I) |
14. Sen de-me-din. | You did not say. | de-(say) + -me(not) + -di(past) + -n(you) |
15. O oyna-ma-dı. | He/She/It did not play. | oyna-(play) + -ma(not) + -dı(past). No suffix! |
16. Biz çalış-ma-dık. | We did not work. | çalış-(work) + -ma(not) + -dı(past) + -k(we) |
17. Para yet-me-di. | The money was not enough. | yet-(be enough) + -me(not) + -di(past). (It ‘didn’t suffice’) |
18. Dün hasta değil-di-m. | I was not sick yesterday. | değil(not) + -di(past) + -m(I). Special case for “to be”. |
19. Cevabı bil-mi-yor-du-k. | We did not know the answer. | bil-mi-yor(not knowing) + -du(past) + -k(we). Negative continuous past. |
20. Ev temiz değil-di. | The house was not clean. | değil(not) + -di(past). Special case for “to be” (3rd person). |
💡 Pro Tip: The most common mistake is putting the suffixes in the wrong order. Remember: VERB + NOT + PAST + PERSON. Never put the past tense (-dı
) before the negation (-ma
)!
Practice these examples out loud, and you’ll master the Turkish “didn’t” in no time! ✅
GRL-55 10.10.25