Learn Turkish Relative Clauses: -en vs -diğim
Learn Turkish Relative Clauses: -en vs. -diğim
Before we look at the grammar rules, let’s look at the literal, raw meanings of our core examples to see how suffixes change the entire focus:
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Çay içen adam $\rightarrow$ The tea-drinking man (Focus is on the man)
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İçtiğim çay $\rightarrow$ My drunken tea / The tea of my drinking (Focus is on the tea)
In Turkish, these two suffixes (-en and -diğim) turn verbs into adjectives. The choice between them depends entirely on whether the noun you are describing is the Subject (the doer) or the Object (the receiver) of the action.
1. The Short & Simple Rule
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Use -en / -an if the noun is doing the action. (Subject focus)
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Use -diğ + possessive if the noun is receiving the action. (Object focus)
2. Core Structural Formulas
| Type | Sentence Structure Formula (Turkish) | English Equivalent Structure | Literal Concept Meaning |
| Subject Focus |
Example:
|
Example:
The man + who + drinks + tea |
“The tea-drinking man”
(The noun at the end is the one actively doing the action). |
| Object Focus |
Example:
|
Example:
The tea + that + I + drink |
“My drunken tea”
(The noun at the end is the target receiving the action). |
3. Deep Dive with Examples (Identifying Subject & Object)
🔴 Case A: The Noun is the Subject (-en / -an)
Use this when the main noun actively performs the action. No personal pronouns (like my, your, his) are attached to the verb.
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Konuşan öğrenci $\rightarrow$ The student who is speaking.
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Subject (Doer): Öğrenci (The student is doing the talking)
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Koşan köpek $\rightarrow$ The dog that is running.
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Subject (Doer): Köpek (The dog is doing the running)
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Müzik dinleyen kız $\rightarrow$ The girl who is listening to music.
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Subject (Doer): Kız (The girl)
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Object (Receiver): Müzik (Music)
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🔵 Case B: The Noun is the Object (-diğ + Possessive)
Use this when the main noun is the target/receiver of the action, and someone else is doing it. The possessive suffix at the end tells us who the hidden subject is.
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İçtiğim çay $\rightarrow$ The tea that I drink. (İç + tik + im)
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Subject (Doer): Ben / I (indicated by the -im ending)
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Object (Receiver): Çay (The tea is being drunk)
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Okuduğun kitap $\rightarrow$ The book that you read. (Oku + duk + un)
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Subject (Doer): Sen / You (indicated by the -un ending)
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Object (Receiver): Kitap (The book is being read)
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Yaptığı yemek $\rightarrow$ The food that he/she made. (Yap + dık + ı)
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Subject (Doer): O / He / She / It (indicated by the -ı ending)
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Object (Receiver): Yemek (The food is being made)
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4. Quick Checklist for Students
When choosing between the two, ask yourself:
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Is the main noun performing the action? $\rightarrow$ Go with -en / -an (The noun is the Subject).
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Is someone else doing the action to the noun? $\rightarrow$ Go with -diğim / -diğin / -diği (The noun is the Object).
5. Object Focus vs. Subject Focus (30 Matching Examples)
Here is the master list to help you see the exact contrast using the same vocabulary side-by-side:
| 🔵 Formula B: Fiil + diğ + Possessive (Nesne Odaklı)Focus is on the thing being acted upon | 🔴 Formula A: Fiil + en / an (Özne Odaklı)Focus is on the person doing the action |
|
1. (Benim) unuttuğum isim
The name that I forgot |
İsmi unutan adam
The man who forgot the name |
|
2. (Benim) içtiğim çay
The tea that I drink |
Çay içen adam
The man who drinks tea |
|
3. (Senin) okuduğun kitap
The book that you read |
Kitap okuyan öğrenci
The student who reads books |
|
4. (Onun) yaptığı yemek
The food that he/she made |
Yemek yapan aşçı
The chef who makes food |
|
5. (Bizim) izlediğimiz dizi
The TV series that we watch |
Dizi izleyen seyirci
The viewer who watches TV series |
|
6. (Sizin) satın aldığınız araba
The car that you bought |
Araba satın alan müşteri
The customer who buys a car |
|
7. (Onların) ördüğü duvar
The wall that they built |
Duvar ören işçi
The worker who builds walls |
|
8. (Benim) tanıdığım insan
The person that I know |
Beni tanıyan insan
The person who knows me |
|
9. (Senin) sevdiğin şehir
The city that you love |
Bu şehri seven turist
The tourist who loves this city |
|
10. (Bizim) içtiğimiz su
The water that we drink |
Su içen child
The child who drinks water |
|
11. (Onun) çözdüğü soru
The question that he/she solved |
Soruyu çözen dahi
The genius who solved the question |
|
12. (Benim) yıkadığım gömlek
The shirt that I washed |
Gömlek yıkayan kadın
The woman who washes shirts |
|
13. (Senin) yazdığın mesaj
The message that you wrote |
Mesaj yazan arkadaş
The friend who writes messages |
|
14. (Onun) dinlediği müzik
The music that he/she listens to |
Müzik dinleyen genç
The teenager who listens to music |
|
15. (Bizim) tuttuğumuz balık
The fish that we caught |
Balık tutan balıkçı
The fisherman who catches fish |
|
16. (Sizin) çektiğiniz fotoğraf
The photo that you took |
Fotoğraf çeken fotoğrafçı
The photographer who takes photos |
|
17. (Onların) ektiği ağaç
The tree that they planted |
Ağaç eken gönüllü
The volunteer who plants trees |
|
18. (Benim) topladığım bal
The honey that I collected |
Bal toplayan arıcı
The beekeeper who collects honey |
|
19. (Senin) sürdüğün araba
The car that you drive |
Araba süren şoför
The driver who drives cars |
|
20. (Onun) temizlediği oda
The room that he/she cleaned |
Oda temizleyen görevli
The staff who cleans rooms |
|
21. (Bizim) kiraladığımız ev
The house that we rented |
Ev kiralayan kiracı
The tenant who rents houses |
|
22. (Sizin) pişirdiğiniz ekmek
The bread that you baked |
Ekmek pişiren fırıncı
The baker who bakes bread |
|
23. (Onların) boyadığı çit
The fence that they painted |
Çit boyayan çocuk
The child who paints fences |
|
24. (Benim) açtığım kapı
The door that I opened |
Kapı açan resepsiyonist
The receptionist who opens doors |
|
25. (Senin) kilitlediğin kasa
The safe that you locked |
Kasa kilitleyen müdür
The manager who locks the safe |
|
26. (Onun) giydiği ceket
The jacket that he/she wears |
Ceket giyen adam
The man who wears a jacket |
|
27. (Bizim) aradığımız numara
The number that we called |
Numara arayan sekreter
The secretary who calls numbers |
|
28. (Sizin) ödediğiniz hesap
The bill that you paid |
Hesap ödeyen müşteri
The customer who pays the bill |
|
29. (Onların) diktiği elbise
The dress that they sewed |
Elbise diken terzi
The tailor who sews dresses |
|
30. (Benim) anlattığım konu
The topic that I explained |
Konu anlatan öğretmen
The teacher who explains topics |