Turkish Language - About Object Participles
This Participle is used for both Present and Past Tenses. A participle is an adjective which is formed from a verb - and as such it precedes the noun which it describes. Being a relative participle then it can also serve as a noun and therefore have the personal suffixes and the suffixes of declension added thus forming a relative clause. It is used for both the present and past tenses, only the context of the situation pertaining will tell which tense to use in English.
Obj. Participle Formation
The -mek or -mak is dropped from the Infinitive of the Verb and is replaced by the suffix -dik - which is subject to vowel harmony.
The E-Dotted Vowels
gelmek - to come becomes geldik - that came/that which is coming
gülmek - to laugh becomes güldük - that laughed/that which laughs
The A-UnDotted Vowels
bakmak - to look becomes baktık - that looked at/that which looks at
çıkmak - to exit becomes çıktık - that went out/that which is exiting
Generally this participle is not used in its pure form as above but is always personalized. This participle just happens to be the same as the 1st Person Plural of the Simple Past Definite Tense - (with suffix -dik/-tik or -dık/-tık or -duk/-tuk or -dük/-tük according to Vowel Harmony and Consonant Mutation Rules) - but as it seldom used in its pure form then it is not possible to mistake it. Also being a Participle [a Verbal Adjective], it describes a noun so therefore it precedes its noun, and as it is not a verb then it does not stand last in final position in the sentence. From this is becomes easier to recognize it as a verbal adjective by its position in any sentence.
Obj. Participle Usage
This -dik suffix is often difficult to recognize as it has so many forms due to Vowel Harmony operating in its internal vowel, and Consonant Mutation operating on both the initial -d and the terminal -k
The -dik, -duk, -dık, -dük - Participle is subject to both Vowel Harmony and Consonant Mutation Rules.
So you can find -tik, -tuk, -tık, -tük. If a further suffix with a vowel is added the the final -k is also subject to Consonant Mutation: -diği, -duğu, -dığı, -düğü or -tiği, -tuğu, -tığı, -tüğü
Examples of Use
bulmak - to find - Bulduğum şapka - The hat which I found.
seçmek - to choose - Seçtiğin kitap - The book that you are choosing/chose
görmek - to see - Gördüğü araba - The car that he sees/saw
yazmak - to write - Yazdığımız mektup - The letter that we are writing/that we wrote
demek - to say - Dediğiniz gibi - Like (what) you say/said
sevmek - to like - Sevdikleri dondurma - The ice cream that they liked.
Buldüğum mendil beyazdır - The handkerchief that I found is white.
Yazdığımız mektuplar buradadır - The letters that we wrote are here.
Çalıştığım büro (ofis) kapalı - The office where I work is closed/ The office where I worked is closed.
Söyledikleri mantıklıdır - What they are saying/said is/was sensible.
In the above example note the addition of -dır onto mantıklı - (lit: logical) - as it is a Statement of Fact.
To remind you about The Subject Participle -en/-an
A participle is an adjective so it describes a noun and therefore always precedes the noun (or noun phrase) that it describes, so the subject participle describes or signifies the person/thing who is doing something.., i.e. the subject of the sentence:
Çalan zil - The bell which is ringing.. This description itself can be an Object of another verb:
Çalan zili duyabilirim - I can hear the bell which is ringing.
Çalan zili duyabilirdim - I could hear the bell which was ringing.
The passive of çalmak is çalınmak. so the above sentence in the Passive is:
Çalınan zili duyabilirim - I can hear the bell that is being rung.
Çalınan zili duyabilirdim - I could hear the bell that was being rung.We can also see from the above examples that the -an/-en Subject Participle, being an adjective, does not show the tense. The tense is taken from the main verb at the end of the sentence.
Object Participle Description
The Object Participle describes the Person/Thing that is actioned by something as an Object.
çaldığı zil - the bell that is/was rang. This description itself can be an Object of another verb:
Mehmet'in çaldığı zili duyabilirim - I can hear the bell that Mehmet is/was ringing. (Mehmet is actioning the "ringing")
Similarly in the Passive
Mehmet'in çalındığı zili duyabilirim - I can hear the bell that is/was being rung by Mehmet. - (The bell's ringing is being actioned by Mehmet)
Lack of Relative Pronouns in Turkish
As there is NO Relative Participle in Turkish - that, who, which, when - (Note: No questıon marks so they are relative pronouns ) then Turkishified English will say:
çalan zil - the ringing bell/the bell which is/was ringing (-en/-an Subjective Participle - the bell.. is the subject).
çaldığı zil - the bell that he is ringing/that he rung rung (-dik Objective Participle)
çalındığı zil - the bell that is/was being rung (-dik Objective Participle)
A Further Explanation
So if use the Object Participle - geldiğim zaman - When I came.. - ("time.." is the object of "my coming")
But the Subject Participle - gelen zaman - this means the - time itself is coming (i.e. The future or next time)
Tense taken from main Verb
Ali'nin geldiği zaman, çarşıya GİDİYORUZ - When Ali COMES we ARE GOING to the shops.
Ali'nin geldiği zaman, çarşıya GİTTİK - When Ali CAME we WENT to the shops.
Thus it becomes that both ideas - Ali and his "coming" both become a compound Participle (verbal adjective) to describe - zaman (time). This is more suitable to the Turkish point of view than the relative when.. construction which English uses.
The use of "ki - that.."
The Persian ki can be used to produce a relative clause in Turkish but it is alien to the language and this method should be avoided or you will be marked as a foreigner.. - Biliyorum ki beni seviyorsun. - I know that you love me. - The Persian method - understandable but WRONG.
This method is based on Persian Grammar and is more suitable to European thinking. However the construction shown below comes over as more natural to the Turk.
Biliyorum ki beni seviyorsun. - NOT the natural Turkish method
Beni sevdiğini biliyorum. - The CORRECT method according to Turkish Grammar - using the object participle:
Beni sevdiğ-in-i biliyorum. - Lit: Me that-love-you know I
Beni - me - sevdiğini - that you love [sevdik - that loves + in - you/your + i - object marker for the verb] - biliyorum - I know..
We can see that the correct method uses the -dik Relative Object participle.
Thus it becomes that both ideas - the person and their loving become objects of the verb - I know. This is more suitable to the Turkish point of view.
Future Objective Participle
This Participle in its simple consists of the verb stem with the addition of the Future Tense Sign -ecek or -acak. The -mek or -mak is dropped from the Infinitive of the Verb and is replaced by the suffix -ecek - which is subject to vowel harmony.
gelmek - to come - gelecek - that will come
gülmek - to laugh - gülecek - that will laugh
bakmak - to look - bakacak - that will look
çıkmak - to exit - çıkacak - that will go out
This -ecek/-acak future participle can be used in its pure form and also personalized. This participle just happens to be the same as the 3rd person singular of the Future Tense but it is not possible to mistake it , as being an adjective it is never last in the sentence - but usually modifies a noun.
Yarınki yapacağım iş önemli - The work that I will do tomorrow is (will be) important
Yapılabilecek bir sey yok (yap -il -ebil -ecek) - There is nothing (from a future aspect) that can be done
oturacak değilim - I don't intend to sit [Lit: to sit (as a future aspect) I am not]
An Actual Example - Future Participle
Here is a slogan from a famous Nut Spread bottle for sandwiches - it can be seen an all the supermarket shelves..
"Hayır" diyemeyceğiniz tek lezzet. - [Lit: "No" that-you-will-not-be-able-to-say only taste.]
The only taste that you will not be able to say "No" (to)
We can see here that as - di-ye-me-yeceğ-iniz - precedes the noun - lezzet - taste - that it is a Verbal Adjective or Future Participle describing this noun..
Thus if we break this Future Participle into its components:
di-ye-me - becomes - not to be able to say
di-ye-me-yeceğ - becomes - will not be able to say
di-ye-me-yeceğ-iniz - becomes - that you will not be able to say
Thus the whole meaning becomes (if we accept that in Turkish the verb - demek - can mean "to say to.." or "to tell.."
In Turkish English:
"No" that-you-will-not-be-able-to-say only taste
In English English: The only taste to which that you will not be able to say "No"
For an explanation of how the verb - demek - to, say, tell - is abraded to di- then look at our FAQ page here: See FAQ (8) about "demek"
A "real life" example
While walking around the market with my wife in Izmir one time, we were dragged into a carpet shop and plyed with both cups of tea and a sales pitch from the carpet seller. We only got away by saying:
Bey effendi teşekkür ederiz fakat hiç bir şey alacak değiliz.
Thank you sir but we are not about to purchase anything at all.
How to say - "Instead of.."
There is a special construction in Turkish when making a choice between future actions. This consists of The future Participle + Person + Dative (motion toward) Particle -a/-e
oturacağıma [oturacağ-ım-a] - instead of me sitting - (future participle + person + dative particle)
Bahçede oturacağımıza salonda oturalım - Instead of sitting in the garden let us sit in the salon
Participle examples
Relative Object Participles - showing English Object Participle - Past and Present tenses
1. Doğduğum şehri ziyaret ettim
I visited the city where I was born.
2. Bana verdiğin parayı kaybettim
I have lost the money that you gave me.
3. Bu pencereden gördüğünüz evler çok iyi yapılmıştır
The houses (which/that) you see from this window are very well built.
4. Erkek kardeşimin binmiş olduğu bisiklet bir ağacın yanında duruyordu
The bicycle (which/that) my brother had been riding was standing near a tree.
5. İlk karşılaştığımız yeri hatırlıyor musun?
Do you remember the place where we first met?
6. Benim ofisimde gördüğün adam arkadaşımın babası idi
The man (whom/that) you saw in my office was the father of my friend.
7. Erkek kardeşim için getirdiğin puroları nerede?
Where are the cigars (that/which) you brought for my brother?.
8. Bu masanın üstüne bıraktığım parayı kim çaldı?
Who stole the money (which/that) I left on this table?
9. Çocuk kaçırma zengin ailelerin korktuğu bir suçtur
Kidnapping is a crime which wealthy families fear.
10. Babamın inşa ettiği evin iki yatak odası vardır
The house (which/that) my father built has two bed-rooms.
11. Kaybetmiş olduğum dolma kalem bana ait değildi
The pen (which/that) I had lost did not belong to me.
12. Cüzdanımı bırakmış olduğum yere döndüm
I went back to the place where I had left my wallet.
13. Cüzdanımı cebimden çıkartmış olduğum zamanı hatırlayamadım
l couldn't remember the time when (at which) I had taken my wallet out of my pocket.
14. Bindiğim tren çok kalabalıktı
The train (which/that) I took was very crowded.
15. Mehmet, Ali'ye yeni otomobilini satın almış olduğu yeri gösterdi
Mehmet showed (to) Ali the place where he had bought his new car.
16. Geçen hafta sizi tanıştırdığım Mustafa ikinci romanını yeni neşretti
Mustafa, to whom I introduced you last week, has just published his second novel.
17. The plan on which my brother has been working for years is very interesting.
Erkek kardeşimin yıllardır üzerinde çalıştığı plan çok ilginçtir.
18. The electric toys with which the children are playing are extremely dangerous.
Çocukların oynadıkları elektrikli oyuncaklar son derece tehlikelidir.
19. The wall over which the prisoners escaped in the middle of the night was twenty meters high.
Gecenin ortasında mahkûmların üzerinden kaçtıkları duvar yirmi metre yüksekliğinde idi.
20. The shelter to which they ran is made of stones.
Onların kaçtıkları sığınak taştan yapılmıştır.
21. The book out of which you took a page belongs to my brother.
Bir sayfa koparttığın kitap erkek kardeşime aittir.
22. The men to whom the President spoke are very patriotic.
Cumhurbaşkanının konuştuğu adamlar çok vatanperverdirler.
23. The concert to which we listened last night was excellent.
Dün akşam dinlediğimiz konser mükemmeldi.
24. This is the hotel in which I stayed.
Kaldığım otel budur.
25. Who was the woman who you were talking to when I saw you?
Seni gördüğüm zaman konuştuğun kadın kimdi?
26. This is where the accident took place.
Bu kazanın olduğu yerdir.
27. I saw the man whose house my brother stayed at.
Evinde erkek kardeşimin kaldığı adamı gördüm.
28. The day (when/on which) Deren came to Istanbul was very warm.
Deren'in İstanbul'a geldiği gün çok ılıktı.
29. This is the street where I live.
Oturduğum sokak budur.
30. The teacher with whom I studied last year was Huyla hanım.
Geçen yıl birlikte çalıştığım öğretmen Huyla hanım ıdı.
31. The person for whom I am waiting is my boss.
Beklediğim kimse benim patronumdur.
32. The house at which we are looking belongs to my friend.
Baktığımız ev arkadaşıma aittir.
33. The sport in which I am interested is swimming.
İlgilendiğim spor yüzmedir.
34. The book for which I asked is not in the library.
Aradığım kitap kütüphanede değil.
35. I know the man from whose son you bought the car.
Oğlundan otomobili satın aldığın adamı tanıyorum.
36. I remember the morning when they left the city.
Onların şehirden ayrıldıkları sabahı hatırlıyorum.
37. I saw the house where you live.
İçinde yaşadığın evi gördüm.
38. Nejati was born in February.
Şubat Nejati 'nin doğduğu ay 'dır.
Examples - Future Obj. Participle
1. The port we will sail from is Izmir.
Yola çıkacağımız liman İzmir 'dir.
2. I saw the house which you are going to rent.
Kira ile tutacağak evini gördüm.
3. I don't know what time the plane will take off.
Uçağın kalkacağı zamanı bilmiyorum.
4. Evleneceğim kadını görmek isterim
I would like to see the woman (that/with whom) I'm going to marry.
2. Tasvir edeceğim suç geçen kış bizim köyde vuku buldu
The crime (which/that) I am going to describe took place in our village last winter.
6. Hastalığım için uygun tedavi görebileceğim yeri ziyaret etmek istedim
I wanted to visit a place where I could get proper treatment for my illness.