Turkish Language - The Past Tenses
Was it seen..? or.. Was it heard...?
The Definite Past Tenses
There are two Past Tenses in Turkish. The - "Seen Tenses" - are used when you have personal knowledge and witness of the action and are Definite Past Tenses. These past tenses are like the English:
Past Perfect Tense - I have made it
Past Simple Tense - I made it
Past Imperfect Tense (Past Continuous) - I was making it
Past Pluperfect Tense - I had made it.
The Indefinite Past Tenses
The - "Heard Tenses" - are used to transfer information that you have not actually seen yourself by inference an as such are Indefinite Past Tenses. We do not have an Inferential Tense as such in English (actually not many languages have on either) So we have to get the idea on inference over by other means. We do this automatically and just a few of the ways are as follow:
I think that I went out.. - [doubt]
Presumably you have left.. - [possibility]
He has left as far as I know.. - [reportative]
I think that we left at.. - [uncertainty]
They say that you went out.. - [hearsay]
Its pretty sure that they have left.. - [probability]
All the examples above show that this tense is used whenever the speaker has not been an eyewitness to the past events. The Inferential Tense used for reporting and unwitnessed events, or implying possibility, doubt or uncertainty. It is often used in telling jokes as the content of the joke is just a story.
The Inferential Tense is discussed in depth here: About the Inferential
Formation - Definite Past Tenses
The Sign of the Definite Past is the addition of the suffix -di-/-ti-, -dı-/-tı-, -dü-/-tü-, -du-/-tu- - according to Vowel harmony and Consonant Mutation Rules, to which the Personal suffixes are added.
Continuous Past: Geliyordum [Gel-iyor-dum] - I was coming
Simple Past: Gelirdim [Gel-ir-dim] - I used to come
Future Past (Future in the Past): Gelecektim [Gel-ecek-tim] - I was going to come
Pluperfect (Past in the Past): Gelmiştim [Gel-miş-tim] - I had come
- Note that the -miş suffix here does not convey any inferential meaning in the Pluperfert Tense.
Necessitative Past (Obligation in the Past): Gelmeliydim - I had to come
Conditional Past: Gelseydim [Gel-se-ydim] - If only I had come
Definite Past Tense - Examples
This Tense Sign is -di- or -ti- [when added to verb root ending in p, ç, k, t, ş]
The suffixes - -dı-, -di-, -du-, -dü- or -tı-, -ti-, -tu-, -tü- - and the personal ending are added to the verb stem, in all cases Vowel harmony and Consonant Mutation rules are applied
| gelmek (Stem -e-) | to come | anlamak (Stem -a-) | to understand |
|---|---|---|---|
| geldim (gel-di-m) | I came | anladım (anla-dı-m) | I understood |
| geldin (gel-di-n) | you came | anladın (anla-dı-n) | you understood |
| (o) geldi (gel-di) | he/she/it came | (o) anladı (anla-dı) | he understood |
| geldik (gel-di-k) | we came | anladık (anla-dı-k) | we understood |
| geldiniz (gel-di-niz) | you came | anladınız (anla-dı-nız) | you understood |
| geldiler (gel-di-ler) | they came | anladılar (anla-dı-lar) | they understood |
| içmek (Stem -i-) | to drink/smoke | çıkmak (Stem -ı-) | to go out/exit |
|---|---|---|---|
| içtim (iç-ti-m) | I drank/smoked | çıktım (çık-tı-m) | I went out |
| içtin | you drank/smoked | çıktın | you went out |
| (o) içti | he drank/smoked | (o) çıktı | he went out |
| içtik | we drank/smoked | çıktık | we went out |
| içtiniz | you drank/smoked | çıktınız | you went out |
| içtiler | they drank/smoked | çıktılar | they went out |
| görmek (Stem -ö-) | to see | koşmak (Stem -o-) | to run |
|---|---|---|---|
| gördüm (gör-dü-m) | I saw | koştum (koş-tu-m) | I ran |
| gördün | you saw | koştun | you ran |
| (o) gördü | he/she/it saw | (o) koştu | he ran |
| gördük | we saw | koştuk | we ran |
| gördünüz | you saw | koştunuz | you ran |
| gördüler | they saw | koştular | they ran |
| gülmek (Stem -ü-) | to laugh | bulmak (Stem -u-) | to find |
|---|---|---|---|
| güldüm (gül-dü-m) | I laughed | buldum (bul-du-m) | I found |
| güldün | you laughed | buldun | you found |
| (o)güldü | he/she/it laughed | (o)buldu | he found |
| güldük | we laughed | bulduk | we found |
| güldünüz | you laughed | buldunuz | you found |
| güldüler | they laughed | buldular | they found |
Indefinite Past - (Inferential) - Tenses
The Sign of the Indefinite (Inferential) Past is the addition of the suffix -miş-, -mış-, -müş-, -muş- - according to Vowel harmony and Consonant Mutation Rules, to which the Past Tense Personal suffixes are added.
Continuous Inferential: Geliyormuşum [Gel-iyor-muş-um] - It seems (they say) I am coming
Future Inferential: Gelecekmişim [Gel-ecekm-iş-im] - It seems I shall come
Simple Inferential: Gelirmişim [Gel-ir-miş-im] - It seems I come
Necessitative Inferential: Gelmeliymişim [Gel-meli-ymiş-im] - They say I must come
To give the sense of inference in these tabulated examples we have used the form - "must have.." as this is a usual way of showing that there is a doubt in what we are saying. Of course as we have shown previously there are many ways of modifying our speech in English to show the various nuances of doubt, uncertainty and hearsay etc. We must however understand that all these various modifications and nuances is inherent in the Turkish Inferential -miş- Tense itself - so the extra words of explanation are generally not requires unless clarification is required.
Indefinite Past Tense - Examples
The Tense Sign suffix -miş-, -mış-, -müş-, -muş- and the personal ending are added to the verb stem, in all cases Vowel harmony and Consonant Mutation rules are applied.
| gelmek (Stem -e-) | to come | anlamak (Stem -a-) | to understand |
|---|---|---|---|
| gelmişim (gel-miş-im) | I must have come | anla-mış-ım (anla-mış-ım) | I must have understood |
| gelmişsin (gel-miş-sin) | you must have come | anla-mış-sın (anla-mış-sın) | you must have understood |
| (o) gelmiş (gel-miş) | he/she/it must have come | (o) anla-mış (anla-mış) | he must have understood |
| gelmişiz (gel-miş-iz) | we must have come | anla-mış-ız (anla-mış-ız) | we must have understood |
| gelmişsiniz (gel-miş-siniz) | you must have come | anla-mış-sınız (anla-mış-sınız) | you must have understood |
| gelmişler (gel-miş-ler) | they must have come | anla-mış-lar (anla-mış-lar) | they must have understood |
| içmek (Stem -i-) | to drink/smoke | çıkmak (Stem -ı-) | to go out/exit |
|---|---|---|---|
| içmişim (iç-miş-im) | I must have drunk/smoked | çıkmışım (çık-mış-ım) | I must have gone out |
| içmişsin | you must have drunk/smoked | çıkmışsın | you must have gone out |
| (o) içmiş | he must have drunk/smoked | (o) çıkmış | he must have gone out |
| içmişiz | we must have drunk/smoked | çıkmışız | we must have gone out |
| içmişsiniz | you must have drunk/smoked | çıkmışsınız | you must have gone out |
| içmişler | they must have drunk/smoked | çıkmışlar | they must have gone out |
| görmek (Stem -ö) | to see | koşmak (Stem -o-) | to run |
|---|---|---|---|
| görmüşüm (gör-müş-üm) | I must have seen | koşmuşum (koş-muş-um) | I must have run |
| görmüşsün | you must have seen | koşmuşsun | you must have run |
| (o) görmüş | he/she/it must have seen | (o) koşmuş | he must have run |
| görmüşüz | we must have seen | koşmuşuz | we must have run |
| görmüşsünüz | you must have seen | koşmuşsunuz | you must have run |
| görmüşler | they must have seen | koşmuşlar | they must have run |
| gülmek (Stem -ü-) | to laugh | bulmak (Stem -u-) | to find |
|---|---|---|---|
| gülmüşüm (gül-müş-üm) | I must have laughed | bulmuşum (bul-muş-um) | I must have found |
| gülmüşsün | you must have laughed | bulmuşsun | you must have found |
| (o) gülmüş | he/she/it must have laughed | (o) bulmuş | he must have found |
| gülmüşüz | we must have laughed | bulmuşuz | we must have found |
| gülmüşsünüz | you must have laughed | bulmuşsunuz | you must have found |
| gülmüşler | they must have laughed | bulmuşlar | they must have found |
Negative Forms of Past Tense
For the Perfect Past Tense Definite (Seen) the suffix -dı-, -di--, -du-, -dü- is added to the negative verb form. For the Perfect Past Tense Indefinite (Heard) the suffix -mış-, -miş-, -muş-, müş- is added to the negative verb form. In both tenses the person is then added to complete the personalized verb.
Verb stem ending in -a- - example - anlamamak [anlama-mak] - to not understand
| Past Definite - (Seen) | Past Inferential - (Heard) | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| anlamadım | I didn't understand / I have not understood | anlamamışım | I must not have understood |
| anlamadın | you didn't understand / you have not understood | anlamamışın | you must not have understood |
| (o) anlamadı | he, she, it didn't understand /he has not understood | (o) anlamamış | he must not have understood |
| anlamadık | we didn't understand / we have not understood | anlamamışız | we must not have understood |
| anlamadınız | you didn't understand / you have not understood | anlamamışsınız | you must not have understood |
| anlamadılar | they don't understand / they have not understood | anlamamışlar | they must not have understood |
Verb stem ending in -e- - example - gitmemek [gitme-mek] - to not go
| Past Definite - (Seen) | Past Inferential - (Heard) | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| gitmedim | I didn't go / I have not gone | gitmemişim | I must not have gone |
| gitmedin | you didn't go / you have not gone | gitmemişsin | you must not have gone |
| (o) gitmedi | he, she, it didn't go / he has not gone | (o) gitmemiş | he must not have gone |
| gitmedik | we didn't go / we have not gone | gitmemişiz | we must not have gone |
| gitmediniz | you didn't go / you have not gone | gitmemişsiniz | you must not have gone |
| gitmediler | they don't go / they have not gone | gitmemişler | they must not have gone |
An Example - A Joke in the Inferential Tense
Here we have a joke told in the Inferential Tense. The joke is not a true event and the use of the inferential shows this. The joke may be considered a little sexist so please do not take offence, it is used merely to demonstrate the use of the inferential in Turkish.
Sınıfta öğretmen sormuş - Dalda üç kus var, birini vurdum kaç tane kalır?
Çocuk cevaplamış - Hiç kalmaz öğretmenim.
Olur mu oğlum? - demiş öğretmen - 2 tane kalır.
Olmaz öğretmenim - demiş çocuk - siz birini vurunca diğerleri aptal değil ya sesten ürküp kaçarlar...
Öğretmen sasırmış ve - Aferin oğlum! Cevabin yanlış ama
düşünce tarzını beğendim. - demiş.
Sonra çocuk - Öğretmenim, ben de size bir şey sormak istiyorum: Karsıdan üç tane bayan geliyor, üçü de dondurma yiyor, ama biri yalayarak, biri ısırarak, diğeri de emerek yiyor dondurmayı. Sizce bunlardan hangisi evlidir?
Öğretmen kızmış ama, cevap veremedi dedirtmemek için belli etmemiş - Emerek yiyen evlidir - demiş.
Çocuk - Olur mu öğretmenim ne alakası var, parmağında yüzük olan evlidir - demiş, - Ama düşünce tarzınızı beğendim.
Notes:
Quotation marks - (" ") - are not use in the speech above. It is normal in Turkish to use the dash - (-) - instead.
We will not translate this joke as it could be considered a little risqué. This is because in the last line the word - alaka - relevance also has a secondary meaning - "having a romantic interest in.."
However if you do want to see the English translation then hover your mouse here..
|
Sınıfta öğretmen sormuş - Dalda üç kus var, birini vurdum kaç tane kalır? Çocuk cevaplamış - Hiç kalmaz öğretmenim. Olur mu oğlum? - demiş öğretmen - 2 tane kalır. Olmaz öğretmenim - demiş çocuk - siz birini vurunca diğerleri aptal değil ya sesten ürküp kaçarlar... Öğretmen sasırmış ve - Aferin oğlum! Cevabin yanlış ama düşünce tarzını beğendim. - demiş. Sonra çocuk - Öğretmenim, ben de size bir şey sormak istiyorum: Karsıdan üç tane bayan geliyor, üçü de dondurma yiyor, ama biri yalayarak, biri ısırarak, diğeri de emerek yiyor dondurmayı. Sizce bunlardan hangisi evlidir? Öğretmen kızmış ama, cevap veremedi dedirtmemek için belli etmemiş - Emerek yiyen evlidir - demiş. Çocuk - Olur mu öğretmenim ne alakası var, parmağında yüzük olan evlidir - demiş, - Ama düşünce tarzınızı beğendim. |
In class a teacher asked - "There were three birds on a branch, I hit one - how many are left?" A child answered - "None at all remained, sir" "Really, my lad?" - said the teacher - "Two of them remain." "No way, sir" - said the child - "When you hit one of them, the others not being fools, were startled by the sound and flew off.." The teacher was surprised and - "Well done, my lad!" Your answer is wrong but I like your style." - he said Then the child said - "Sir, I want to ask you something: There are three ladies coming opposite and they are eating ice cream, but one is licking, one eating and on sucking the ice cream. Which one do you think is married?" The teacher got angry but not to show that he could not answer - "The one sucking is married" - he said. The child - "Really sir? what a thing to say, the one with the ring on her finger is married" - he said - "But I like your style.." |
Some of the other Past Tenses in general use.
Definite Past Continuous Tense (the Imperfect Tense)
This is formed in a similar way to English. But the Turkish Forms are suffixed as usual - Verb stem + present tense suffix + past tense suffix (-di-) + personal ending.
| Positive - gelmek | to come | Negative - gitmemek | to not go |
|---|---|---|---|
| geliyordum (gel-iyor-du-m) | I was coming | gitmiyordum (gitm-iyor-du-m) | I wasn't going |
| geliyordun | you were coming | gitmiyordun | you weren't going |
| (o) geliyordu | he/she/it was coming | (o) gitmiyordu | he/she/it wasn't going |
| geliyorduk | we were coming | gitmiyorduk | we weren't going |
| geliyordunuz | you were coming | gitmiyordunuz | you weren't going |
| geliyorlardı - or - geliyordular | they were coming | gitmiyorlardı - or - gitmiyordular | they weren't going |
| All the meanings above must be construed as witnessed (definite) - it is true. | |||
Indefinite Past Continuous Tense (the Imperfect Inferential Tense)
This tense has no direct English equivalent. But the Turkish Forms are suffixed as usual - Verb stem + present tense suffix + inferential tense suffix -miş- + personal ending.
| Positive - bilmek | to come | Negative - okumamak | to not read |
|---|---|---|---|
| biliyormuşum (bil-iyor-muş-um) | (it seems that) I was knowing | okumuyormuşum (okum-uyor-muşum) | (it seems that) I wasn't reading |
| biliyormuşsun | you were knowing | okumuyormuşsun | you weren't reading |
| (o) biliyormuş | he/she/it was knowing | (o) okumuyormuş | he/she/it wasn't reading |
| biliyormuşuz | we were knowing | okumuyormuşuz | we weren't reading |
| biliyormuşsunuz | you were knowing | okumuyormuşsunuz | you weren't reading |
| biliyorlarmış - or - geliyormuşlar | they were knowing | okumuyorlarmış - or - okumuyormuşlar | they weren't reading |
| All the meanings above must be construed as "hearsay" (indefinite) - It may be true... | |||
Examples of Indefinite Past/Present Continuous Tense - Negative (Hearsay)
anlamamak - to not understand
anlamıyormuşum - it seem that I were not understanding
anlamıyormuşsun - it seem that you were not understanding
anlamıyormuş - it seem that he was not understanding
anlamıyormuşuz - it seem that we were not understanding
anlamıyormuşsunuz - it seem that you were not understanding
anlamıyorlarmiş - it seem that they were not understanding
gitmemek - not to go
gitmiyormuşum - I do not think that I was going
gitmiyormuşsun - I do not think that you were going
gitmiyormuş - I am pretty sure that he is not going
gitmiyormuşuz - I think that we are not going
gitmiyormuşsunuz - I believe that you are not going
gitmiyorlarmiş - apparently they are not going
Some Examples of the Definite -di and Indefinite -miş Past Tenses
| Verb - Meaning | Positive Definite - Indefinite | Negative Definite - Indefinite |
|---|---|---|
| almak - to take | aldı - almış | almadı - almamış |
| aramak - to look for | aradı - aramış | aramadı - aramamış |
| bitmek - to end | bitti - bitmiş | bitmedi - bitmemiş |
| içmek - to drink/smoke | içti - icmiş | içmedi - icmemiş |
| başlamak - to start | başladı - baslamış | başlamadı - baslamamış |
| çalışmak - to work | çalıştı - calışmış | çalışmadı - calışmamış |
| gelmek - to come | geldi - gelmiş | gelmedi - gelmemiş |
| görmek - to see | gördü - görmüş | görmedi - görmemiş |
| gülmek - to laugh | güldü - gülmüş | gülmedi - gülmemiş |
| kızmak - to get angry | kızdı - kızmış | kızmadı - kızmamış |
| okumak - to read | okudu - okumuş | okumadı - okumamış |
| vermek - to give | verdi - vermiş | vermedi - vermemiş |
| yapmak - to do/make | yaptı - yapmış | yapmadı - yapmamış |
Examples of Questions in the Definite Past Tenses
Note that the mi? question particle follows the full verb in the Past Tense.
Okula gittin mi? - Did you go to school? - [Eng: Have you been to school?]
Okula gitmeli miydin? [git-meli-m-y-din, the Necessitative] - Did you have go to school? - [Eng: Did you have to go to school?]
Ayşe ders çalıştı mı? - Has Ayshe done her lesson?
Mehmet televizyon seyrediyor muydu? - Was Mehmet watching television?
Mehmet televizyonu seyrediyor muydu? - Was Mehmet watching THE television?
Kemal gazete okudu mu? - Did Kemal read a newspaper? - [unspecified object]
Kemal gazeteyi okudu mu? - Did Kemal read THE newspaper? - [specified object]
Kemal bu gazeteyi okudu mu? - Did Kemal read THIS newspaper? - [demonstrated specific object]
Serhan içki içti mi? - Did Serhan drink alcohol? - [içki = alcoholic drink]
Serhan içki içiyor muydu? - Was Serhan drinking alcohol?
Faruk Ankara'ya gitti mi? - Has Faruk gone Ankara?
Faruk Ankara'ya gidebildi mi? - Was Faruk able to go Ankara?
The Past Perfect Tense - "I had written.., etc.."
This tense signifies the Past in The Past. In English we say "I had done it..". As an example of the Past perfect Definite Tense, or "I thought I had done it" as an example of the Past perfect Indefinite Tense.
The Past Perfect Definite is formed by adding the Definite past tense suffix to the Past Tense -miş form of the verb. Note that there is no hearsay or doubt in the meaning of this tense as it is made definite and specific by the addition of the Past definite suffix in -di
The Past Perfect Indefinite is formed by adding the Indefinite past tense suffix -miş to the Past Tense -miş form of the verb. Note that there is hearsay or doubt in the meaning of this tense as it is made indefinite and unspecific by the addition of the Past indefinite suffix in -miş
Examples of the Past Perfect Tense
| Definite | Definite Meaning | Indefinite | Indefinite Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| gelmiştim [gelmiş-tim] | I had come | gelmişmişim [gelmiş-mişim] | (presumably)I had come |
| unutmuştun [unutmuş-tun] | you had forgotten | unutmuşmuşsun [unutmuş-muşsun] | (maybe) you had forgotten |
| yürümüştü [yürümüş-tü] | he had walked | yürümüşmüş [yürümüş-müş] | (possibly) he had walked |
| bilmiştik [bilmiş-tik] | we had known | bilmişmişiz [bilmiş-mişiz] | (possibly) we had known |
| çıkmıştınız [çıkmış-tınız] | you had gone out | çıkşmışmışsınız [çıkmış-mışsınız | (it is thought that)you had gone out |
| anlamıştılar [anlamış-tılar] | they had understood | anlamışmışlar [anlamış-mışlar] | (it is said that)they had understood |
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