Passive and Causative Verbs in Turkish
Edilgen ve Ettirgen Çatı
Test yourself with a quick quizTurkish changes who does the action by adding a suffix to the verb stem, before any tense ending. The passive (edilgen) adds -Il, -In or -n, and the causative (ettirgen) adds -DIr, -t, -Ir or -Ar.
Forming the Passive
The choice depends on the last sound of the stem. The vowel follows four-way harmony: ı, i, u, ü. Tense and person endings come after the passive suffix.
| Stem ends in | Suffix | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| a consonant other than l | -Il | yapılmak, sevilmek, kurulmak, görülmek |
| l | -In | alınmak, bilinmek, bulunmak, çalınmak |
| a vowel | -n | okunmak, beklenmek, aranmak, söylenmek |
- Gitmek and etmek soften t to d: gidilmek, edilmek. So kabul etmek gives kabul edilmek.
- Yemek and demek take -n: yenmek, denmek.
Using the Passive
Use the passive when the doer is unknown, obvious or unimportant. To name the doer, use tarafından ('by'), mostly in writing and the news.
The Impersonal Passive
Turkish can make even intransitive verbs passive, to state general rules and customs. English uses 'people', 'you' or 'one' here. It is most common in the aorist.
Test yourself
5 quick questions on this lesson. How many can you get right?
Choose the right answer.
Forming the Causative
The causative means 'make, let or have someone do'. Most stems take -DIr, where D becomes t after f, s, t, k, ç, ş, h, p. Some verbs have their own fixed form, so learn them as words.
| Rule | Suffix | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| most stems ending in a consonant | -DIr | yaptırmak, yazdırmak, güldürmek, kestirmek |
| stems of two or more syllables ending in a vowel, l or r | -t | okutmak, bekletmek, oturtmak, azaltmak |
| some one-syllable stems | -Ir | içirmek, pişirmek, düşürmek, bitirmek |
| a few one-syllable stems | -Ar | çıkarmak, koparmak |
Three common verbs are irregular: görmek gives göstermek, gelmek gives getirmek and kalkmak gives kaldırmak. One-syllable stems ending in a vowel take -DIr: yemek gives yedirmek.
Who Does the Action?
With an intransitive verb, the person you make act is in the accusative. With a transitive verb, that person takes the dative (-A), and the object keeps its own case.
Combining Both
The causative always comes first and the passive second, followed by the tense. This gives forms like 'was had painted'.
| Stem | Causative | Causative + passive | Sentence |
|---|---|---|---|
| boya | boyat | boyatıl | Ev geçen yaz boyatıldı. |
| yap | yaptır | yaptırıl | Okul yeniden yaptırılacak. |
| temizle | temizlet | temizletil | Halılar her yıl temizletilir. |
Common Mistakes
- Using -Il after l: say alındı and bulundu, not 'alıldı' or 'bululdu'.
- Using -Il after a vowel: say okundu and beklendi, not 'okuldu'.
- Writing d after a voiceless sound: say kestirdim and yaptırdım, not 'kesdirdim'.
- Regularising irregulars: say gösterdim and getirdim, not 'görtürdüm' or 'geldirdim'.
- Putting the passive first: say yaptırıldı, not 'yapıltırdı'.