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Turkish grammar · Level A2–B1

The past tense: geldim

The ordinary past is -dı: Dün geldim. — I came yesterday. It’s for things you witnessed. There’s a second one, -mış: Ali gelmiş. — Ali has come, apparently. It’s used for things you heard from others or have just found out.

QuizContents
Contents
  1. The -dı past
  2. Negatives, questions, “was”
  3. The reported -mış
  4. Common mistakes
  5. Quiz
  6. FAQ

The -dı past

Add -dı / -di / -du / -dü to the stem (by harmony; after voiceless f, s, t, k, ç, ş, h, p it’s -tı / -ti / -tu / -tü) and a short ending: -m, -n, —, -k, -nız, -lar. Note “we” is -k: geldik, yaptık.

Gelmek, yapmak (to do), okumak, görmek
Persongelmekyapmakokumakgörmek
bengeldimyaptımokudumgördüm
sengeldinyaptınokudungördün
ogeldiyaptıokudugördü
bizgeldikyaptıkokudukgördük
sizgeldinizyaptınızokudunuzgördünüz
onlargeldileryaptılarokudulargördüler
  • Geçen yaz Türkiye’ye gittik.We went to Turkey last summer.
  • Kahvaltıda ne yedin?What did you have for breakfast?

Tip: Git keeps its t in the past: gittim (the d of the suffix turns to t), not «gidtim».

Negatives, questions, “was”

The negative puts -ma / -me before -dı: gelmedim, yapmadım. Questions add mi after the whole form: Geldin mi? Gördünüz mü? “Was” with nouns and adjectives is -(y)dı + the short ending: evdeydim — I was at home, hastaydı — he was ill, yorgun değildim — I wasn’t tired.

  • Maalesef müzeyi görmedik.Unfortunately we didn’t see the museum.
  • Dün neredeydin? — Evdeydim.Where were you yesterday? — At home.

The reported -mış

-mış / -miş / -muş / -müş + person (-ım, -sın, —, -ız, -sınız, -lar) is a past you didn’t witness: you heard it, read it in the news or have just noticed it. Ali gelmiş. — Ali has come (someone told me / I see his coat). Çok güzel olmuş! — It’s turned out lovely! In fairy tales: Bir varmış, bir yokmuş… — Once upon a time…

-dı or -mış?
I saw itI heard itMeaning
Ali geldi.Ali gelmiş.Ali came.
Yağmur yağdı.Yağmur yağmış.It rained.
Film güzeldi.Film güzelmiş.The film was good.
  • Haberlere göre İstanbul’da kar yağmış.According to the news, it snowed in Istanbul.
  • Aa, telefonumu evde unutmuşum!Oh, I’ve left my phone at home!

Common mistakes

The mistakes people make most often — and the right way.

  • Wrong: yapdım

    Right: yaptım

    After voiceless p: -tı.

  • Wrong: geldiz

    Right: geldik

    “We” in the past is -k.

  • Wrong: gelmadim

    Right: gelmedim

    Gel is front: -me-.

  • Wrong: Evdeyim dün.

    Right: Dün evdeydim.

    “Was” needs -ydı.

Past tense: geldim, gelmiş

Quiz

10 questions: choose the right option — the explanation appears straight away.

  1. Question 1

    Dün sinemaya _____. (gitmek, ben)

  2. Question 2

    Biz geçen yıl Antalya’da _____. (kalmak)

  3. Question 3

    Sen ödevini _____ mı? (yapmak)

  4. Question 4

    O kitabı _____. (okumak)

  5. Question 5

    Maalesef seni _____. (görmemek)

  6. Question 6

    Kahvaltı yaptın _____?

  7. Question 7

    Dün çok _____. (yorgun, ben)

  8. Question 8

    Geçen hafta _____. (hasta, o)

  9. Question 9

    Komşum söyledi: Ahmet Bey Almanya’ya _____.

  10. Question 10

    Onlar tatile _____. (gitmek)

Correct: 0 of 10

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FAQ

Didn’t find your answer? Send us a request — we’ll tell you everything.

When -mış and when -dı?

Saw it, remember it yourself — **-dı**. Heard it, read it, inferred it from the result — **-mış**. About yourself, -mış means you’ve only just realised: Uyuyakalmışım! — I’ve overslept!

Does Turkish have verb aspect?

No. Geldim covers both “came” and “was coming”. An ongoing past action uses -iyordu: geliyordum (I was coming when…). Yolda yürüyordum, telefon çaldı. — I was walking down the street when the phone rang.

How do I say “I lived”, “I waited” for a long time?

Plain -dı plus a time phrase: İki yıl Ankara’da **yaşadım**. — I lived in Ankara for two years. Bir saat **bekledim**. — I waited for an hour.

Other topics

All topicsThe 50 most common Turkish wordsTurkish level test

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