Turkish Grammar › Postpositions
Sınır Edatı (-(y)A kadar)
The Postposition “Until / Up To”
Level A1Postpositions
Used to state a limit, a starting point and an end point in time or in space.
In Turkish the postposition «kadar» states the limits, the destination or the course of an action in time and space. When we only want to show the end point, the dative ending «-(y)A» is added to the noun and «kadar» follows it. In «Saat üçe kadar çalışıyorum» (I work until three) or «Otele kadar yürüyoruz» (We are walking as far as the hotel), the limit the action reaches is expressed. If the word ends in a vowel, the buffer letter «y» is added, giving «-ya kadar / -ye kadar».
When we want to state both the starting point and the end point, the pattern «-DAn -(y)A kadar» is used. The first noun takes the ablative ending «-Dan / -Den / -Tan / -Ten», the second takes the dative «-(y)A», and «kadar» comes at the end. This pattern is often used both for periods of time and for distances in space: «Pazartesiden cumaya kadar çalışıyorum» (I work from Monday to Friday) or «Evden okula kadar yürüdüm» (I walked from home to school).
Examples
- Sabaha kadar uyumadım.I did not sleep until morning.
- Akşama kadar kütüphanedeyim.I am in the library until the evening.
- Sabah dokuzdan akşam beşe kadar çalışıyorum.I work from nine in the morning to five in the evening.
- Pazartesiden cumaya kadar dersimiz var.We have classes from Monday to Friday.
- İzmir'den İstanbul'a kadar otobüsle gittik.We went from İzmir to İstanbul by bus.