Turkish Grammar › Participles
Sıfat-Fiil (-(A/I)r / -mAz / -mIş)
Aorist and Perfect Participles
Level B2Participles
Participles that are mostly set expressions: çalar saat, çıkmaz sokak, pişmiş yemek.
In this topic you will meet three participle suffixes together: «-(A/I)r», «-mAz» and «-mIş». They are not as productive as the previous ones; most have become set expressions and are learned like words.
The suffix «-(A/I)r» states a LASTING QUALITY or function of something: çalar saat, akar su, güler yüz, koşar adım, yazar kasa.
This suffix is the same as the aorist. The difference lies in its role in the sentence: «Saat çalar.» is a predicate, «çalar saat» is an adjective phrase.
The suffix «-mAz» is the negative of the same suffix and states that something IS NOT or cannot be: çıkmaz sokak, tükenmez kalem, olmaz iş, geçilmez yol.
The two also form paired expressions: okur yazar, gider ayak, döner sermaye. These are set phrases and are not taken apart word by word.
The suffix «-mIş» describes the result of a COMPLETED action: pişmiş yemek, kırılmış cam, yazılmış mektup, geçmiş zaman.
Do not confuse the participle «-mIş» with the reported past you learned at A2. «Yemek pişmiş.» is a sentence (reported past); «pişmiş yemek» is an adjective phrase.
Its negative is «-mAmIş»: pişmemiş yemek, kırılmamış cam, hiç okunmamış kitap.
Many words built with these three suffixes have become permanent NOUNS: dolmuş, çıkmaz, tükenmez, geçmiş, gelir, gider, yazar, okur.
These words are no longer counted as participles; they have their own dictionary entries. In «Dolmuşa bindim.» the word «dolmuş» is the name of a vehicle.
As a learner, RECOGNISING these three suffixes matters more than producing them. It is enough to know which suffix carries which meaning when you meet it.
This topic completes the participle section. In the next unit you will see how the same «-DIk» and «-(y)AcAk» suffixes are used as converbs, that is, to express time.
Examples
- Her sabah çalar saatle uyanıyorum.I wake up with an alarm clock every morning.
- Bu çıkmaz sokakta araba dönemiyor.Cars cannot turn round in this dead-end street.
- Tükenmez kalemi ödünç alabilir miyim?May I borrow the ballpoint pen?
- Pişmiş yemekleri buzdolabına koydum.I put the cooked food in the fridge.
- Kırılmış camları dikkatle topladık.We carefully gathered up the broken glass.