LingoflyThe book I read: -en/-an and -dık
Where English says the students who passed, Turkish hangs a tail on the verb and stands it in front of the noun. Without that move you cannot say even this much. For example: “Sınavı geçen öğrenciler listede” — The students who passed the exam are on the list. A rule from the Turkish course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
Where English says the students who passed, Turkish hangs a tail on the verb and stands it in front of the noun. Without that move you cannot say even this much.
The first tail is -en/-an, for when the noun itself acts: Sınavı geçen öğrenciler, the students who passed the exam. The order is the reverse of English: the describing part comes first.
The second tail is -dık, for when the noun is acted upon: Dün okuduğum kitap, the book I read yesterday. Who did it is named by a second tail: oku-duğ-um, read-by-me.
The trap is saying okuyan kitap. That means the book that does the reading. About tomorrow the same move gives alacağımı: Burs alacağımı öğretmenim söyledi.
Table
| the form | who acts | example | translation |
|---|---|---|---|
| -en / -an | the noun itself | ders anlatan öğretmen | the teacher who gives the lesson |
| -dik + tail | someone else, named by the tail | anlattığım konu | the topic I explained |
| -ecek + tail | the same, in the future | vereceğim ödev | the homework I will assign |
| -diğini | a “that” clause about the past | geldiğini duydum | I heard that you came |
| -eceğini | a “that” clause about the future | kalacağını biliyorum | I know that you will stay |
By example
How the rule settles in your head
A rule is not memorized from an explanation. It is memorized from an attempt to use it and a mistake — that is why the app delivers it mixed in with words, not as a separate lesson: it resurfaces exactly where you forgot it.
Frequently asked
Okuyan vs okuduğum?
The second tail is -dık, for when the noun is acted upon: Dün okuduğum kitap, the book I read yesterday. Who did it is named by a second tail: oku-duğ-um, read-by-me.
How to say the book I read in Turkish?
Where English says the students who passed, Turkish hangs a tail on the verb and stands it in front of the noun. Without that move you cannot say even this much.
Why okuyan kitap is wrong?
The trap is saying okuyan kitap. That means the book that does the reading. About tomorrow the same move gives alacağımı: Burs alacağımı öğretmenim söyledi.
How to say the student who passed the exam in Turkish?
Where English says the students who passed, Turkish hangs a tail on the verb and stands it in front of the noun. Without that move you cannot say even this much.
What does it look like in a Turkish example sentence?
“Sınavı geçen öğrenciler listede” — The students who passed the exam are on the list. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.