LingoflyHow exactly it is done: -arak, -a -a and -madan
A coach says run breathing through your nose, go without stopping. Such phrases describe not what is done but how, and Turkish builds them with special verb forms. For example: “Isınmadan koşmaya başlama” — Do not start running without warming up. A rule from the Turkish course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
A coach says run breathing through your nose, go without stopping. Such phrases describe not what is done but how, and Turkish builds them with special verb forms.
-arak/-erek is doing, the main way: koşarak geldi, he came at a run; Hakem gülerek düdüğü çaldı. The same form means by means of: otobüse binerek, by bus.
Doubling, -a -a, paints a picture: the action is long and repeated. Çocuklar koşa koşa parka gitti; terleye terleye, drenched in sweat.
-madan/-meden is without doing: durmadan, without stopping. The denial already sits inside the tail. The trap is the shared doer: koşarak geldim means one and the same person ran and arrived.
Table
| the form | the meaning | example | translation |
|---|---|---|---|
| -arak / -erek | doing, as a manner | koşarak geldi | he came running |
| -arak / -erek | by means of | otobüse binerek | by taking the bus |
| -a -a / -e -e | at length, over and over | terleye terleye | drenched in sweat |
| -madan / -meden | without doing | durmadan | without stopping |
| -madan önce | before doing | çıkmadan önce | before going out |
| the subject | must be shared | koşarak geldim | the one who ran and came is me |
By example
- Isınmadan koşmaya başlamaDo not start running without warming up
- Çocuklar koşa koşa parka gittiThe children raced off to the park
- Hakem gülerek düdüğü çaldıThe referee blew the whistle, smiling
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
Koşarak vs koşa koşa?
Doubling, -a -a, paints a picture: the action is long and repeated. Çocuklar koşa koşa parka gitti; terleye terleye, drenched in sweat.
-arak or -madan: how to say without stopping?
A coach says run breathing through your nose, go without stopping. Such phrases describe not what is done but how, and Turkish builds them with special verb forms.
How to say he left without looking in Turkish?
A coach says run breathing through your nose, go without stopping. Such phrases describe not what is done but how, and Turkish builds them with special verb forms.
-madan vs -madan önce?
-madan/-meden is without doing: durmadan, without stopping. The denial already sits inside the tail. The trap is the shared doer: koşarak geldim means one and the same person ran and arrived.
What does it look like in a Turkish example sentence?
“Isınmadan koşmaya başlama” — Do not start running without warming up. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.