Grammar
- Verb Stems & Infinitives
- Person Suffixes
- Present Simple / Aorist (-r)
- Present Continuous (-iyor)
- Past Simple / Definite Past (-di)
- Past Continuous / Imperfect (-iyordu)
- Future Tense (-ecek/-acak)
- Narrative/Reported Past (-miş)
- Imperative Mood
- Optative Mood (-e)
- Necessitative Mood (-meli/-malı)
- Conditional Mood (-se/-sa)
- Ability (-ebilmek/-abilmek)
- Negation (-me/-ma)
- Questions (-mi?)
- Passive Voice (-il/-in)
- Causative Voice (-dir, -t, etc.)
- Verbal Nouns (-me, -mek, -iş)
- Participles (Sıfat-Fiiller)
- Gerunds / Adverbial Clauses
Grammar
Consonant Mutation
CEFR level: A1 · Topic: Fundamentals
When suffixes are added, some consonants change so that the word is easier to pronounce. There are two main processes: softening of the last consonant of a word, and hardening of the first consonant of a suffix.
1. Consonant Softening (Ünsüz Yumuşaması)
When a word ending in p, ç, t, k takes a suffix that begins with a vowel, the final consonant usually becomes voiced:
| Change | Example | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| p → b | kitap → kitabı | the book (acc.) |
| ç → c | ağaç → ağacı | the tree (acc.) |
| t → d | kağıt → kağıdı | the paper (acc.) |
| k → ğ (after a vowel) | çocuk → çocuğu, ekmek → ekmeği | the child, the bread (acc.) |
| nk → ng | renk → rengi, denk → dengi | the colour, its equal |
The same happens in some verb stems: git- → gidiyor (is going), et- → ediyor (is doing). Some loanwords ending in -g also take ğ: katalog → kataloğu.
When softening does NOT happen
- Before consonant-initial suffixes: kitaplar, kitapta (never 'kitabta').
- Most one-syllable words: at → atı (the horse), ok → oku (the arrow), top → topu (the ball), süt → sütü (the milk), saç → saçı (the hair). But some do soften and must be learned: kap → kabı (the container), dip → dibi (the bottom), uç → ucu (the tip), tat → tadı (the taste), yurt → yurdu (the homeland), renk → rengi.
- Many loanwords: saat → saati (the hour), hayat → hayatı (life), millet → milleti (the nation), sepet → sepeti (the basket). (Others do soften: kalp → kalbi (the heart).)
- Proper nouns keep their spelling: Ahmet'e, Mehmet'i, Zonguldak'a are written with t and k, although in speech they are usually pronounced 'Ahmede', 'Mehmedi', 'Zonguldağa'.
2. Consonant Hardening (Ünsüz Benzeşmesi)
After the voiceless consonants f, s, t, k, ç, ş, h, p (remembered with the phrase FıSTıKÇı ŞaHaP), a suffix beginning with c, d or g changes to ç, t or k:
- d → t: kitap + -da → kitapta (in the book), ağaç + -dan → ağaçtan (from the tree), git + -di → gitti (he went), Ahmet'te (at Ahmet's)
- c → ç: iş + -ci → işçi (worker), kitap + -cı → kitapçı (bookseller), Türk + -ce → Türkçe (Turkish)
- g → k: only in a few word-forming suffixes: kes + -gin → keskin (sharp), bas + -gı → baskı (print, pressure)
Note: unlike softening, hardening also applies to proper nouns in writing: Mehmet'ten, Zonguldak'ta.
Common Mistakes
- ✗ kitapda → ✓ kitapta (hardening after p)
- ✗ kitabda → ✓ kitapta (no softening before a consonant)
- ✗ kitapı → ✓ kitabı (softening before a vowel)
- ✗ saadi → ✓ saati (loanword exception); ✗ 'adı' for 'the horse' → ✓ atı (adı means 'his name')
- ✗ Ahmed'e → ✓ Ahmet'e (proper nouns keep their spelling)
Practice Zone
1. How does 'kitap' (book) change when the accusative suffix '-ı' is added?
2. Which form is correct for 'ağaç' (tree) + the locative suffix (-de/-da)?
3. How does 'dolap' (cupboard) change when the dative suffix '-a' is added?