Grammar
The Narrative Past Tense, also known as the -miş Past or Indirect Past (Belirsiz / Öğrenilen Geçmiş Zaman), is used for actions in the past that the speaker did not witness directly, learned about from someone else, or realized after the fact. It can also express surprise.
Suffix Formation:
The suffix is -miş / -mış / -muş / -müş, following I-Type vowel harmony.
- gel- → gelmiş (apparently came / has come)
- yap- → yapmış (apparently did / has done)
- oku- → okumuş (apparently read / has read)
Conjugation (görmek - to see):
| Person | Positive | Negative |
|---|---|---|
| Ben | görmüşüm | görmemişim |
| Sen | görmüşsün | görmemişsin |
| O | görmüş | görmemiş |
| Biz | görmüşüz | görmemişiz |
| Siz | görmüşsünüz | görmemişsiniz |
| Onlar | görmüşler | görmemişler |
Negation:
The negative is formed by adding -me/-ma before the -miş suffix: -memiş/-mamış. Example: O gelmemiş. (Apparently, he/she didn't come.)
Practice Zone
1. If someone says 'Ahmet gelmiş', what does it imply about their knowledge of Ahmet's arrival?
2. If you say 'Yağmur yağmış', what does it imply about your knowledge of the rain?