-dıqca/-dikcə/-duqca/-dükcə

Progressive Proportional Converb

Level 6

The suffix -dıqca / -dikcə / -duqca / -dükcə is a progressive proportional converb. It links two actions where the progress or intensity of the first action directly influences the second action.

How It Works

The suffix is formed by combining the past participle -dıq with the equative suffix -ca. Despite the past participle element, it does not strictly refer to the past; it describes a continuous condition.

1. Vowel Harmony:
It follows 4-way vowel harmony:

  • -dıqca: After a, ı (e.g., yazdıqca - as one writes)
  • -dikcə: After e, ə, i (e.g., bildikcə - as one knows)
  • -duqca: After o, u (e.g., oxuduqca - as one reads)
  • -dükcə: After ö, ü (e.g., gördükcə - as one sees)

2. Usage Nuances:
Unlike the simple 'when' (-anda), which marks a specific point in time, -dıqca implies that as Action A continues or increases, Action B follows suit. It can also mean 'as long as' or 'whenever' in contexts where a repeated condition triggers a result.

3. Consonant Stability:
Note that the initial d in this suffix does not change to t, even if the verb stem ends in a voiceless consonant (e.g., baxdıqca, not baxtıqca).

Examples (4)

  1. Məlumat artdıqca nəticə dəqiqləşir.

    As the data increases, the result becomes more precise.

    Word by Word: Information as-it-increases result becomes-precise.

    Shows a direct proportion: more data equals more precision.

  2. Sən israr etdikcə onun şübhələri artacaq.

    The more you insist, the more his doubts will increase.

    Word by Word: You as-you-insist his doubts will-increase.

    Here, the progression of 'insisting' leads to the progression of 'doubts'.

  3. Kitabı oxuduqca yeni şeylər öyrənirəm.

    As I read the book, I learn new things.

    Word by Word: Book-acc as-I-read new things I-learn.

    Indicates a continuous process of learning that happens alongside the reading.

  4. Hava qaraldıqca soyuq düşür.

    As the weather gets darker, it gets cold.

    Word by Word: Weather as-it-gets-dark cold falls.

    Describes two natural processes changing simultaneously.

Common Mistakes

  • This sentence is fine, but it means 'every time'.

    Different MeaningQapını açdıqca onu gördüm.
    Qapını açanda onu gördüm.

    Qapını açdıqca onu gördüm means 'every time I opened the door, I saw him'. For one moment ('when I opened the door'), use -anda, as in the right sentence.

  • Violating vowel harmony for rounded vowels.

    Gördikcə
    Gördükcə

    Because 'gör-' contains a front rounded vowel (ö), the suffix must also use the front rounded version (-dükcə).

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

-dıqca/-dikcə/-duqca/-dükcəLevel 6Progressive Proportional Converb

Learn This First

To understand the progressive proportional converb, learners must first be comfortable with four-way vowel harmony and the morphological base of the past tense. This pattern functions as a linker that shows how one action changes in proportion to another, often used in complex sentences describing gradual development.