-dikten sonra

After Doing Something

Level 3

Verb Stem + -DIKten sonra
Example: Yemek yedikten sonra... (After eating...)

How It Works

This pattern is formed by attaching a specific participle and the ablative case to a verb stem, followed by the postposition sonra (after).

1. Formation:
The suffix -DIK follows four-way vowel harmony (-dık, -dik, -duk, -dük). The ablative suffix -tEn follows two-way vowel harmony (-tan, -ten).

  • a, ı: -dıktan sonra
  • e, i: -dikten sonra
  • o, u: -duktan sonra
  • ö, ü: -dükten sonra

2. Consonant Assimilation:
If the verb stem ends in a voiceless consonant (f, s, t, k, ç, ş, h, p), the 'd' changes to 't' due to consonant assimilation.
Example: git- + -dikten → gittikten sonra.

3. Subject and Person:
Unlike many other Turkish verb forms, -dikten sonra is impersonal. It does not take personal endings. The subject is usually the same as the main verb, but if it is different, the subject of the first clause is simply placed in the plain form at the beginning of the sentence.

4. Negative Form (-mAdIktAn sonra):
When used in the negative, this pattern often translates to 'unless' or 'as long as... not'. It suggests that the main action cannot happen without the first action occurring.
Example: Çalışmadıktan sonra başarılı olamazsın. (Unless you work, you cannot be successful / As long as you don't work, you won't be successful.)

Examples (4)

  1. Ödevimi bitirdikten sonra dışarı çıktım.

    After finishing my homework, I went out.

    Word by Word: My homework after finishing out I went.

    The action of finishing the homework is completed before the action of going out starts.

  2. Ellerini yıkadıktan sonra sofraya otur.

    Sit at the table after washing your hands.

    Word by Word: Your hands after washing to the table sit.

    Here, washing hands is a prerequisite for sitting at the table.

  3. Film bittikten sonra biraz yürüdük.

    After the movie ended, we walked for a bit.

    Word by Word: Movie after ending a bit we walked.

    This shows that the subjects can be different: the movie (subject 1) ended, then we (subject 2) walked.

  4. Ders çalıştıktan sonra kahve içeceğim.

    I will drink coffee after studying.

    Word by Word: Lesson after working coffee I will drink.

    Note how 'çalış-' ends in 'ş', so the suffix becomes '-tıktan' due to consonant assimilation.

Common Mistakes

  • Using the infinitive (-mek) instead of the -dik participle.

    Yemek yemekten sonra uyudum.
    Yemek yedikten sonra uyudum.

    In English, we say 'after eating', but in Turkish, you cannot use the infinitive with 'sonra' when a verb is involved. You must use the -dikten sonra pattern.

  • Adding personal suffixes when they are not needed.

    Ben ödevimi bitirdiğimden sonra...
    Ben ödevimi bitirdikten sonra...

    The -dikten sonra form is the usual choice and does not change based on the person (I, you, we, etc.). The person is understood from the main verb. Forms like 'bitirdiğimden sonra' are grammatical, but they are less common.

How It Connects

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

-dikten sonraLevel 3After Doing Something

Learn This First

To understand '-dikten sonra', you need to be familiar with the ablative case (-den/-dan) and how it combines with 'sonra' to indicate time. Additionally, you must understand consonant assimilation (ünsüz benzeşmesi) because the suffix changes from -dikten to -tikten depending on the verb stem's final letter.

Words in This Pattern

sonra