Dates

Level 2

Turkish dates are structured logically from smallest to largest: Day + Month + Year. Unlike English, the day is a simple number (1, 2, 3) rather than an ordinal (1st, 2nd, 3rd).

How It Works

Turkish date formatting is precise and follows these rules:

  • Order: Always Day-Month-Year (e.g., 29 Ekim 1923).
  • Numbers: Use cardinal numbers for the day. '12 Mayıs' is read as 'Twelve May', not 'Twelfth of May'.
  • Capitalization: Months and days of the week are only capitalized when they accompany a specific number (e.g., 15 Temmuz vs temmuz ayı).
  • Suffixes: When adding 'on' (-de/-da), attach it to the final element. If the date includes a year, the suffix goes on the year: 2023'te. If it ends with a month, it goes there: Mayıs'ta.
  • Formal Register: In official documents, the phrase tarihinde (on the date of) is used after the full date instead of a simple suffix.
  • Reading Years: Years are read as full numbers. 1990 is bin dokuz yüz doksan, not 'nineteen-ninety'.

Examples (5)

  1. Cumhuriyet 29 Ekim 1923'te ilan edildi.

    The Republic was proclaimed on 29 October 1923.

    Word by Word: Republic 29 October 1923-on proclaimed was.

    The locative suffix -te is attached to the year with an apostrophe because it is a specific date.

  2. Doğum günüm 15 Mayıs'ta.

    My birthday is on May 15th.

    Word by Word: Birth day-my 15 May-on.

    Since the month is the last word and follows a number, it is capitalized and takes an apostrophe before the suffix.

  3. Toplantı 20 Ocak tarihinde yapılacak.

    The meeting will be held on the date of January 20th.

    Word by Word: Meeting 20 January date-on will-be-done.

    This uses the formal 'tarihinde' construction common in business and official contexts.

  4. Okullar eylülde açılıyor.

    Schools open in September.

    Word by Word: Schools September-in are-opening.

    Note that 'eylül' is lowercase and has no apostrophe because no specific day/number is mentioned.

  5. Sınav 12 Haziran Cuma günü yapılacak.

    The exam will be held on Friday, June 12th.

    Word by Word: Exam 12 June Friday day-its will-be-done.

    When a weekday is included, the word 'günü' is often used, and the suffix attaches to it.

Common Mistakes

  • Using the English Month-Day-Year order.

    05.20.2023
    20.05.2023

    Turkish always uses Day-Month-Year. Writing 05.06 means June 5th, never May 6th.

  • Capitalizing months when no specific date is given.

    Gelecek Nisan tatile gidiyoruz.
    Gelecek nisan tatile gidiyoruz.

    Months are common nouns in Turkish unless they are part of a specific, numbered date.

  • Forgetting the apostrophe when attaching suffixes to years.

    2023de
    2023'te

    Numbers must be separated from case suffixes by an apostrophe. Also, remember consonant assimilation (3 ends in 'üç', so -de becomes -te).

How It Connects

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

DatesLevel 2

Learn This First

To express dates in Turkish, you need to know the names of the months and how to use numbers. Additionally, understanding how to apply suffixes to specific dates using apostrophes and capital letters is necessary for correct formatting.

Words in This Pattern

tarih