-den -e kadar

From ... Until

Level 2

The pattern [Point A]-den [Point B]-e kadar means 'from A to B'. It is used for time (Monday to Friday), distance (home to work), and numbers (one to ten).

How It Works

The -den -e kadar pattern is the standard way to define a continuous span in Turkish. It consists of three parts:

Starting Point: The noun takes the ablative case suffix (-dan, -den, -tan, -ten) based on two-way vowel harmony and consonant assimilation.
Endpoint: The noun takes the dative case suffix (-a, -e). If the word ends in a vowel, use the buffer consonant -y-. If the noun ends in p, ç, t, k, it may undergo consonant softening (e.g., mutfaktan sokağa kadar). If the noun has a 3rd person possessive suffix, use the buffer consonant -n- (e.g., evinden işine kadar).
Postposition: The word kadar follows the dative-marked endpoint. In formal contexts, you may see the synonyms -e dek or -e değin.

This pattern is versatile and applies to:
1. Time: Sabahtan akşama kadar (From morning until evening).
2. Space: Evden okula kadar (From home to school).
3. Quantity: Birden ona kadar (From one to ten).

Note that the endpoint -e kadar can stand alone to mean 'until' or 'as far as' without a starting point. When using personal pronouns as the endpoint, they must be in the dative form (e.g., bana kadar).

Examples (5)

Pazartesiden cumaya kadar çalışıyorum.
I work from Monday to Friday.
Word by Word: Monday-from Friday-to until I-am-working.
Shows a temporal range using days of the week.
İzmir'den İstanbul'a kadar arabayla gittik.
We went from Izmir to Istanbul by car.
Word by Word: Izmir-from Istanbul-to until car-with we-went.
Shows a spatial range between two cities. Note the use of apostrophes for proper nouns.
Birden yüze kadar sayabilir misin?
Can you count from one to a hundred?
Word by Word: One-from hundred-to until count-able-you question?
Shows a quantitative range using numbers.
Sabahtan akşama kadar ders çalıştım.
I studied from morning until evening.
Word by Word: Morning-from evening-to until lesson I-worked.
A common expression for duration of time.
Kütüphaneden eve kadar yürüdüm.
I walked from the library to the house.
Word by Word: Library-from house-to until I-walked.
Demonstrates physical distance between two locations.

Common Mistakes

Using the wrong case for the endpoint.
Sabahtan akşamda kadar.
Sabahtan akşama kadar.
The endpoint must take the dative case (-a/-e), not the locative case (-da/-de).
Forgetting the buffer consonant -y- for words ending in vowels.
Sinemadan tiyatroa kadar.
Sinemadan tiyatroya kadar.
When the endpoint ends in a vowel (like tiyatro), you must use the buffer -y- before the dative suffix -a.
Using the genitive case for pronouns in a range.
Evden benim kadar yürü.
Evden bana kadar yürü.
When 'kadar' means 'until/to', pronouns must be in the dative (bana, sana, ona). The genitive (benim kadar) is only for comparisons meaning 'as much as me'.

How It Connects

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

-den -e kadarLevel 2From ... Until

Learn This First

To understand the '-den -e kadar' construction, you must first be familiar with the Ablative case (-den) for the starting point and the Dative case (-e) for the destination or end point. Additionally, familiarity with the postposition 'kadar' is essential as it functions as the anchor for the limit being described.

Words in This Pattern

kadar-den-a

Practice -den -e kadar in Bubblegum

Poppy, your AI tutor, writes Turkish lessons at your level. Tap any grammar point in a lesson to see its full explanation.