Impersonal Passive

Level 4

The Impersonal Passive (Kişisiz Edilgen) is a unique construction used exclusively with intransitive verbs. It creates a subjectless sentence to describe general rules, social norms, or directions (e.g., 'How does one go?').

How It Works

The Kişisiz Edilgen is a specific type of passive used to defocus the agent entirely. Unlike the standard passive, it has no grammatical subject because it is formed from verbs that cannot take an object.

1. Formation:
It uses the same suffixes as the passive voice, following four-way vowel harmony:

  • -n: After stems ending in a vowel (e.g., oku-n-ur).
  • -ın / -in / -un / -ün: After stems ending in 'l' (e.g., bil-in-ir).
  • -ıl / -il / -ul / -ül: After stems ending in any other consonant (e.g., gid-il-ir).

2. Usage Rules:

  • Intransitive Verbs Only: This form is defined by its use with verbs that don't take an object (like 'to go', 'to sleep', 'to run'). If a transitive verb is used, it becomes a standard passive where the object becomes the subject.
  • Subjectless: These sentences have no subject (not even 'it'). They describe an action in the abstract.
  • Human Agent: The implied actor must be human. You cannot use this for natural phenomena.
  • Third Person Only: These verbs are always conjugated in the 3rd person singular.
  • Tense: It most commonly appears in the Aorist tense because it describes general truths.

3. Contexts:
This form is essential for sounding natural in Turkish when discussing:

  • General Directions: Buradan gidilir. (One goes this way).
  • Social Norms: Bu durumda ağlanmaz. (One does not cry in this situation).
  • Prohibitions: Burada koşulmaz. (No running here).

Examples (5)

  1. Buradan nasıl gidilir?

    How does one get there from here?

    Word by Word: From-here how is-gone?

    The verb 'gitmek' (to go) is intransitive. By adding the passive suffix, we ask for general directions without specifying a person or a grammatical subject.

  2. Bu gölde yüzülmez.

    One does not swim in this lake / No swimming in this lake.

    Word by Word: This lake-in is-not-swum.

    Using the negative Aorist with the passive form of the intransitive verb 'yüzmek' (to swim) creates a general rule or warning.

  3. Pazar günleri geç uyanılır.

    On Sundays, one wakes up late.

    Word by Word: Sunday days-its late is-woken-up.

    This describes a general habit using the passive form of the intransitive verb 'uyanmak' (to wake up).

  4. Kütüphanede konuşulmaz.

    One does not talk in the library.

    Word by Word: Library-in is-not-spoken.

    The verb 'konuşmak' (to talk/speak) is used here intransitively to state a general rule of conduct.

  5. Bu yolda hızlı koşulmaz.

    One does not run fast on this road.

    Word by Word: This road-on fast is-not-run.

    Using the passive of 'koşmak' (to run) creates a subjectless sentence describing a general restriction.

Common Mistakes

  • Adding a specific subject to an impersonal passive sentence.

    İnsanlar burada uyunur.
    Burada uyunur.

    The impersonal passive is subjectless by definition. Adding 'İnsanlar' (People) makes the sentence grammatically incorrect.

  • Adding personal endings to the verb.

    Buradan gidilirim.
    Buradan gidilir.

    Impersonal passives are strictly fixed in the 3rd person singular. You cannot add 'I', 'you', or 'we' endings to them.

  • Using 'tarafından' (by) to name an agent.

    Halk tarafından buradan gidilir.
    Buradan gidilir.

    Because the impersonal passive is used for non-specific, general human agents, you cannot use a 'tarafından' phrase to specify who is doing the action.

How It Connects

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Impersonal PassiveLevel 4

Learn This First

To understand the impersonal passive, you first need to know how to form the passive voice in Turkish. Since this pattern is primarily used to state general rules, instructions, or common practices, it is almost always paired with the Aorist (Geniş Zaman) tense.