-medi

Negative Simple Past

Level 2

Verb Root + -ma/-me + -dı/-di + Person Suffix

How It Works

The Negative Simple Past is the standard way to say 'did not' in Turkish. It is formed by adding the negative suffix -ma/-me directly to the verb root, followed by the past tense suffix and the person ending.

1. The Structure:
The formula is: [Verb Root] + [Negation] + [Past Tense] + [Person Suffix].

  • Negation: Uses two-way vowel harmony. Use -ma after back vowels (a, ı, o, u) and -me after front vowels (e, i, ö, ü).
  • Past Tense: Because the negation suffix always ends in a vowel, the past tense suffix is always -dı (after -ma) or -di (after -me). The 'hardened' versions (-tı/-ti) are never used here.

2. Person Endings:
This tense uses the Simple Past Person Endings (Type 2). Here is how they look after the negative suffix:

  • Ben: -madım / -medim (I didn't)
  • Sen: -madın / -medin (You didn't)
  • O: -madı / -medi (He/She/It didn't)
  • Biz: -madık / -medik (We didn't)
  • Siz: -madınız / -mediniz (You plural/polite didn't)
  • Onlar: -madılar / -mediler (They didn't)

3. Negative Questions:
To ask 'Did you not...?', place the question word after the conjugated verb: [Verb Root] + [Negation] + [Past Tense] + [Person Suffix] + [Question Particle]. For example: Gitmedin mi? (Did you not go?) or Okumadılar mı? (Did they not read?).

4. Word Stress:
In Turkish, the negation suffix is unstressed. The emphasis falls on the syllable immediately before the -ma/-me. For example, in GEL-me-dim, the stress is on 'GEL'.

5. Certainty:
This tense is used when you have direct knowledge or are certain that something didn't happen. If you are reporting hearsay, you would use a different pattern like -memiş.

Examples (4)

  1. Dün akşam ödevimi yapmadım.

    I did not do my homework last night.

    Word by Word: Yesterday evening my-homework I-did-not-do.

    Here, 'yap-' (do) is followed by '-ma' (negative) and '-dım' (past + I).

  2. Toplantıya kimse gelmedi.

    Nobody came to the meeting.

    Word by Word: To-the-meeting nobody did-not-come.

    In plain statements, words like 'kimse' (nobody) go with a negative verb.

  3. Anahtarlarımı masada görmedim.

    I didn't see my keys on the table.

    Word by Word: My-keys on-the-table I-did-not-see.

    The verb 'gör-' (see) takes '-me' due to vowel harmony.

  4. Biz dün dışarı çıkmadık.

    We didn't go out yesterday.

    Word by Word: We yesterday outside did-not-go-out.

    The suffix '-dık' indicates the first person plural (we) in the past tense.

Common Mistakes

  • Using the wrong suffix order.

    Gittim-me.
    Gitmedim.

    The negation suffix (-ma/-me) must always come before the tense suffix (-dı/-di).

  • Hardening the 'd' to 't' after a hard consonant root.

    Yapmatı.
    Yapmadı.

    Even if the verb root ends in a hard consonant like 'p', the negation suffix '-ma' protects the 'd' from changing to 't'.

  • Using a positive verb with 'hiç' (never/at all).

    Hiçbir şey gördüm.
    Hiçbir şey görmedim.

    In Turkish, negative pronouns like 'hiçbir şey' (nothing) must be paired with a negative verb.

How It Connects

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-mediLevel 2Negative Simple Past

Learn This First

To understand the negative simple past (-medi), you first need to know how to form the affirmative simple past and its specific person endings. Additionally, you must understand the basic negation suffix (-me/-ma) which is inserted between the verb stem and the tense marker.

Learn Next

Patterns that build on this one.

Words in This Pattern

-me-di