-eceğini söylemek

Object Clauses with -ecek

Level 5

The -eceğini söylemek pattern is the standard way to create indirect reported speech for future actions. It translates to 'to say that (someone) will (do something).'

How It Works

To report a future statement or intention indirectly, follow these steps:

1. Subject Case: The subject of the reported clause must be in the genitive case (e.g., Ali'nin geleceğini söyledim). If the subject is the same as the main sentence, it is often represented only by the possessive suffix on the participle (e.g., Ali geleceğini söyledi - here 'Ali' is the nominative subject of 'söylemek', and the '-i' suffix on 'geleceğini' indicates he is also the one coming).
2. Verb Stem & Negation: Start with the action. To make it negative, add the negative suffix directly to the stem (e.g., gelme-).
3. Future Participle: Add -(y)ecek, using a buffer -y- if the stem ends in a vowel. This suffix follows two-way vowel harmony.
4. Consonant Softening: Due to consonant softening, the final -k changes to -ğ before possessive suffixes starting with a vowel. Note that the -k remains hard in the 3rd person plural form (e.g., gelecekleri) because that suffix starts with a consonant.
5. Possessive Suffix: Add the suffix for the person performing the action. Most follow four-way vowel harmony, but the 3rd person plural suffix follows two-way vowel harmony.
6. Buffer 'n': For 3rd person forms, add a buffer -n- before the case ending.
7. Accusative Case: Add the accusative suffix to the participle. Note that in this construction, the accusative suffix attaches directly to the consonant-ending possessive suffixes of the 1st and 2nd persons (e.g., -im-i, -in-i), or follows the buffer -n- for 3rd person forms (e.g., -i-n-i). The buffer -y- is not used here.
8. The Addressee: The person being spoken to takes the dative case (e.g., Bana geleceğini söyledi).

Important Distinction: This pattern is strictly for reporting facts or intentions about the future. If you are reporting a command, request, or wish (e.g., "He told me to come"), you must use the -mesini pattern instead.

No Tense Backshifting: Unlike English, Turkish does not "backshift" tenses in indirect speech. The future participle remains the same regardless of whether the main verb is in the present or past tense. Therefore, geleceğini söyledi can translate as "he said he will come" or "he said he would come" depending on the context.

Note on Ambiguity: The form geleceğini can mean both 'your coming' and 'his/her coming'. Use possessive pronouns to resolve this.

Formula: [Subject-Genitive] + [Verb Stem] + (me/ma) + -(y)ecek/-(y)acak + [Possessive] + (n) + [Accusative] + söylemek.

Examples (5)

  1. Ali'nin yarın geleceğini söylediler.

    They said that Ali will come tomorrow.

    Word by Word: Ali's tomorrow his-future-coming they-said.

    Note that 'Ali' takes the genitive case because he is the subject of the reported clause.

  2. Sana yardım edeceğimi söyledim.

    I told you that I will help.

    Word by Word: To-you help my-future-doing I-said.

    The verb etmek undergoes softening to 'ed-' and the future suffix '-ecek' softens to '-eceğ' before the vowel-starting suffix '-im'.

  3. Öğrencilerin gelmeyeceklerini söylediler.

    They said that the students will not come.

    Word by Word: Students' their-not-future-coming they-said.

    In the 3rd person plural, the 'k' in '-ecek' does not soften because the suffix '-leri' starts with a consonant.

  4. Hava durumuna göre yağmur yağacağını söylediler.

    According to the weather forecast, they said it will rain.

    Word by Word: Weather status-to according-to rain its-future-raining they-said.

    The subject 'yağmur' is treated as the possessor, though the genitive is often dropped in general statements like weather.

  5. Annemin bize kızacağını söyledim.

    I said that my mother will be angry with us.

    Word by Word: My-mother's to-us her-future-being-angry I-said.

    This shows the genitive case on 'annem' (annemin) and the future participle acting as the object.

Common Mistakes

  • Omitting the genitive case on an explicit subject of the reported clause.

    Ali geleceğini söyledim.
    Ali'nin geleceğini söyledim.

    When the subject of the reported clause is a specific person or thing that is named (not dropped), it takes the genitive case suffix. A general, indefinite subject can sometimes stay without it.

  • Applying consonant softening to the 3rd person plural form.

    Geleceğlerini söylediler.
    Geleceklerini söylediler.

    The consonant softening (k to ğ) only happens if the possessive suffix starts with a vowel. Since the 3rd person plural suffix is '-leri', the 'k' remains.

  • Confusing 'söylemek' with 'demek' for indirect speech.

    Geleceğini dedi.
    Geleceğini söyledi.

    The verb demek is mostly used for direct quotes. For indirect nominalized clauses ending in '-eceğini', the natural choice is söylemek.

How It Connects

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-eceğini söylemekLevel 5Object Clauses with -ecek

Learn This First

To understand '-eceğini söylemek', you first need to know how to form the future tense and the future participle (-eceği). Since the entire clause acts as the object of the verb 'söylemek' (to say), you must also understand how to apply the accusative case suffix to the participle.

Words in This Pattern

-eceksöylemek