-di/-dı (görülen geçmiş)

Simple Past

Level 2

The -di/-dı suffix is the standard way to talk about the past in Turkish. It indicates that an action is finished and that you are certain about it (either because you saw it or you know it as a fact).

How It Works

The -di/-dı past tense (Görülen Geçmiş Zaman) is used for definite, completed past events. While it often translates to the English 'Simple Past', it can also represent the 'Present Perfect' (e.g., 'I have finished') only when the action is fully completed. For ongoing actions like 'I have been living', use the present continuous instead.

1. Formation:
Verb Stem + (Negative -ma/-me) + Past Suffix (-dı/-di/-du/-dü) + Personal Ending.

2. Vowel Harmony & Consonants:
The suffix vowel follows four-way vowel harmony. If the verb stem ends in a voiceless consonant (f, s, t, k, ç, ş, h, p), the 'd' changes to 't' (e.g., git-ti).

3. Negatives:
Add -ma or -me directly to the stem before the past suffix. Example: gel-me-di (he/she didn't come).

4. Questions:
The question particle mı/mi/mu/mü is written separately after the verb and its personal ending. Example: Geldin mi? (Did you come?)

5. Personal Endings:
This tense uses a specific set of endings:

  • -m (I): geldim
  • -n (You): geldin
  • - (none) (He/She/It): geldi
  • -k (We): geldik
  • -niz/-nız... (You pl.): geldiniz
  • -lar/-ler (They): geldiler (Note: -lar/-ler is optional if 'Onlar' is stated).

Examples (6)

  1. Dün akşam çok güzel bir film izledik.

    We watched a very beautiful movie last night.

    Word by Word: Yesterday evening very beautiful one movie we-watched.

    The verb 'izlemek' (to watch) takes the suffix -di and the 1st person plural ending -k.

  2. Sekreter mektubu dün yazmadı.

    The secretary did not write the letter yesterday.

    Word by Word: Secretary letter-the yesterday wrote-not.

    To make the past tense negative, add -ma/-me before the past suffix.

  3. Dersten sonra kütüphaneye gittim.

    I went to the library after class.

    Word by Word: Lesson-from after library-to I-went.

    Note how 'git-' ends in 't', so the suffix becomes -ti due to consonant hardening.

  4. Kahve içtin mi?

    Did you drink coffee?

    Word by Word: Coffee you-drank [question]?

    In past tense questions, the question particle follows the fully conjugated verb as a separate word.

  5. Onlar dün geldiler.

    They came yesterday.

    Word by Word: They yesterday came-they.

    When the subject 'Onlar' is used, the plural suffix -lar/-ler on the verb is optional.

  6. Atatürk 1881'de doğdu.

    Atatürk was born in 1881.

    Word by Word: Atatürk 1881-in born.

    This tense is used for definite past events and established historical facts.

Common Mistakes

  • Forgetting consonant hardening (d to t).

    Dün çok çalışdı.
    Dün çok çalıştı.

    Because 'çalış-' ends in the voiceless consonant 'ş', the suffix must start with 't'.

  • Using the wrong 1st person plural ending.

    Biz eve gittiz.
    Biz eve gittik.

    In the past tense, 'we' is indicated by '-k', not the '-ız/-iz' used in the present tense.

  • Mixing up -di and -miş when reporting what someone said.

    Annem dedi ki Ali dün gelmiş.
    Annem dedi ki Ali dün geldi.

    Both sentences are possible. -miş fits information you only heard from others. -di fits when you treat it as a plain fact or were told directly.

How It Connects

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-di/-dı (görülen geçmiş)Level 2Simple Past

Learn This First

To learn the Simple Past tense, you must understand how Turkish suffixes adapt to the verb stem. This involves applying four-way vowel harmony to choose the correct vowel and consonant assimilation to determine if the suffix starts with 'd' or 't'.

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Words in This Pattern

-di