-laştırmak

Verbs of Making

Level 5

The suffix -laştırmak / -leştirmek transforms a noun or adjective into a verb that means 'to cause something to become [X]'. It is the causative counterpart to -leşmek (to become).

How It Works

The suffix -laştırmak is one of the most productive ways to create new verbs in modern Turkish. It is composed of two parts: the transformative -laş (to become) and the causative -tır (to make).

1. Vowel Harmony:

  • -laştırmak: Used with back vowels (a, ı, o, u). Example: uzak (far) → uzaklaştırmak (to alienate/remove).
  • -leştirmek: Used with front vowels (e, i, ö, ü). Example: modern → modernleştirmek (to modernize).

2. Usage with Nouns vs. Adjectives:
When attached to an adjective, it means 'to make [adjective]' (e.g., güzelleştirmek - to beautify). When attached to a noun, it means 'to turn into [noun]' (e.g., köleleştirmek - to enslave).

3. The 'k' Rule:
Unlike some other suffixes that cause a final k to drop, -laştırmak usually retains the k. For example, çocuk (child) becomes çocuklaştırmak (to make someone act like a child).

4. Historical Context:
This suffix was heavily used during the Turkish Language Revolution to replace compound verbs like X etmek with single-word Turkish roots, making it very common in academic and formal writing.

Examples (4)

  1. Yeni yazılım işimizi çok kolaylaştırdı.

    The new software made our work much easier.

    Word by Word: New software work-our-acc very easy-made.

    Here, the adjective 'kolay' (easy) becomes the verb 'kolaylaştırmak' (to make easy/facilitate).

  2. Belediye parkı güzelleştirmek için çiçekler dikti.

    The municipality planted flowers to beautify the park.

    Word by Word: Municipality park-acc beautiful-make-to for flowers planted.

    The adjective 'güzel' (beautiful) is transformed into the infinitive 'güzelleştirmek' (to beautify).

  3. Bu teknoloji dünyayı küreselleştirdi.

    This technology globalized the world.

    Word by Word: This technology world-acc global-made.

    The adjective 'küresel' (global) is turned into the verb 'küreselleştirmek' (to globalize).

  4. Lütfen konuyu daha fazla karmaşıklaştırma.

    Please do not complicate the matter any further.

    Word by Word: Please subject-acc more extra complex-make-don't.

    The adjective 'karmaşık' (complex) becomes 'karmaşıklaştırmak' (to complicate).

Common Mistakes

  • Confusing -laştırmak with -landırmak.

    Bahçeyi çiçekleştirdik.
    Bahçeyi çiçeklendirdik.

    -laştırmak means 'to turn into X', while -landırmak means 'to provide with X'. You don't turn a garden into a flower; you provide it with flowers.

  • Forgetting the causative -tır element.

    Hava durumu planlarımızı zorlaştı.
    Hava durumu planlarımızı zorlaştırdı.

    Without the -tır, the verb 'zorlaşmak' means 'to become difficult' (intransitive). To say the weather 'made' the plans difficult, you must use the causative form.

How It Connects

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-laştırmakLevel 5Verbs of Making

Learn This First

The pattern -laştırmak is a complex suffix used to derive transitive verbs from nouns or adjectives, meaning 'to make something [adjective]'. It is composed of the 'becoming' suffix (-laş-) followed by the causative suffix (-tır-). To understand it, you must first be familiar with how nouns become verbs (-leşmek) and how verbs are made causative (-dir/-t).