The same verbs can describe two steps or one action with an accompanying detail. Practise choosing the connection you mean, rather than translating every English “and” or “while” the same way.
The idea
Use -ip to link actions: Annem oturup mektubu okudu presents sitting down and reading as steps in a story. Use -erek to foreground manner, means or an accompanying activity: Annem oturarak mektubu okudu says that she read while seated. In these examples, both actions have the same subject, and the final verb carries tense and person. The choice is not a strict “before versus during” rule: Çocuklar bahçede gülüp konuşuyor can link two ongoing activities. For all suffix shapes, use the linked suffix lessons.
| Linked actions | Manner or accompanying activity |
|---|---|
| Annem oturup mektubu okudu. | Annem oturarak mektubu okudu. |
| Çocuklar bahçede gülüp konuşuyor. | Çocuklar bahçede gülerek konuşuyor. |
Examples
- Annem oturup mektubu okudu.My mother sat down and read the letter.
- Annem oturarak mektubu okudu.My mother read the letter sitting down.
- Bugün dedem yürüyerek pazara gitti.Today my grandfather went to the market on foot.
- Dedem pazara gidip peynir aldı.My grandfather went to the market and bought cheese.
- Çocuklar bahçede gülüp konuşuyor.The children are laughing and talking in the garden.
- Çocuklar bahçede gülerek konuşuyor.The children are talking in the garden while laughing.
- Öğrenciler şekilleri çizerek öğreniyor.The students learn the shapes by drawing them.
- Babam radyoyu kapatıp balkona çıktı.My father switched off the radio and went out onto the balcony.
Read-aloud uses a synthetic Turkish voice available on your device. Voice quality and availability vary; it does not assess your pronunciation.
No Turkish device voice is available. You can still read the text.
Watch out
Do not reject one form merely because the other is possible. Gülüp konuşuyor links laughing and talking; gülerek konuşuyor makes laughing a feature of the talking. Both can fit the same scene, but the emphasis changes. Nor does -erek always mean that two actions last exactly as long as each other.
Try it yourself
Annem koltuğa ___ kitabını açtı. (oturup / oturarak) Present two steps in order: first my mother sat in the armchair, then she opened her book. Write the linking form.
Show answer or example answer
oturup
oturup: the prompt asks for sitting down first and opening the book next. Oturarak would instead highlight a seated position during the opening; that is a different focus, not an impossible sentence.
Dedem pazara ___ gitti. (yürüyüp / yürüyerek) Emphasise how my grandfather travelled to the market: on foot. Choose the form of manner.
Show answer or example answer
yürüyerek
yürüyerek: walking tells us how the grandfather reached the market. Yürüyüp would link walking with another action instead of directly foregrounding the mode of travel.
Şekilleri ___ öğreniyoruz. (çizip / çizerek) Drawing is our method of learning the shapes. Choose the form that expresses this method.
Show answer or example answer
çizerek
çizerek: drawing the shapes is the learning method. Çizip could tell a story of drawing and learning, but it would not explicitly present drawing as the means.
Çocuklar bahçede ___ konuşuyor. (gülüp / gülerek) Simply link laughing and talking as two activities; no sequence needs to be stated. Choose the coordinating form.
Show answer or example answer
gülüp
gülüp: the children are doing two things, laughing and talking. No pause between them is required here. Gülerek would foreground their laughter as an accompaniment to the talk.
Practice round
Answer questions, then rebuild Turkish sentences and words where available. We keep your score.
Annem koltuğa ___ kitabını açtı. (oturup / oturarak) Present two steps in order: first my mother sat in the armchair, then she opened her book. Write the linking form.
Dedem pazara ___ gitti. (yürüyüp / yürüyerek) Emphasise how my grandfather travelled to the market: on foot. Choose the form of manner.
Şekilleri ___ öğreniyoruz. (çizip / çizerek) Drawing is our method of learning the shapes. Choose the form that expresses this method.
Çocuklar bahçede ___ konuşuyor. (gülüp / gülerek) Simply link laughing and talking as two activities; no sequence needs to be stated. Choose the coordinating form.
Tap the words in the right order.
Tap the words in the right order.
Tap the words in the right order.
Keep your progress
Sign up for free to save your practice results in your account.
Sign up to saveI already have an accountUse it today
Describe someone preparing to read, travelling and learning something. Use one linked sequence and two ways of doing an action. For each sentence, explain whether you are listing actions or answering “how?”.