Compare what someone does in a particular capacity with how they sound or behave. You will also distinguish using an object for a purpose from saying that it resembles something.
The idea
After a noun, olarak can identify the role or function in which someone acts or something is used: öğretmen olarak çalışmak means to work as a teacher. Bir öğretmen gibi konuşmak compares someone’s manner of speaking with a teacher’s; it does not establish their job. Keep each expression together after its noun. The contrast has limits: geçici olarak means temporarily and describes how long an arrangement lasts, not a professional role.
| Role or function | Resemblance |
|---|---|
| öğretmen olarak çalışmak | bir öğretmen gibi konuşmak |
| masa olarak kullanmak | masa gibi görünmek |
| danışman olarak katılmak | bir danışman gibi konuşmak |
Examples
- Ablam bu okulda öğretmen olarak çalışıyor.My older sister works as a teacher at this school.
- Ablam bir öğretmen gibi konuşuyor.My older sister speaks like a teacher.
- Bu kutuyu masa olarak kullanıyoruz.We use this box as a table.
- Bu kutu masa gibi görünüyor.This box looks like a table.
- Toplantıya danışman olarak katıldım.I attended the meeting in my capacity as an adviser.
- Toplantıda bir danışman gibi konuştum.I spoke like an adviser at the meeting.
- Bu odayı geçici olarak kullanıyoruz.We are using this room temporarily.
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Watch out
Do not conclude that someone described with gibi cannot really be a teacher. A teacher can also speak bir öğretmen gibi; the sentence simply foregrounds resemblance. Conversely, a box used masa olarak need not be a real table: its function in that situation matters.
Try it yourself
This is my profession. I work as a cook in a hotel. Fill the gap with olarak or gibi.
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olarak
olarak: the speaker explicitly says cooking is their profession; the hotel sentence identifies the job they do there.
Cooking is not this person’s profession. They cook like a cook. Choose olarak or gibi.
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gibi
gibi: the context rules out cooking as a profession and compares the person’s way of cooking with a cook’s.
The plank now serves as a shelf. I use the plank as a shelf. Choose olarak or gibi.
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olarak
olarak: the plank is serving as a shelf. Its use, rather than a visual similarity, determines the choice.
The bag is very soft. This bag is soft like a pillow. Choose olarak or gibi.
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gibi
gibi: softness is the shared quality of the bag and a pillow. The sentence does not say the bag is being used as a pillow.
Practice round
Answer questions, then rebuild Turkish sentences and words where available. We keep your score.
This is my profession. I work as a cook in a hotel. Fill the gap with olarak or gibi.
Cooking is not this person’s profession. They cook like a cook. Choose olarak or gibi.
The plank now serves as a shelf. I use the plank as a shelf. Choose olarak or gibi.
The bag is very soft. This bag is soft like a pillow. Choose olarak or gibi.
Tap the words in the right order.
Tap the words in the right order.
Tap the words in the right order.
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Write two sentences about one person, naming their role with olarak and comparing their behaviour with gibi. Then describe an object used for another purpose. Explain what each sentence actually claims.