You will distinguish doing an action from causing it or having it done. Follow the participants in each sentence: the causer, the person who acts, and any object already involved.
The idea
The causative makes the causer the subject. Compare Usta rafı yaptı (the craftsperson made the shelf) with Elif ustaya rafı yaptırdı (Elif had the craftsperson make the shelf). With a transitive base verb such as yapmak, the person carrying out the action normally takes the dative: ustaya; the object remains rafı. With an intransitive base such as uyumak, the person made to act takes the accusative: Baba bebeği uyuttu. The performer can be omitted: Elif rafı yaptırdı. Tense and person endings follow the causative stem. Learn suffix selection on the related suffix pages; here, track the roles.
| Base sentence | Causative sentence |
|---|---|
| Bebek uyudu. | Baba bebeği uyuttu. |
| Usta rafı yaptı. | Elif ustaya rafı yaptırdı. |
Examples
- Bu şaka herkesi güldürdü.This joke made everyone laugh.
- Elif ustaya rafı yaptırdı.Elif had the craftsperson make the shelf.
- Annem dün perdeleri yıkattı.My mother had the curtains washed yesterday.
- Baba bebeği uyuttu.The father put the baby to sleep.
- Usta rafı yaptı.The craftsperson made the shelf.
- Elif rafı yaptırdı.Elif had the shelf made.
- Bu haber bizi sevindirdi.This news made us happy.
- Çocuklar oynamak istedi; Derya onları bahçede oynattı.The children wanted to play; Derya let them play in the garden.
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Watch out
Do not give every performer the dative: in Bu şaka herkesi güldürdü, herkesi is accusative because gülmek has no direct object. Nor does a causative always mean force: yıkattı can describe arranging a service, and oynattı can mean letting someone play in a suitable context.
Try it yourself
Complete Baba ___ uyuttu with the correct form of bebek: the father put the baby to sleep.
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bebeği
bebeği: the baby is the one who sleeps, and sleeping has no direct object. The baby therefore becomes the accusative object; the final k of bebek softens to ğ.
Complete Elif ___ rafı yaptırdı with the correct form of usta: the craftsperson did the work at Elif’s request.
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ustaya
ustaya: the craftsperson still makes the shelf. Since rafı is already the object of making, the performer takes the dative, with y between the vowels.
The craftsperson made the shelf at Elif’s request. Complete Elif rafı ___: choose yaptı or yaptırdı.
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yaptırdı
yaptırdı: the context gives the actual work to the craftsperson. This form makes Elif the person who arranged it; yaptı would say that she made it herself.
Complete Bu şaka ___ güldürdü with the correct form of biz: this joke made us laugh.
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bizi
bizi: we are the people who laugh, not the people who cause the laughter. The joke is the subject, so the pronoun needs the accusative form, not bize.
Practice round
Answer questions, then rebuild Turkish sentences and words where available. We keep your score.
Complete Baba ___ uyuttu with the correct form of bebek: the father put the baby to sleep.
Complete Elif ___ rafı yaptırdı with the correct form of usta: the craftsperson did the work at Elif’s request.
The craftsperson made the shelf at Elif’s request. Complete Elif rafı ___: choose yaptı or yaptırdı.
Complete Bu şaka ___ güldürdü with the correct form of biz: this joke made us laugh.
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 three causative sentences: one about making someone laugh, one about having something made, and one that leaves the performer unnamed. Identify the causer and explain each marked noun’s role.