Compound verbs: quick action, continuation and near misses

The idea

The main verb names the action; the auxiliary adds a viewpoint. Açıverdi presents opening as quick or easy; duruverdi can highlight suddenness. A request such as taşıyıver presents the favour as small, so use it with familiar people. Okuyadur means carry on reading, often while something else happens. Düşeyazdı means almost fell, without an actual fall; this use of yaz- is relatively uncommon in everyday speech. Bakakaldı means remained staring, often in surprise; uyuyakaldı means drifted off to sleep. Write these compounds as one word and put tense and person at the end: çözüverdi. The linking vowel follows harmony, but the auxiliary keeps its own vowels: açıverdi, not açıvardı.

Examples

• Annem kapıyı açıverdi.My mother opened the door in a flash.
• Çocuk resme bakakaldı.The child stood staring at the picture.
• Yolcu merdivende düşeyazdı.The passenger nearly fell on the stairs.
• Sen okuyadur, ben çayı hazırlayayım.You carry on reading; let me prepare the tea.
• Kedi koltukta uyuyakaldı.The cat drifted off to sleep on the armchair.
• Ablam soruyu çözüverdi.My older sister solved the problem in no time.
• Şu kutuyu taşıyıver.Just carry that box for me, will you?
• Otobüs tam önümde duruverdi.The bus suddenly stopped right in front of me.

Watch out

Do not translate every compound as “almost”. In uyuyakaldı, sleep actually began; in düşeyazdı, the fall did not happen. Nor does okuyadur mean “stop reading”: here dur- adds continuation.

Try it yourself

1. Ask someone to carry the box as a quick favour. Choose one of the two forms.

   Show answer or example answer

   taşıyıver

   taşıyıver: the speaker wants one small favour now. Taşıyadur would ask the listener to keep carrying instead of presenting a quick favour.

2. Ask the other person to continue reading while you prepare tea. Choose one form.

   Show answer or example answer

   okuyadur

   okuyadur: reading is already under way and should continue during the tea preparation. Okuyuver would frame reading as quick or easy.

3. The passenger almost fell but did not fall. Choose the form that preserves this outcome.

   Show answer or example answer

   düşeyazdı

   düşeyazdı: the passenger stayed on their feet. Düşüverdi would report a sudden fall that really happened, changing the outcome.

4. The child was actually staring, motionless with surprise. Choose the form for that state.

   Show answer or example answer

   bakakaldı

   bakakaldı: the child is already looking and remains fixed on the picture. Bakayazdı would suggest only nearly looking, which does not fit the situation.

Use it today

Write a quick request, an instruction to continue and a report of a near miss. Then explain whether the event in bakakaldı actually happened.