A memory may describe what happened regularly, not just what happened once. You will use the past aorist to recall an old routine, say what you did not usually do, and ask about someone else’s past.
The idea
The past aorist presents an action or situation as characteristic of an earlier period. Set that period with eskiden (formerly) or çocukken (as a child); expressions such as sabahları (in the mornings) make repetition clear. Start from the aorist and add the past and person endings: sular → sulardı, yürür → yürürdüm. A negative past habit uses -mazdı/-mezdi: yemezdim means “I did not use to eat”, whereas yemem expresses a present or general refusal or habit. In a neutral yes/no question, the past and person endings go on the separate question particle: çalışır mıydı? Add a clause with şimdi when you want to state how things are different now.
| Past routine | Single event |
|---|---|
| Eskiden dedem sabahları bahçeyi sulardı. | Dün dedem bahçeyi bir kez suladı. |
Examples
- Dedem sabahları bahçeyi sulardı.My grandfather used to water the garden in the mornings.
- Eskiden bu dükkân erken kapanırdı.This shop used to close early.
- Ablam akşamları bize masal anlatırdı.My older sister used to tell us fairy tales in the evenings.
- Çocukken zeytin yemezdim.I did not use to eat olives as a child.
- Annen eskiden burada çalışır mıydı?Did your mother use to work here?
- Dün dedem bahçeyi bir kez suladı.Yesterday my grandfather watered the garden once.
- Eskiden akşamları yürürdüm, şimdi sabahları yürüyorum.I used to go for walks in the evenings; now I walk in the mornings.
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Watch out
Do not replace every past verb with the habitual form. Dün dedem bahçeyi bir kez suladı reports one completed watering; sulardı would need a habitual or another suitable context. Nor is -yordu automatically wrong for a routine: with a clear repeated context it can describe past habits too. Here you practise choosing the past aorist to highlight the old pattern.
Try it yourself
Choose the form for a regular morning habit in the past.
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sulardı
sulardı: eskiden sets an earlier period and her sabah repeats the watering across mornings; the sentence recalls the grandfather’s routine.
Choose the negative form for a childhood habit.
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yemezdim
yemezdim: çocukken places the non-eating in childhood. Yemem does not place it in the past; yemezdim also retains z before the past ending, even for “I”.
Complete the question about a former routine, using çalışmak. Write the verb and question word.
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çalışır mıydı
çalışır mıydı: the question concerns the mother’s former work routine, so the past belongs on mıydı. The third-person subject needs no extra person ending, and the question particle stays separate.
Choose the form for a single completed watering yesterday.
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suladı
suladı: dün and yalnızca bir kez identify one completed event. There is no series of repeated waterings for the habitual form to describe.
Practice round
Answer questions, then rebuild Turkish sentences and words where available. We keep your score.
Choose the form for a regular morning habit in the past.
Choose the negative form for a childhood habit.
Complete the question about a former routine, using çalışmak. Write the verb and question word.
Choose the form for a single completed watering yesterday.
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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Describe two routines from your childhood, one positive and one negative. Add one question about a relative’s former routine. Then write a sentence about something that happened only once yesterday and explain your tense choice.