As if: impressions with sanki and gibi

The idea

Sanki can introduce a complete statement: Sanki bütün pencereler açık means “It is as if all the windows are open”. Gibi follows what something resembles: ipek gibi means “like silk”. With a verb, compare uyuyormuş gibi (as if sleeping now), duymuş gibi (as if having heard) and açılacak gibi (as if about to open). These forms locate the imagined situation; the main verb locates the actual action. Gibi görünüyor expresses an appearance, while gibi yapıyor expresses pretending. Sanki and gibi can reinforce each other: Sanki haberi ilk kez duymuş gibi şaşırdı.

Examples

• Bu oda sanki küçülmüş.This room seems to have shrunk.
• Çocuk uyuyormuş gibi yapıyor.The child is pretending to sleep.
• Ağabeyim beni tanımıyormuş gibi davrandı.My older brother acted as if he did not know me.
• Bu kumaş ipek gibi parlıyor.This fabric shines like silk.
• Kapı açılacak gibi görünüyor.The door looks as if it is about to open.
• Annem haberi ilk kez duymuş gibi şaşırdı.My mother was surprised as if she were hearing the news for the first time.

Watch out

Do not move gibi to the start of the clause as you would “as if” in English: it follows the comparison. Nor does -miş gibi guarantee a real past event or deliberate deception. In Çocuk uyuyormuş gibi görünüyor, the child may really be asleep; uyuyormuş gibi yapıyor explicitly says the child is pretending.

Try it yourself

1. Bu kumaş ipek ___ parlıyor. (gibi / sanki) Choose the word that compares the fabric’s shine to silk. Write only the missing word.

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   gibi

   gibi: silk is the comparison for the fabric’s shine. Sanki cannot simply replace the word after the noun in this sentence.

2. ___ bütün pencereler açık. (sanki / gibi) Choose the word that introduces the impression that all the windows are open. Write only the missing word.

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   sanki

   sanki: the gap precedes a whole statement about the windows. Gibi would need to follow the situation being compared.

3. Çocuk uyanık, ama ___ gibi yapıyor. (uyumak / uyuyormuş) The child is awake but pretending to sleep. Choose the form that marks the imagined situation. Write only the missing word.

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   uyuyormuş

   uyuyormuş: the child is awake, so sleeping is the behaviour being imitated now. Yapıyor makes the pretence explicit.

4. Açıklamayı dün dinledi. Şimdi hiç ___ gibi davranıyor. (duymuş / duymamış) The person heard the explanation yesterday but now acts as if they had never heard it. Choose the missing form.

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   duymamış

   duymamış: yesterday’s listening is already established. The negative imagined event contrasts with that fact: the person acts as if they had never heard the explanation.

Use it today

Describe an impression of a room, someone pretending, and a reaction to old news. Use a different construction each time, and explain what your sentence actually confirms.