At B2, familiar endings can still produce the wrong message. Use four questions to edit a translation: who acts, what is known or wanted, which complement the verb needs, and what is negated.
The idea
Choose the Turkish construction before translating individual words. Compare oturmak istiyorum, where I want to sit, with senin oturmanı istiyorum, where I want you to sit. In senin her gün yüzdüğünü biliyorum, the embedded subject is you; -dik does not force a past-time reading. A noun predicate also needs reshaping: Bu çizim senin becomes bu çizimin senin olduğunu as the object of biliyorum. English “that” is not the demonstrative o in these patterns. Choose case from the Turkish verb: kardeşimi bekliyorum but sana güveniyorum. In a negative statement, kimse and hiçbir şey go with a negative predicate; they do not cancel its negation.
| Check | Turkish construction |
|---|---|
| Who performs the desired action? | oturmak istiyorum ↔ senin oturmanı istiyorum |
| How is the known statement embedded? | bu çizimin senin olduğunu biliyorum |
| Which case does the verb require? | kardeşimi bekliyorum ↔ sana güveniyorum |
| Is the predicate negative too? | kimse … açmadı / hiçbir şey … bulamadım |
Examples
- Bu akşam balkonda oturmak istiyorum.I want to sit on the balcony this evening.
- Senin bu akşam balkonda oturmanı istiyorum.I want you to sit on the balcony this evening.
- Ben senin her gün yüzdüğünü biliyorum.I know that you swim every day.
- Bu çizimin senin olduğunu biliyorum.I know that this drawing is yours.
- Bu durakta kardeşimi bekliyorum.I am waiting for my sibling at this stop.
- Bu konuda sana güveniyorum.I trust you on this matter.
- Dün kimse bu dosyayı açmadı.Nobody opened this file yesterday.
- Bu çekmecede hiçbir şey bulamadım.I could not find anything in this drawer.
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Watch out
Adding sen to oturmak istiyorum does not turn “I want to sit” into “I want you to sit”: the embedded action needs its own subject marking. Similarly, translating “wait for” with için can suggest waiting on someone’s behalf, rather than waiting for that person to arrive. Translate the relationship, not the English word “for”.
Try it yourself
Complete with the right form of çevirmek: I want you to translate this page.
Show answer or example answer
çevirmeni
çevirmeni: you, identified by senin, will translate; I only express the wish. The form marks the second-person subject and makes the action the object of istiyorum. Bare çevirmek would not express this change of actor.
Complete with a form of olmak: I know that this key belongs to you.
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olduğunu
olduğunu: the known information is that the key belongs to you. The subject of this embedded statement is bu anahtarın, not sana. The form links a nominal predicate to biliyorum and can describe present ownership.
Complete with otobüs: we are waiting for the bus you mentioned.
Show answer or example answer
otobüsü
otobüsü: the relative clause identifies a particular bus. It is the direct object of bekliyoruz, so it takes the accusative; English “for” does not require için here.
Choose: nobody knocked on the door; the bell did not ring either.
Show answer or example answer
çalmadı
çalmadı: the first clause says there was no person who knocked. Its negative verb works together with kimse. The second clause adds a separate negative fact about the bell; neither clause becomes positive.
Practice round
Answer questions, then rebuild Turkish sentences and words where available. We keep your score.
Complete with the right form of çevirmek: I want you to translate this page.
Complete with a form of olmak: I know that this key belongs to you.
Complete with otobüs: we are waiting for the bus you mentioned.
Choose: nobody knocked on the door; the bell did not ring either.
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 a four-sentence message: ask someone to do a task, state something you know about an object, say whom you are waiting for, and report something nobody did. Underline the embedded subject, each complement ending and each negative predicate.