You will build causatives from verb pairs that must be learned together. Here “irregular” means that the verb selects a less predictable suffix family; the suffix vowels still follow harmony.
The idea
Learn the pair first: pişmek → pişirmek, çıkmak → çıkarmak. After removing the infinitive, add -ır/-ir/-ur/-ür or -ar/-er as required by that verb. The first family uses four-way vowel harmony, the second two-way harmony. These families are not freely interchangeable. Add tense or an infinitive afterwards: piş + ir + mek. Keep k in çıkarmak and ç in uçurmak. The lexicalized form gidermek means to remove or resolve; its base git- appears as gid- before -er.
| Base verb | Causative suffix | Causative infinitive |
|---|---|---|
| kaçmak | -ır | kaçırmak |
| pişmek | -ir | pişirmek |
| uçmak | -ur | uçurmak |
| düşmek | -ür | düşürmek |
| çıkmak | -ar | çıkarmak |
| kopmak | -ar | koparmak |
| gitmek | -er | gidermek |
Examples
- Babam mercimeği yavaşça pişirdi.My father cooked the lentils slowly.
- Anahtarı cebimden çıkardım.I took the key out of my pocket.
- Az önce kalemimi düşürdüm.I dropped my pen just now.
- pişirmekto cook somethingpişirIrregular causative suffixesmek-mek / -mak: the infinitive
- çıkarmakto take something outçıkarIrregular causative suffixesmak-mek / -mak: the infinitive
- düşürmekto drop somethingdüşürIrregular causative suffixesmek-mek / -mak: the infinitive
- uçurmakto make something flyuçurIrregular causative suffixesmak-mek / -mak: the infinitive
- kaçırmakto let something escapekaçırIrregular causative suffixesmak-mek / -mak: the infinitive
- gidermekto remove or resolve somethinggiderIrregular causative suffixesmek-mek / -mak: the infinitive
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Watch out
Do not skip the causative when adding tense: pişti says that something cooked, while pişirdi says someone cooked it. Nor can the last vowel alone tell you to choose -ir rather than -er: learn the verb pair, not just the harmony pattern.
Try it yourself
Form the causative infinitive: to cook the lentils.
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pişirmek
pişirmek: the lentils are cooked by someone. Start with piş, add ir, then mek. Without ir, pişmek describes the food cooking.
Use the causative in -ar and the infinitive ending: to take the key out.
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çıkarmak
çıkarmak: the requested -ar attaches to çık without changing k. The resulting verb means taking something out; çıkmak describes going or coming out.
Complete in the past, first person singular: I dropped my pen just now.
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düşürdüm
düşürdüm: the pen fell because of the speaker’s action. In düş + ür + dü + m, ür makes “fall” into “drop”, dü marks the past and m marks “I”.
Form the infinitive meaning to resolve the problem.
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gidermek
gidermek: the object is a problem, so the intended meaning is resolving it. This established verb has d and -er; it is not a general instruction to make someone go.
Practice round
Answer questions, then rebuild Turkish sentences and words where available. We keep your score.
Form the causative infinitive: to cook the lentils.
Use the causative in -ar and the infinitive ending: to take the key out.
Complete in the past, first person singular: I dropped my pen just now.
Form the infinitive meaning to resolve the problem.
Tap the words in the right order.
Tap the words in the right order.
Tap the words in the right order.
Tap the parts in order to build this word: to cook something
Tap the parts in order to build this word: to take something out
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Choose three pairs from the table. Write one sentence about an event and another about someone causing it. Mark the causative separately from the past ending and explain who or what changes.