Was and were: -di after nouns (öğrenciydim)

The idea

Add -di to a noun, an adjective or a place word to put it in the past: güzeldi, doktordu, evdeydi. The vowel follows the last vowel of the word (di dı du dü), and the d becomes t after a voiceless consonant (ç f h k p s ş t): soğuktu. After a vowel the ending needs a y first: öğrenciydi. The person ending comes next: öğrenciydim, öğrenciydik, doktordunuz; the plural -ler can stand before it (öğrencilerdi) or after it (öğrenciydiler).

Examples

• Dün akşam biz sinemadaydık.We were at the cinema yesterday evening.The word sinemada ends in a vowel, so y comes before -dı: sinemadaydık. The pronoun biz may be dropped.
• Mert geçen yıl öğrenciydi.Mert was a student last year.The word öğrenci ends in a vowel, so the ending needs y: öğrenciydi, not öğrencidi.
• Hava dün çok soğuktu.The weather was very cold yesterday.The word soğuk ends in the voiceless k, so the ending starts with t, and the last vowel u gives -tu: soğuktu.
• evdeydimI was at homeev·de-de / -da / -te / -ta: in, at, on·ydiWas and were: -di after nouns (öğrenciydim)·mPast person endings: -m, -n, -k, -niz, -ler
• sınıftaydıkwe were in the classroomsınıf·ta-de / -da / -te / -ta: in, at, on·ydıWas and were: -di after nouns (öğrenciydim)·kPast person endings: -m, -n, -k, -niz, -ler
• öğrencilerdithey were studentsöğrenci·ler-ler / -lar: the plural suffix·diWas and were: -di after nouns (öğrenciydim)
• doktordunuzyou were doctorsdoktor·duWas and were: -di after nouns (öğrenciydim)·nuzPast person endings: -m, -n, -k, -niz, -ler
• Dün evde ekmek yoktu.There was no bread at home yesterday.Var and yok take the ending directly: vardı for there was, yoktu for there was not, with t after the voiceless k.
• Ali evdeydi, ama Zeynep evde değildi.Ali was at home, but Zeynep was not at home.For not, use değil before the ending: değildi. The person ending then follows it, as in değildim.

Watch out

Do not drop the y after a vowel: it is evdeydim, not evdedim, and öğrenciydim, not öğrencidim. That y is not optional.

Try it yourself

1. Say “I was at home” with ev (house): ev + locative + was + I.

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   evdeydim

   evdeydim: ev + de ends in the vowel e, so a y comes before -di, and -m is the ending for I.

2. Say “you (singular) were in the garden” with bahçe (garden): bahçe + locative + was + you.

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   bahçedeydin

   bahçedeydin: bahçe + de ends in the vowel e, so a y is added; -n is the ending for you.

3. The hall was very crowded. Add the past ending to kalabalık (crowded).

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   kalabalıktı

   kalabalıktı: k is voiceless, so the ending starts with t, and the last vowel ı gives -tı; it has no person ending for it.

4. Say “you (plural) were teachers” with öğretmen (teacher): öğretmen + was + you (plural).

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   öğretmendiniz

   öğretmendiniz: n is voiced, so d; the vowel e gives di, and -niz is the ending for you (plural or formal).

Use it today

Write three sentences about where you were yesterday or last year and what you were. In each word check whether a y is needed before -di and whether it is d or t.