You will attach the past ending to a verb stem and choose the right one of eight shapes to say what happened.
The idea
The past ending -di says that something happened: geldi, aldı, gördü, yaptı. Its vowel has four shapes and follows the last vowel of the stem (e i gives i, a ı gives ı, o u gives u, ö ü gives ü). Its first consonant is d after a voiced sound and t after a voiceless one, one of ç f h k p s ş t: yaptı, geçti. That makes eight shapes. The ending goes on the bare stem, the verb without -mek/-mak.
| Last vowel | After a voiced sound | Example | After a voiceless sound | Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| a | -dı | aldı | -tı | yaptı |
| ı | -dı | kırdı | -tı | çıktı |
| o | -du | oldu | -tu | koştu |
| u | -du | durdu | -tu | uçtu |
| e | -di | geldi | -ti | kesti |
| i | -di | bildi | -ti | gitti |
| ö | -dü | gördü | -tü | öptü |
| ü | -dü | güldü | -tü | düştü |
Examples
- Dün akşam sinemaya gittik.We went to the cinema yesterday evening.The stem git ends in the voiceless t, so the ending is -ti; the last -k means we: gittik.
- Annem bana bir mektup yazdı.My mother wrote me a letter.The stem yaz ends in the voiced z, so the ending starts with d, and the last vowel a gives ı: yazdı. For he/she/it nothing is added after it.
- Kedi bahçede uyudu.The cat slept in the garden.The stem uyu ends in a vowel, which counts as voiced, so the ending starts with d, and the vowel u gives du; nothing is inserted: uyudu.
- geldimI camegeldi-di, -dı, -du, -dü, -ti: the past (geldi, yaptı)mPast person endings: -m, -n, -k, -niz, -ler
- yaptınızyou (plural) made ityaptı-di, -dı, -du, -dü, -ti: the past (geldi, yaptı)nızPast person endings: -m, -n, -k, -niz, -lerThe stem yap ends in the voiceless p, so the ending starts with t: yaptı. The person ending -nız (you, plural) follows it; person endings have their own lesson.
- gördülerthey sawgördü-di, -dı, -du, -dü, -ti: the past (geldi, yaptı)lerPast person endings: -m, -n, -k, -niz, -ler
- okudunyou readokudu-di, -dı, -du, -dü, -ti: the past (geldi, yaptı)nPast person endings: -m, -n, -k, -niz, -ler
- uçtuit flewThe stem uç ends in the voiceless ç, so the ending starts with t, and the last vowel u gives tu: uçtu. The ç itself stays as it is.
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Watch out
Do not write d after a voiceless sound: yapdı and geçdi are wrong, the spelling is yaptı and geçti. The ending also goes on the bare stem, so git- stays git-: gitti, not gidti, even though the present is gidiyorum with a d.
Try it yourself
Add the past ending to gör (see): he/she saw.
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gördü
gördü: the last vowel of gör is ö, so the ending needs ü, and r is voiced, so it starts with d: -dü.
Add the past ending to yap (do, make): he/she made.
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yaptı
yaptı: p is voiceless, so the ending starts with t, and the vowel a gives ı: -tı.
Add the past ending to git (go): he/she went.
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gitti
gitti: git ends in the voiceless t, so the ending is -ti; both t stay, and the stem does not soften as in gidiyor.
Add the past ending to oku (read): he/she read.
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okudu
okudu: oku ends in a vowel, which counts as voiced, so d; the last vowel u gives -du, with no linking consonant.
Practice round
Answer questions, then rebuild Turkish sentences and words where available. We keep your score.
Add the past ending to gör (see): he/she saw.
Add the past ending to yap (do, make): he/she made.
Add the past ending to git (go): he/she went.
Add the past ending to oku (read): he/she read.
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: I came
Tap the parts in order to build this word: you (plural) made it
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Write three sentences about what you did yesterday, each with a different verb stem. Underline each past ending and check its vowel and its first consonant.