kapatmak: to close and to switch off

The idea

The stem kapat- ends in t and stays the same before vowels: kapatıyorum, kapatacağım (the k of -acak softens to ğ). After the voiceless t the past ending is -tı, so there are two t sounds: kapattım. The thing you close or switch off is the object and takes the accusative: kapıyı kapattım, ışığı kapattım, telefonu kapattım.

Examples

• Ben kapıyı kapatıyorum.I am closing the door.
• Annem televizyonu kapattı.My mother turned off the television.With lights, screens and devices, kapatmak means to switch off. The thing you switch off takes the accusative ending: televizyonu.
• Birazdan ışığı kapatacağım.I will turn off the light in a moment.The k of ışık softens to ğ before the accusative vowel: ışığı. The k of -acak softens in the same way before -ım: kapatacağım.
• Ali telefonu kapattı.Ali hung up the phone.During a call, telefonu kapatmak means to hang up. Outside a call it means to switch the phone off. The situation shows which.
• Pencereyi kapatmadık.We did not close the window.
• Mağaza dokuzda kapanıyor.The shop closes at nine.Nobody is named as closing the shop, so Turkish uses kapanmak (to close, to be closed). Staff would say Mağazayı dokuzda kapatıyoruz: we close the shop at nine.
• Kapı kapandı.The door closed.The door closed without anyone being named: kapandı. If someone did it, the door takes the accusative: Biri kapıyı kapattı, someone closed the door.
• kapatıyorumI am closingkapat·ıyor-iyor / -ıyor / -uyor / -üyor: happening now·um-im / -sin / -iz / -siniz: I am, you are, we are
• kapatacağızwe will closekapat·acağ-ecek / -acak: will, going to·ız-im / -sin / -iz / -siniz: I am, you are, we are

Watch out

Do not use kapatmak when nobody does the closing. A door that shuts by itself, or a shop that closes at nine, is kapanmak: kapı kapandı, mağaza dokuzda kapanıyor. When you name who closes, use kapatmak and put -ı on the thing: kapıyı kapattı.

Try it yourself

1. Complete with kapatmak (to close) in the present continuous: I am closing the window now.

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   kapatıyorum

   kapatıyorum: the stem ends in t, the back vowel a gives -ıyor, and -um is the ending for "I".

2. Complete in the past: We turned off the light last night.

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   kapattık

   kapattık: after the voiceless t the past is -tı, so the word has two t, and -k is "we".

3. Complete in the future: Ali will turn off the phone tomorrow.

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   kapatacak

   kapatacak: the back vowel gives -acak, and the third person has no person ending.

4. Complete with the negative past: I did not turn off the television last evening.

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   kapatmadım

   kapatmadım: the negative -ma- sits between the stem and the past -dı, and -m is "I".

Use it today

Write four sentences about your evening with kapatmak: which light, screen or door you close, and when. Then change one of them to kapanmak for something that closes by itself.