Use kurtarmak for a rescue and for saving something from failure or loss. The subject can be a person, but also a solution or an action. Start with the forms for “I”, then identify who or what benefits.
The idea
With kurtarmak, the subject does the rescuing. A definite object takes the accusative: çocuğu kurtarmak. The danger or burden takes the ablative: çocuğu enkazdan kurtarmak, bizi gereksiz işlerden kurtarmak. The same verb can describe recovering files or salvaging a presentation. The stem stays kurtar- in kurtarıyorum and kurtardım; the future is kurtaracağım and the aorist is kurtarırım.
| Tense: I | Affirmative | Negative | Question |
|---|---|---|---|
| Present continuous | kurtarıyorum | kurtarmıyorum | kurtarıyor muyum? |
| Past | kurtardım | kurtarmadım | kurtardım mı? |
| Future | kurtaracağım | kurtarmayacağım | kurtaracak mıyım? |
| Aorist | kurtarırım | kurtarmam | kurtarır mıyım? |
Examples
- Ekip çocuğu enkazdan kurtardı.The team rescued the child from the rubble.
- Komşular kediyi kuyudan kurtardı.The neighbours rescued the cat from the well.
- Bu ip bizi kurtarabilir.This rope could save us.
- Son anda yaptığın düzeltme sunumu kurtardı.The correction you made at the last moment saved the presentation.
- Bu otomatik işlem bizi gereksiz işlerden kurtarıyor.This automatic process frees us from unnecessary tasks.
- Kaybolan dosyaları kurtarmayı başardık.We managed to recover the lost files.
- Çocuk enkazdan kurtuldu, ama çantasını kurtaramadı.The child escaped from the rubble but could not save their bag.
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Watch out
Do not swap kurtarmak and kurtulmak. In Çocuk enkazdan kurtuldu, the child gets out of danger; the sentence does not identify a rescuer. Çocuk çantasını kurtardı instead makes the child the rescuer of the bag. For routine protection before harm occurs, korumak is usually the better choice.
Try it yourself
Complete with the definite object: the team rescued the child from the rubble.
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çocuğu
çocuğu: the team saves a particular child, so this noun is the definite object. Adding the accusative -u changes the final k of çocuk to ğ.
Add the case ending to “expense”: this solution spared us a large expense.
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masraftan
masraftan: the expense is what the solution spares us, not what it rescues. The last vowel is a and the final f is voiceless, giving -tan.
Use the affirmative future for “I”: I will save this old photograph.
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kurtaracağım
kurtaracağım: the speaker promises a future action. The future ending’s k becomes ğ before the first-person vowel; the stem kurtar- does not change.
Choose the verb: the child got out of the well and is now safe.
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kurtuldu
kurtuldu: the child is now safe. No rescued object is named, so the sentence reports the child’s escape rather than an act of rescuing someone else.
Practice round
Answer questions, then rebuild Turkish sentences and words where available. We keep your score.
Complete with the definite object: the team rescued the child from the rubble.
Add the case ending to “expense”: this solution spared us a large expense.
Use the affirmative future for “I”: I will save this old photograph.
Choose the verb: the child got out of the well and is now safe.
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 two-sentence rescue report: first name the rescuer and what they saved, then describe the rescued person with kurtulmak. Add one figurative use involving a presentation or unnecessary work.