Until now, you have arranged the sentence order in Turkish as “subject + object + verb” (özne + nesne + fiil). That is, the subject is doing a verb, but the object is affected by the verb. In today’s lesson, we will talk about how the subject affects itself, not someone/something else. What helps us with this will be the “Turkish reflexive verb” / Türkçe dönüşlü fiil. These verbs are not so many. But it is useful to learn reflexive verbs. Because some verbs used in daily language are used as reflexive verbs.
What Is Reflexive Verb? (Dönüşlü Fiiller Nedir?)
In reflexive verb sentences; The subject does a job but does not affect anyone/something else, it is affected by the verb. In other words, s/he does what s/he does for him/herself, not for someone else. The subject applies the verb to him/herself, not to someone else. S/he do it and just affect him/herself. You will understand better by studying the sentences below.
- In the 1st sentence; Subject (woman)is washing something (laundry), not herself. Applies the verb (wash) to object (laundry). So; kadın çamaşırı yıkadı.
- In the 2nd sentence; Subject (woman) is washing herself. The subject (woman) applies theverb (wash) to herself. So; kadın yıkandı.
- In the 1st sentence; Subject (child) is hiding something (money), not himself. Applies the verb (hide) to object (money). So; çocuk parayı sakladı.
- In the 2nd sentence; Subject (child) is hiding himself. The subject (child), applies the verb (hide) to himself. So; çocuk saklandı.
- In the 1st sentence; Subject (man) is feeding something (dog), not himself. Applies the verb (feed) to object (dog). So; adam köpeği besledi.
- In the 2nd sentence; Subject (dog) is feeding itself. The subject (dog), applies the verb (feed) to itself. So; köpek beslendi.
- In the 1st sentence; Subject (teacher) is preparing someone (students), not herself. Applies the verb (prepare) to object (students). So; öğretmen öğrencileri hazırladı.
- In the 2nd sentence; Subject (students) is preparing temselves. The subject (students), applies the verb (prepare) to themselves. So; öğrenciler hazırlandı.
- In the 1st sentence; Subject (gossip woman) is separating someone (two lovers). She is not leaving, she is separating them. Applies the verb (separate) to object (two lovers). So; dedikoducu kadın iki sevgiliyi ayırıyor.
- In the 2nd sentence; Subject (two lovers) is leaving each other. The subject (two lovers), applies the verb (leave) to themselves. So; iki aşık ayrılıyor.
Rules
1. We cannot make every verb as reflexive. (dönüşlü fiil). We only use some verbs reflexively. We use the suffixes “-(i)l or –(i)n“ to make verbs reflexive. Unfortunately, there is no rule about which one to use.
2. If the verb ends with a vowel, only “-l or -n” is used. If the verb ends in a consonant letter, “-in -in -un -ün -ıl -il -ul or -ül“ is used by looking at the last vowel and checking 4 way vowel harmony.
PAY ATTENTION!
Turkish Reflexive Verbs List
- giy (to dress) ⇒ giyin (to dress oneself)
- süsle (to decorate) ⇒ süslen (derss oneself (nicely)
- söyle (to say) ⇒ söylen (to be grumbled)
- soy (to undress) ⇒ soyun (to undress oneself)
- yuvarla (to roll) ⇒ yuvarlan (to roll oneself)
- temizle (to clean) ⇒ temizlen (to clean oneself)
- sakla (to hide) ⇒ saklan (to hide oneself)
- yor (to tire someone) ⇒ yorul (to get tired)
- sık (to annoy) ⇒ sıkıl (to get bored)
- ayır (to separate) ⇒ ayrıl (to leave)
- kurula (to dry something) ⇒ kurulan (to dry oneself)
- ört (to cover) ⇒ örtün (to cover oneself)
- tara (to comb) ⇒ taran (to comb your own hair)
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