Turkish Verbs: Transitive and Intransitive

Turkish verbs are divided into two groups: transitive and intransitive, similar to English. However, unlike English, a verb in Turkish cannot be both at the same time. For example, English verbs such as start, finish, and change can be used transitively or intransitively, but in Turkish this is not possible. Understanding this distinction is essential for forming correct sentences.

Transitive Verbs (Geçişli Fiiller)

Transitive verbs are verbs that require an object.

Examples:

• Bakar mısınız? Bir hamburgerle kola alabilir miyim, lütfen?

→ Excuse me, can I have a hamburger and a coke, please?

• Çocuklar salondaki kristal vazoyu kırmışlar.

→ The children have broken the crystal vase in the living room.

Intransitive Verbs (Geçişsiz Fiiller)

Intransitive verbs do not need an object.

Examples:

• Film yeni başladı. Gel otur. Birlikte seyredelim.

→ The movie has just started. Come sit. Let’s watch together.

• Çocuklar yattılar. Sabah erken kalkacaklar.

→ The children have gone to bed. They will get up early in the morning.

Changing intransitive verbs into transitive

In Turkish, we add specific suffixes to an intransitive verb to use it transitively. These suffixes are -t, -dir, and -ir. The choice depends on how many syllables the verb has and which letter it ends with.

In the following examples, you will see pairs of sentences: first the intransitive verb, then its transitive form created with the suffix.

Examples with the Suffix -t:

• Biz stadyuma girdik, maç başladı.

→ We entered the stadium, and the game started.

• Hakem maçı tekrar başlattı.

→ The referee has started the match again.

• Bisikletten düştüm. Kolum acıyor.

→ I fell off my bike. My arm hurts.

• Kolumu acıttın, hayvan. Çek ellerini.

→ You hurt my arm, animal. Take your hands off.

Examples with the Suffix -dir (-dır/-dür/-dur, or -tir/-tır/-tür/-tur):

• Hava öğleden sonra birdenbire değişti.

→ The weather suddenly changed in the afternoon.

• Patron yine arabasını değiştirmiş.

→ The boss has changed his/her car again.

• Şişt! Bebek uyanacak.

→ Shh! The baby will wake up.

• Şişt! Bebeği uyandıracaksın.

→ Shh! You will wake the baby.

Examples with the Suffix -ir (-ır/-ür/-ur):

• Benim son dersim az önce bitti. Eve gidiyorum.

→ My last class has just finished. I’m going home.

• Bugün öğretmen dersi erken bitirdi.

→ Today, the teacher finished the class earlier.

• Telefonum masadan düştü. Ekranı kırıldı.

→ My phone dropped from the table. Its screen broke.

• Telefonumu sabah otobüste düşürmüşüm.

→ I dropped my phone on the bus in the morning.

Final Tip

By practicing with these examples, you’ll start to notice how suffixes can turn intransitive verbs into transitive ones. Try creating your own sentences to reinforce your understanding!

This post is only a short summary of the 1st lesson from my book easy Turkish Grammar with answers 2 (B1-B2). You can find more explanations, examples, and exercises in the book. 👉 Check out the book here.