In Turkish, we use this grammar when we want to describe a state, a profession, or a location in the past (e.g., "I was," "They were," "It was not"). It follows the same rules as the Known Past Tense (-DI) used with verbs.
💡 The Basic Rule:
Noun/Adjective + Past Suffix (-DI) + Personal Ending
1- Positive Form (Olumlu):
Consonant Ending: If the word ends in a consonant, attach the suffix directly.
Vowel Ending: If the word ends in a vowel, you must use the buffer letter (y) before the past suffix.
Pronoun | Example: Yorgun (Tired) | Example: Hasta (Sick) | Meaning |
Ben | Yorgundum | Hastaydım | I was |
Sen | Yorgundun | Hastaydın | You were |
O | Yorgundu | Hastaydı | He/She/It was |
Biz | Yorgunduk | Hastaydık | We were |
Siz | Yorgundunuz | Hastaydınız | You (pl.) were |
Onlar | Yorgundular | Hastaydılar | They were |
2- Negative Form (Olumsuz):
To make a sentence negative, use the word Değil (Not) followed by the past tense suffix.
Formula: Noun + Değil + Past Suffix + Personal Ending.
Example: Mutlu değildim (I was not happy).
Example: Öğrenci değildik (We were not students).
3- Question Form (Soru):
Use the question particle mI separately, then attach the buffer y and the past tense suffix.
Formula: Noun + Question Particle (mI) + y + Past Suffix.
Example: Dün evde miydin? (Were you at home yesterday?).
Example: Siz geçen yıl İstanbul’da mıydınız? (Were you in Istanbul last year?).
Comparison: Present vs. Past
Notice how the letter "d" marks the shift to the past tense.
Present Tense | Past Tense | Translation |
Hastayım | Hastaydım | I was sick |
Hava soğuk | Hava soğuktu | The weather was cold |
Öğrenciyiz | Öğrenciydik | We were students |
Zengin değil | Zengin değildi | He/She was not rich |
Practical Examples:
Geçen hafta çok yorgundum: I was very tired last week.
Ali iki yıl önce öğrenciydi: Ali was a student two years ago.
Onlar dün mutlu değildiler: They were not happy yesterday.
Sınav zor muydu? Was the exam difficult?
The buffer letter (y) is only needed in the Positive and Question forms if the word (or the question particle) ends in a vowel. In the Negative form, you don't need it because "Değil" ends in a consonant.