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Questions & Answers about İndirme başladı.
What does each word mean, and how is the sentence built?
- İndirme = download; a verbal noun formed from the verb indir- (to download/lower) + the nominalizer -me.
- başladı = started/has started; 3rd person singular simple past of başla- (to start) with the past suffix -dı.
- Word order is Subject–Verb, so it literally reads: Download started.
Why can başladı be translated as either "started" or "has started"?
Turkish simple past (-dı/-di/-du/-dü) covers both English simple past and (often) present perfect. Context decides whether you render İndirme başladı as The download started or The download has started. Also, -dı usually implies the speaker has direct evidence/knowledge.
Where is the "the" or "a"? Does Turkish use articles?
Turkish has no articles like English. İndirme can mean either the download or a download depending on context. System messages often omit any determiner by default.
What’s the difference between indir, indirmek, and indirme?
- indir: the bare stem; also 2nd-person singular imperative: Download! (seen on buttons).
- indirmek: infinitive, to download.
- indirme: verbal noun, download (the act/process/file, depending on context), as in İndirme hızı (download speed).
Why is it İndirme başladı and not İndirmeye başladı?
- İndirme başladı means the download (as a process) started; indirme is the subject.
- İndirmeye başladı means someone/thing started downloading; after başlamak, when you mean “to start doing X,” you use the verb’s -meye/-maya form:
- Ali indirmeye başladı. = Ali started downloading.
How else can I express this with related verbs and voices (e.g., başlatmak, passives)?
- İndirmeyi başlattım. = I started the download. (causative verb başlatmak = to start something)
- İndirme başlatıldı. = The download was started/initiated. (passive of başlatmak)
- İndirmeye başlandı. = Downloading has begun / People have started to download. (impersonal passive with başlan-)
How do I ask or negate it?
- Yes/No question: İndirme başladı mı? = Has/Did the download start?
- Possible replies: Evet, başladı. / Hayır, başlamadı.
- Negative: İndirme başlamadı. = The download hasn’t/didn’t start.
What’s the difference between başladı, başlıyor, başlamış, and başlayacak?
- başladı: started/has started (simple past, direct knowledge).
- başlıyor: is starting/starts (present progressive).
- başlamış: apparently/it seems (has) started (inferential/hearsay past).
- başlayacak: will start (future).
Can I drop the subject and just say Başladı?
Yes, if the context makes the subject obvious (e.g., you’re staring at a progress bar). On its own, Başladı just means It started, so it can be ambiguous without context.
Is the word order fixed? Could I say Başladı indirme?
Default Turkish order puts the verb last: İndirme başladı. You can invert to Başladı indirme for marked emphasis or stylistic effect (more common in speech/poetry/UI to create immediacy), but the neutral form is with the verb at the end.
How do I say "Your download has started" or "My download has started"?
- İndirmeniz başladı. = Your download has started. (polite/plural “you”)
- İndirmen başladı. = Your download has started. (informal singular)
- İndirmem başladı. = My download has started. These are possessive forms attached to indirme.
How do I say "The downloads have started"? Does the verb agree in the plural?
- İndirmeler başladı. = The downloads have started.
With inanimate plural subjects, the verb typically stays singular. İndirmeler başladılar is possible but sounds personifying/marked; use it mainly with human subjects.
What’s up with the dotted İ at the start? Why not I?
Turkish has two distinct letters: i/İ (dotted) and ı/I (dotless).
- İndirme must start with dotted İ.
Writing Indirme (with dotless I) is a spelling mistake and changes pronunciation.
Pronunciation tips for this sentence?
- İ sounds like “ee.”
- ş is “sh.”
- Final ı (in başladı) is a dotless i, like a relaxed “uh.”
Approximate: İndirme başladı → “een-deer-meh bash-lah-duh.”
Could indirme mean something else? How to avoid confusing it with indirim or the negative imperative?
- indirim = discount/sale. İndirim başladı. = The sale has started.
- indirme = download/lowering. İndirme başladı. = The download has started.
- İndirme! (with an exclamation) can also be the negative imperative: Don’t download! Context and punctuation disambiguate.
How do I turn it into a noun phrase like "the start of the download"?
Use a possessive + verbal noun structure: İndirmenin başlaması = the start of the download.
Example: İndirmenin başlamasından sonra hız düştü. = After the start of the download, the speed dropped.