The Proportion Converb (-dIkçA)
To express that an action continues over time or changes in proportion to another action—like saying "as long as," "as," or "the more... the more..." in English—Turkish uses the converb suffix -dIkçA.
You create this form by attaching the suffix directly to the verb stem.
| Verb Stem | Suffix | Form | Meaning |
|---|
| al- (to take) | -dıkça | aldıkça | as long as (one) takes / the more (one) takes |
| bil- (to know) | -dikçe | bildikçe | as long as (one) knows / the more (one) knows |
| konuş- (to talk) | -tukça | konuştukça | as long as (one) talks / the more (one) talks |
| yüzleş- (to face) | -tikçe | yüzleştikçe | as long as (one) faces / the more (one) faces |
This suffix follows 4-way vowel harmony, appearing as -dıkça, -dikçe, -dukça, or -dükçe. Additionally, if the verb stem ends in a voiceless consonant (ç, f, h, k, p, s, ş, t), consonant mutation occurs and the d hardens into a t (-tıkça, -tikçe, -tukça, -tükçe).
No Tense or Personal Markers
Because -dIkçA functions purely as an adverb of time and proportion, it never takes personal suffixes or tense markers itself.
The person performing the action and the time frame of the sentence (past, present, or future) are determined entirely by the main verb at the end of the sentence.
This structure works exactly the same way whether the subjects of the two actions are the same or different. When the subjects are different, the two actions simply scale together as they happen.
Describing Gradual Growth
This grammar pattern is extremely common when discussing mental health, therapy, and personal development, because it naturally expresses gradual, ongoing change.