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### Feigning Ignorance (-mazlıktan gelmek)

Sometimes you need to act like you didn't see, hear, or understand something. Turkish uses a highly descriptive compound verb structure for this: literally, "to come from the state of not doing" the action.

**Verb Root + `-mAz` + `-lIk` + `-tAn` + `gelmek`**

To build it, take the negative aorist suffix (`-maz` or `-mez`), turn it into a noun state with `-lık` or `-lik`, and add the ablative "from" case (`-tan` or `-ten`). Finally, add the verb `gelmek` (to come). 

For example, with `görmek` (to see):
`gör` + `mez` + `lik` + `ten` + `gelmek` ➔ **görmezlikten gelmek** (to pretend not to see)

With `duymak` (to hear):
`duy` + `maz` + `lık` + `tan` + `gelmek` ➔ **duymazlıktan gelmek** (to pretend not to hear)

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### Pretending Not to Notice

In everyday social situations, you might deliberately pretend you didn't spot an acquaintance on the street, or you might ignore someone's tactless (*patavatsız*) behavior to avoid causing a scene.

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Another highly useful phrase for dealing with difficult behavior is *göz yummak* (to turn a blind eye). While turning a blind eye means quietly tolerating something, *görmezlikten gelmek* implies you are putting on a performance of not even noticing it.

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### Playing Dumb

To describe someone playing dumb, you can apply this structure to verbs like *anlamak* (to understand) or *bilmek* (to know). This is perfect for when someone is intentionally acting like they don't grasp a question or pretending they don't know a secret.

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Feigning ignorance (-mazlıktan gelmek)

adjective

adverb

conjunction

determiner

interjection

noun

numeral

particle

postposition

preposition

pronoun

sentence

verb

Demonstrative pronouns (bu, şu, o)

Basic question words (kim, ne)

Plural nouns (-lar, -ler)

I am and you are (-(y)ım, -sın)

We, you, and they are (-(y)ız, -sınız)

Negative statements (değil)

Yes and no questions (mı, mi, mu, mü)

Questions with 'to be' (mısın, mıyım)

Numbers 1 to 10 (bir, iki, üç)

Numbers 11 to 20 (on bir, on iki)

Numbers by tens to 100 (otuz, kırk...)

Counting objects (tane)

The locative case (-da, -de)

Consonant assimilation (-ta, -te)

Asking where (nerede)

There is / there are (var)

There is not / there are not (yok)

Asking how many (kaç)

Infinitive verbs (-mak, -mek)

Informal commands (git, gel)

Negative commands (-ma, -me)

Polite and plural commands (-In, -InIz)

Basic word order

Present continuous for consonant roots (-iyor)

Present continuous for vowel roots (-iyor)

Present continuous personal suffixes (-iyorum)

Negative present continuous (-miyor)

Present continuous questions (-iyor mu)

Future plans with present continuous

The dative case (-(y)a, -(y)e)

Consonant mutation (k, t, p, ç to ğ, d, b, c)

From or out of (-dan / -den)

Directional question words (nereye, nereden)

First and second person possessives (-(i)m, -(i)n)

Third person possessive (-(s)i)

Plural possessives (-imiz, -iniz, -leri)

The genitive case (-(n)in)

Definite noun compounds (-nin ... -si)

Indefinite noun compounds (bare noun + -(s)i)

Possessive buffer letter (n)

Spatial postpositions (içinde, üstünde)

The definite direct object (-(y)ı, -(y)i)

Object question words (kimi, neyi)

Adjectives modifying nouns

Manner and choice questions (nasıl, hangi)

Basic degree modifiers (çok, biraz)

Comparisons (daha, en)

Days of the week

Months of the year

The time question word (ne zaman)

Telling time (saat, buçuk)

Asking the time (saat kaç, saat kaçta)

Basic conjunctions (ve, ama, veya)

Causality conjunction (çünkü)

Means and accompaniment (ile, -(y)lA)

Purpose and beneficiaries (için)

Expressing desire (-mak istemek)

The past copula (-(y)DI)

The direct past tense (-DI)

Past tense personal suffixes (-DIm, -DIn)

Past tense negative (-mAdI)

Past tense questions (-DI mI)

Ordinal numbers (-(I)ncI)

Greetings and politeness

Saying 'too' (de, da)

Conversation fillers (şey, yani, hadi)

Conversational essentials

Reflexive pronouns (kendim, kendin)

Reciprocal pronouns (birbiri)

Indefinite pronouns for people (herkes, kimse)

Indefinite pronouns for things and places (her şey, hiçbir şey)

Conjunctions of consequence (bu yüzden, bu nedenle)

Correlative conjunctions (hem... hem, ne... ne)

Verbs taking the dative case (-e / -a)

Verbs taking the ablative case (-den / -dan)

Time origin (beri)

Time duration (-DIr)

Comparisons of similarity (gibi)

Comparisons of equality (kadar)

Perspectives (göre)

Verbal nouns (-mA / -mE)

Verbal nouns as objects (-mAyI / -mEyI)

Verbal nouns with the dative (-mAyA / -mEyA)

General necessity (lazım / gerek)

Personal necessity (-mAm lazım)

Third-person commands (-sIn / -sInlAr)

First person singular optative (-(y)AyIm)

Question	Answer
tactless	patavatsız
unpleasantness	tatsızlık
The tactless man caused a scene, but we pretended not to hear him.	Patavatsız adam tatsızlık çıkardı ama biz onu duymazlıktan geldik.
I didn't want a new unpleasantness after the meeting, so I pretended not to see his tactless behavior.	Toplantıdan sonra yeni bir tatsızlık istemedim, bu yüzden patavatsız tavırlarını görmezlikten geldim.
indifferent (uncaring, nonchalant)	umursamaz
mocking	alaycı
The indifferent student pretended not to understand the teacher's mocking words.	Umursamaz öğrenci, öğretmenin alaycı sözlerini anlamazlıktan geldi.
He acts indifferent enough to pretend not to hear the most mocking comments.	En alaycı yorumları duymazlıktan gelecek kadar umursamaz davranıyor.
hurtful	kırıcı
intentional	kasıtlı
Apparently, he made the hurtful jokes intentionally and pretended not to know.	Kırıcı şakaları kasıtlı yapmış ve bilmezlikten gelmiş.
Yesterday on the street, you pretended not to recognize me to a hurtful degree.	Dün sokakta beni kırıcı olacak kadar tanımazlıktan geldin.
insincere	samimiyetsiz
interlocutor / addressee	muhatap
I do not want to deal with insincere people, so I pretend not to see them.	Samimiyetsiz insanlarla muhatap olmak istemiyorum, bu yüzden onları görmezlikten geliyorum.
The insincere manager apparently pretended not to know about some problems before the meeting and didn't engage with us.	Samimiyetsiz müdür toplantıdan önce bazı sorunları bilmezlikten gelmiş ve bizi muhatap almamış.
insistent	ısrarcı
to turn a blind eye	göz yummak
The customer is very insistent, but we do not turn a blind eye to this rude behavior.	Müşteri çok ısrarcı fakat biz bu kaba tavırlara göz yummuyoruz.
Instead of turning a blind eye to such an insistent person, I completely pretended not to see him.	Böyle ısrarcı birine göz yummak yerine onu tamamen görmezlikten geldim.
The insistent man complained, but the tactless employee pretended not to hear him.	Israrcı adam şikâyet etti ancak patavatsız çalışan onu duymazlıktan geldi.
You are turning a blind eye to his insincere excuses and constantly pretending not to understand.	Onun samimiyetsiz mazeretlerine göz yumuyorsun ve sürekli anlamazlıktan geliyorsun.
The man is deliberately pretending not to understand the question.	Adam kasıtlı olarak soruyu anlamazlıktan geliyor.
The child pretended not to hear the teacher.	Çocuk öğretmeni duymazlıktan geldi.
My old friend pretended not to see me.	Eski arkadaşım beni görmezlikten geldi.
You know the secret, please do not pretend not to know.	Sırrı biliyorsun, lütfen bilmezlikten gelme.
I asked the question, but he pretended not to understand.	Soruyu sordum ama o anlamazlıktan geldi.