Imminent actions (geldi gelecek)

Imminent Actions

To express that an action is on the very verge of happening, Turkish uses a vivid reduplication pattern. You simply state the verb in the third-person past tense, and immediately follow it with the exact same verb in the third-person future tense.

The formula is: Verb (Past 3rd Person) + Verb (Future 3rd Person)

For example, using the verb doğurmak (to give birth), combining doğurdu (she gave birth) and doğuracak (she will give birth) creates the phrase doğurdu doğuracak, meaning "she is just about to give birth."

This pattern is perfect for high-anticipation moments, such as when contractions (sancı) begin.

The Delivery Room

As the delivery approaches, you might wait outside the delivery room (doğumhane) for the midwife (ebe) to bring good news (müjde). The imminent action pattern works with any verb to describe these tense moments.

For example, girmek (to enter) becomes girdi girecek (just about to enter), and vermek (to give) becomes verdi verecek (just about to give).

Tending to the Baby

Once the baby arrives, the vocabulary shifts to newborn care, such as putting on a baby bodysuit (zıbın), breastfeeding (emzirmek), and placing the baby in a stroller (puset).

The imminent action pattern is often used to express urgency, like when a baby is on the verge of crying (ağlamak).

Similarly, you can use it to describe an action someone is in the very process of doing, like putting (koymak) the baby down.

Double Anticipation

You can even chain these phrases together to describe a situation where multiple things are on the verge of happening at once.