Explaining reasons and motivations in informal Turkish is simple using diye. While it originally comes from the verb demek (to say) to quote speech, in everyday Turkish it is widely used to mean "because."
To use diye, place it immediately after a fully conjugated sentence.
- [Reason as a complete sentence] + diye
- [Main action/reaction]
| He is making excuses because he couldn't make a good explanation. | İyi bir açıklama yapamadı diye bahane üretiyor. |
To emphasize that something happened just or purely for one specific reason, you can start the reason clause with sırf.
| I assumed you were angry at me just because you didn't call me. | Sırf beni aramadın diye bana kızgınsın zannettim. |
| Is he looking for an excuse just because he doesn't want to work? | Sırf çalışmak istemiyor diye bahane mi arıyor? |
Actions and Reactions
The verb before diye can be in any tense. This structure is perfect for explaining why someone got offended or worried, or clarifying if an action happened by mistake (yanlışlıkla) or on purpose (bilerek).
| Did you get offended because I deleted your message by mistake? | Mesajını yanlışlıkla sildim diye bana kırıldın mı? |
| I did it deliberately because I was worried about you. | Senin için endişelendim diye bilerek yaptım. |
| I got offended at him because he said a shameful thing. | Ayıp bir şey söyledi diye ona küstüm. |
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