Passive Voice Tenses
Once you have formed a passive verb stem (using -il, -in, or -n), it behaves just like any regular verb. You can attach standard tense suffixes to talk about actions in the present, past, and future. This is especially useful for discussing public works and city infrastructure, where the focus is on the project rather than the workers.
Present Tense Passive
To say that something "is being done" right now or "is done" regularly, add the present continuous suffix -(i)yor to your passive stem, followed by the personal ending.
yenilen (to be renewed) + iyor = yenileniyor (is being renewed)genişletil (to be widened) + iyor = genişletiliyor (is being widened)
Past Tense Passive
To discuss completed projects, attach the definite past tense suffix -dI (-dı, -di, -du, -dü) to the passive stem.
Because passive stems always end in a voiced consonant (l or n), the suffix will always begin with a d. You will never use the unvoiced t variations (-tı, -ti, etc.) immediately after a passive stem.
tamamlan (to be completed) + dı = tamamlandı (was completed)atıl (to be laid/thrown) + dı = atıldı (was laid)
Future Tense Passive
To talk about what will happen to a building or project, add the future tense suffix -AcAk (-acak or -ecek) to the passive stem.
Since passive stems always end in a consonant, you will never need the buffer letter y before the future suffix.
kullanıl (to be used) + acak = kullanılacak (will be used)açıl (to be opened) + acak = açılacak (will be opened)
Shifting Timelines
By changing just the tense suffix on the passive stem, you can easily shift the focus of a sentence from a finished project to an upcoming one. Notice how the same passive structures adapt to different timelines: