The Reflexive Suffix: Doing Actions to Oneself
In Turkish, you can often turn an action done to someone else into an action done to oneself by adding the reflexive suffix -(I)n to the verb root.
To build this structure:
- If the verb root ends in a vowel, simply add -n.
- If it ends in a consonant, add -ın, -in, -un, or -ün, following 4-way vowel harmony.
Let's look at the verb övmek (to praise).
By adding the reflexive suffix, we get övünmek (literally "to praise oneself", which translates as "to boast").
Common Reflexive Verbs: Feelings and Reactions
Many verbs describing emotional reactions or social behaviors in Turkish take this reflexive form. For example, almak means "to take", but alınmak means "to take offense" (to take something to oneself). Similarly, söylemek means "to say", but söylenmek means "to grumble" or "to mutter to oneself".
Another common verb that describes social feelings is utanmak (to feel ashamed or shy). When you are ashamed of or shy about something, that source of shame takes the ablative case ending (-dan / -den), indicating the feeling comes "from" it.
Daily Routines and Hiding
The reflexive suffix is also used for physical actions that you perform on your own body or for your own concealment.
For instance, saklamak means "to hide (something)", while saklanmak means "to hide oneself".
You will frequently see this suffix in personal hygiene and daily grooming routines. Yıkamak is "to wash (something)", making yıkanmak "to wash oneself" or "to bathe". Likewise, taramak is "to comb", making taranmak "to comb one's own hair".