To describe an action performed repeatedly or continuously—often to emphasize how a result was achieved—Turkish uses a repeated verb form. In English, this frequently translates to "by doing X repeatedly" or describes an ongoing manner, like "groaning" or "huffing".
Forming the Repeated Converb
To create this form, take the verb stem and add -a or -e, following standard vowel harmony. If the verb stem ends in a vowel, insert the buffer letter y first, making it -ya or -ye. Then, repeat the word.
For example, the stem of sürüklemek (to drag) is sürükle-. Because it ends in a vowel, we add -ye and repeat it to get sürükleye sürükleye (by dragging). The stem of itmek (to push) is it-, which ends in a consonant, so we just add -e to create ite ite (by pushing continuously).
| We moved the heavy cabinet to the room by dragging it. | Ağır dolabı sürükleye sürükleye odaya taşıdık. |
| He fit the sofa into the elevator by pushing it repeatedly. | Kanepeyi ite ite asansöre sığdırdı. |
Expressing Effort
This structure is particularly useful when talking about physical exhaustion, struggle, or the sounds people make while completing a difficult task, like moving heavy furniture.
| The movers carried the boxes downstairs, groaning. | Hamallar inleye inleye kutuları aşağı taşıdı. |
When using verbs that naturally describe a struggle, such as zorlanmak (to have difficulty) or oflamak (to huff and puff), the repeated converb emphasizes that the entire activity was a grueling, ongoing process.
| We fit all the items into the truck with great difficulty. | Bütün eşyaları zorlana zorlana kamyona sığdırdık. |
| The mover went upstairs, huffing and puffing. | Hamal oflaya oflaya yukarı çıktı. |