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### Temporal Immediacy: "-dığı gibi"

To say "as soon as" in Turkish and describe one action happening immediately after another, use the structure **-dığı gibi**. This is especially common when describing fast-paced sequences of events or rapid, almost reflex-like reactions.

To form this, attach the participle suffix **-dık** / **-dik** (following 4-way vowel harmony) to the verb stem, add a possessive ending to indicate *who* is doing the action, and follow it with **gibi**.

Because most possessive endings start with a vowel, the **-k** in **-dık** almost always softens to **-ğ**. The exception is the *onlar* (they) form, where the suffix begins with a consonant (**-ları** / **-leri**).

| Person | "görmek" (to see) | "okumak" (to read) |
|---|---|---|
| Ben | gördüğüm gibi | okuduğum gibi |
| Sen | gördüğün gibi | okuduğun gibi |
| O | gördüğü gibi | okuduğu gibi |
| Biz | gördüğümüz gibi | okuduğumuz gibi |
| Siz | gördüğünüz gibi | okuduğunuz gibi |
| Onlar | gördükleri gibi | okudukları gibi |

Here is this structure in action across different grammatical persons:

{{item:858456}}

{{item:858469}}

{{item:858474}}

### Describing Rapid Reactions

This "as soon as" structure frequently pairs with sudden physical reactions, gestures, or expressions of confusion, anger, or surprise. Notice how the immediacy of **-dığı gibi** sets up a chain of reactive behaviors:

{{item:858470}}

{{item:858459}}

{{item:858467}}

Temporal immediacy (-dığı gibi)

adjective

adverb

conjunction

determiner

interjection

noun

numeral

particle

postposition

preposition

pronoun

sentence

verb

Demonstrative pronouns (bu, şu, o)

Basic question words (kim, ne)

Plural nouns (-lar, -ler)

I am and you are (-(y)ım, -sın)

We, you, and they are (-(y)ız, -sınız)

Negative statements (değil)

Yes and no questions (mı, mi, mu, mü)

Questions with 'to be' (mısın, mıyım)

Numbers 1 to 10 (bir, iki, üç)

Numbers 11 to 20 (on bir, on iki)

Numbers by tens to 100 (otuz, kırk...)

Counting objects (tane)

The locative case (-da, -de)

Consonant assimilation (-ta, -te)

Asking where (nerede)

There is / there are (var)

There is not / there are not (yok)

Asking how many (kaç)

Infinitive verbs (-mak, -mek)

Informal commands (git, gel)

Negative commands (-ma, -me)

Polite and plural commands (-In, -InIz)

Basic word order

Present continuous for consonant roots (-iyor)

Present continuous for vowel roots (-iyor)

Present continuous personal suffixes (-iyorum)

Negative present continuous (-miyor)

Present continuous questions (-iyor mu)

Future plans with present continuous

The dative case (-(y)a, -(y)e)

Consonant mutation (k, t, p, ç to ğ, d, b, c)

From or out of (-dan / -den)

Directional question words (nereye, nereden)

First and second person possessives (-(i)m, -(i)n)

Third person possessive (-(s)i)

Plural possessives (-imiz, -iniz, -leri)

The genitive case (-(n)in)

Definite noun compounds (-nin ... -si)

Indefinite noun compounds (bare noun + -(s)i)

Possessive buffer letter (n)

Spatial postpositions (içinde, üstünde)

The definite direct object (-(y)ı, -(y)i)

Object question words (kimi, neyi)

Adjectives modifying nouns

Manner and choice questions (nasıl, hangi)

Basic degree modifiers (çok, biraz)

Comparisons (daha, en)

Days of the week

Months of the year

The time question word (ne zaman)

Telling time (saat, buçuk)

Asking the time (saat kaç, saat kaçta)

Basic conjunctions (ve, ama, veya)

Causality conjunction (çünkü)

Means and accompaniment (ile, -(y)lA)

Purpose and beneficiaries (için)

Expressing desire (-mak istemek)

The past copula (-(y)DI)

The direct past tense (-DI)

Past tense personal suffixes (-DIm, -DIn)

Past tense negative (-mAdI)

Past tense questions (-DI mI)

Ordinal numbers (-(I)ncI)

Greetings and politeness

Saying 'too' (de, da)

Conversation fillers (şey, yani, hadi)

Conversational essentials

Reflexive pronouns (kendim, kendin)

Reciprocal pronouns (birbiri)

Indefinite pronouns for people (herkes, kimse)

Indefinite pronouns for things and places (her şey, hiçbir şey)

Conjunctions of consequence (bu yüzden, bu nedenle)

Correlative conjunctions (hem... hem, ne... ne)

Verbs taking the dative case (-e / -a)

Verbs taking the ablative case (-den / -dan)

Time origin (beri)

Time duration (-DIr)

Comparisons of similarity (gibi)

Comparisons of equality (kadar)

Perspectives (göre)

Verbal nouns (-mA / -mE)

Verbal nouns as objects (-mAyI / -mEyI)

Verbal nouns with the dative (-mAyA / -mEyA)

General necessity (lazım / gerek)

Personal necessity (-mAm lazım)

Third-person commands (-sIn / -sInlAr)

First person singular optative (-(y)AyIm)

Question	Answer
to falter / to hesitate (out of confusion)	bocalamak
to be bewildered / to be taken aback	afallamak
As soon as he saw me, he faltered and was taken aback.	Beni gördüğü gibi bocaladı ve afalladı.
eyebrow	kaş
to knit / to furrow	çatmak
As soon as he heard the question, he knitted his eyebrows.	Soruyu duyduğu gibi kaşlarını çattı.
to stand up straight / to stand staring	dikilmek
fist	yumruk
to clench / to squeeze	sıkmak
to attempt / to dare	yeltenmek
As soon as he stood up, he attempted to clench his fist.	Dikildiği gibi yumruğunu sıkmaya yeltendi.
to grin	sırıtmak
to grumble / to mutter (angrily)	homurdanmak
As soon as the manager walked in, he grinned and muttered.	Müdür girdiği gibi sırıtıp homurdandı.
to gulp / to swallow hard	yutkunmak
As soon as I read the letter, I was bewildered and swallowed hard.	Mektubu okuduğum gibi afallayıp yutkundum.
As soon as she realized what I did, she faltered and attempted to run away.	Ne yaptığımı fark ettiği gibi bocalayıp kaçmaya yeltendi.
As soon as he knitted his eyebrows, he stood up in front of me.	Kaşlarını çattığı gibi önüme dikildi.
As soon as he drank the soup that I made, he swallowed hard and grumbled.	Benim yaptığım çorbayı içtiği gibi yutkundu ve homurdandı.
As soon as the man grinned, I clenched my fist and got angry.	Adam sırıttığı gibi yumruğumu sıkıp kızdım.
As soon as you stepped inside, the guests swallowed hard and stood up.	Sen içeri girdiğin gibi misafirler yutkunup dikildi.
As soon as the teacher knitted her eyebrows, the student stopped grinning.	Öğretmen kaşlarını çattığı gibi öğrenci sırıtmayı bıraktı.
As soon as I attempted to speak, he was bewildered and faltered.	Konuşmaya yeltendiğim gibi afalladı ve bocaladı.