The Causative Voice: Getting Things Done
When hiring a professional to perform a service—like having a car fixed or a suit tailored—you use the causative voice. Instead of a helper verb like "have" or "make," Turkish attaches a causative suffix directly to the verb root.
The "-DIr" Suffix
For most regular verbs, the causative suffix is -DIr. It follows four-way vowel harmony (-dir, -dır, -dur, -dür). If the verb root ends in a hard consonant (p, ç, t, k, s, ş, h, f), the suffix hardens to -tir, -tır, -tur, or -tür.
yap-(do/make) +-tır=yaptırmak(to have done)dik-(sew) +-tir=diktirmek(to have sewn)tamir et-(repair) +-tir=tamir ettirmek(to have repaired)
| I need to have the bag's zipper fixed. | Çantanın fermuarını yaptırmam lazım. |
Specifying the Professional
When stating who performs the service, the professional takes the dative case (-a or -e). Think of it as giving the task to them.
terzi(tailor) ->terziyetesisatçı(plumber) ->tesisatçıyausta(mechanic/master) ->ustaya
| I had a new dress sewn by the tailor. | Terziye yeni bir elbise diktirdim. |
| We are having the plumber repair the faucet in the kitchen. | Mutfaktaki musluğu tesisatçıya tamir ettiriyoruz. |
| I had the master look at the car's oil and filter. | Arabanın yağını ve filtresini ustaya baktırdım. |
| I need to have the mechanic check the engine and the brakes. | Motoru ve frenleri tamirciye kontrol ettirmem gerek. |
Places of Business
To talk about having a service done at a professional's place of business, use the locative case (-da or -de).
dişçi(dentist) ->dişçide(at the dentist)
| I had a filling done at the dentist yesterday, now my tooth does not ache. | Dün dişçide dolgu yaptırdım, şimdi dişim ağrımıyor. |
| I was afraid, that is why I was not having a filling done at the dentist. | Korkuyordum, bu yüzden dişçide dolgu yaptırmıyordum. |
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