The Conditional 'Would': -(A/I)rdI
To describe what would happen in a hypothetical or imaginary scenario, Turkish uses the aorist past tense. You create this by stacking the past tense suffix (-dI) directly onto the aorist tense suffix (-Ar, -Ir, or -r). Finally, add the personal suffix.
ol- (to be) + -ur (aorist) + -du (past) + -m (I) = olurdum (I would be)
| I would be an astronaut. | Ben astronot olurdum. |
| The rocket would fly to space. | Roket uzaya uçardı. |
Negative Hypotheticals
To say that something would not happen, use the negative aorist suffix (-mAz) before adding the past tense suffix.
fırlat- (to launch) + -maz (negative aorist) + -dı (past) = fırlatmazdı (would not launch)
| Nobody would launch that rocket. | Kimse o roketi fırlatmazdı. |
| No other living creature would hear us. | Başka hiçbir canlı bizi duymazdı. |
Imaginary Conditions
These hypothetical statements often follow an "if" condition. The conditional part of the sentence uses the suffix -sA, while the resulting hypothetical action uses the aorist past (-(A/I)rdI).
| I would be surprised if an alien came. | Bir uzaylı gelirse şaşırırdım. |
Asking Hypothetical Questions
To ask if something would happen, place the question particle (mI) after the aorist suffix. Because the past tense suffix attaches to the question particle instead of the verb, you must use the buffer letter y.
değiş- (to change) + -ir (aorist) + mi (question) + y (buffer) + -di (past) = değişir miydi? (would it change?)
| Would the atmosphere change very fast? | Atmosfer çok hızlı değişir miydi? |
| Would there be a big colony on that planet? | Şu gezegende büyük bir koloni olur muydu? |