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Lesson 78: The definite past of "to be"
Now we will learn the definite past of to be in Turkish. You create this form by adding the suffix -(y)Dİ after a noun or adjective, and then adding a personal suffix.
| Person | Ending | Example | |
|---|---|---|---|
| ben | (y)Dİm | I was very fat. | Çok şişmandım. |
| sen | (y)Dİn | Where were you? | Neredeydin? |
| o | (y)Dİ | It was closed. | Kapalıydı. |
| biz | (y)Dİk | We were in China. | Çin'deydik. |
| siz | (y)Dİnİz | You were ill. | Hastaydınız. |
| onlar | (y)Dİ(lEr) | They were young. | Gençtiler. |
For the negative definite past form of to be, this suffix comes behind the word değil.
| The greengrocery was not open. | Manav açık değildi. |
| We were not here. | Burada değildik. |
Questions are formed by putting the suffix behind the question particle mİ.
| Was I a naughty child? | Yaramaz (bir) çocuk muydum? |
| Were you lazy? | Tembel miydin? |
| Wasn't he hardworking? | Çalışkan değil miydi? |
| Were you a fisherman? | Balıkçı mıydınız? |
| Weren't they tired? | Yorgun değil miydiler? |
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| fat | şişman |
| I was very fat. | (Ben) çok şişmandım. |
| Where were you? | (Sen) neredeydin? |
| closed, shut; covered | kapalı |
| It was closed. | (O) kapalıydı. |
| We were in China. | (Biz) Çin'deydik. |
| You were ill. | (Siz) hastaydınız. |
| young | genç |
| They were young. | (Onlar) gençtiler. |
| open | açık |
| The greengrocery was not open. | Manav açık değildi. |
| We were not here. | (Biz) burada değildik. |
| naughty, mischievous | yaramaz |
| Was I a naughty child? | (Ben) yaramaz (bir) çocuk muydum? |
| lazyT | tembel |
| Were you lazy? | (Sen) tembel miydin? |
| hardworking, diligent, industrious | çalışkan |
| Wasn't he hardworking? | (O) çalışkan değil miydi? |
| fisherman; fishmonger, fish seller | balıkçı |
| Were you a fisherman? | (Siz) (bir) balıkçı mıydınız? |
| Weren't they tired? | (Onlar) yorgun değil miydi(ler)? |
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