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Turkish Reported Past Tense
Use the Turkish reported past tense when the speaker did not directly witness the event, or when the event is presented as heard, inferred, or newly realized. This tense usually uses -mis plus a person ending.
On this page
Pattern
verb stem + -mIs + person ending
Example
Ben gelmişim.
Apparently, I came.
What this tense means
The reported past tense describes past events that are not presented as direct, witnessed facts.
It can mean: I heard that, apparently, it seems that, or I realized that.
The exact translation depends on context.
Use cue words like apparently, it seems, or I heard to make the reported meaning clear.
When to use it
Choose the situation first, then build the ending.
1. Something you heard from someone else
- Turkish
- O dün gelmiş.
- English
- Apparently, he/she came yesterday.
- Turkish
- Onlar erken gitmişler.
- English
- I heard they left early.
| Turkish | English |
|---|---|
| O dün gelmiş. | Apparently, he/she came yesterday. |
| Onlar erken gitmişler. | I heard they left early. |
2. Something you infer from evidence
You may see wet streets, but you did not see the rain happen.
- Turkish
- Yağmur yağmış.
- English
- It must have rained. / Apparently, it rained.
| Turkish | English |
|---|---|
| Yağmur yağmış. | It must have rained. / Apparently, it rained. |
3. Something you newly realize
- Turkish
- Ben uyumuşum.
- English
- Apparently, I fell asleep.
| Turkish | English |
|---|---|
| Ben uyumuşum. | Apparently, I fell asleep. |
4. Storytelling or indirect information
This form appears often in stories and reported information.
- Turkish
- Bir varmış, bir yokmuş.
- English
- Once upon a time...
| Turkish | English |
|---|---|
| Bir varmış, bir yokmuş. | Once upon a time... |
How to form positive statements
verb stem + -mIs + person ending
Use this pattern:
- The vowel changes by vowel harmony: -mis, -mis, -mus, -mus.
- Infinitive
- gelmek
- Verb stem
- gel
- Reported past
- gelmişim
- Infinitive
- gitmek
- Verb stem
- git
- Reported past
- gitmişim
- Infinitive
- okumak
- Verb stem
- oku
- Reported past
- okumuşum
- Infinitive
- çalışmak
- Verb stem
- çalış
- Reported past
- çalışmışım
| Infinitive | Verb stem | Reported past |
|---|---|---|
| gelmek | gel | gelmişim |
| gitmek | git | gitmişim |
| okumak | oku | okumuşum |
| çalışmak | çalış | çalışmışım |
Forms by person
See how this tense looks with the same verb across all persons.
- Person
- Ben
- Turkish
- gelmişim
- English
- Apparently, I came
- Person
- Sen
- Turkish
- gelmişsin
- English
- Apparently, you came
- Person
- O
- Turkish
- gelmiş
- English
- Apparently, he/she/it came
- Person
- Biz
- Turkish
- gelmişiz
- English
- Apparently, we came
- Person
- Siz
- Turkish
- gelmişsiniz
- English
- Apparently, you came
- Person
- Onlar
- Turkish
- gelmişler
- English
- Apparently, they came
| Person | Turkish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Ben | gelmişim | Apparently, I came |
| Sen | gelmişsin | Apparently, you came |
| O | gelmiş | Apparently, he/she/it came |
| Biz | gelmişiz | Apparently, we came |
| Siz | gelmişsiniz | Apparently, you came |
| Onlar | gelmişler | Apparently, they came |
Positive, negative, and question reference
These forms show the pattern; the explanation of a special negative form belongs to the relevant tense.
Compare positive statements, negatives, and questions with the same reference verb.
Positive statements
- Person
- Ben
- Turkish
- gelmişim
- English
- I am coming
- Person
- Sen
- Turkish
- gelmişsin
- English
- You are coming
- Person
- O
- Turkish
- gelmiş
- English
- He/she/it is coming
- Person
- Biz
- Turkish
- gelmişiz
- English
- We are coming
- Person
- Siz
- Turkish
- gelmişsiniz
- English
- You are coming
- Person
- Onlar
- Turkish
- gelmişler
- English
- They are coming
| Person | Turkish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Ben | gelmişim | I am coming |
| Sen | gelmişsin | You are coming |
| O | gelmiş | He/she/it is coming |
| Biz | gelmişiz | We are coming |
| Siz | gelmişsiniz | You are coming |
| Onlar | gelmişler | They are coming |
Negative statements
- Person
- Ben
- Turkish
- gelmemişim
- English
- I am not coming
- Person
- Sen
- Turkish
- gelmemişsin
- English
- You are not coming
- Person
- O
- Turkish
- gelmemiş
- English
- He/she/it is not coming
- Person
- Biz
- Turkish
- gelmemişiz
- English
- We are not coming
- Person
- Siz
- Turkish
- gelmemişsiniz
- English
- You are not coming
- Person
- Onlar
- Turkish
- gelmemişler
- English
- They are not coming
| Person | Turkish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Ben | gelmemişim | I am not coming |
| Sen | gelmemişsin | You are not coming |
| O | gelmemiş | He/she/it is not coming |
| Biz | gelmemişiz | We are not coming |
| Siz | gelmemişsiniz | You are not coming |
| Onlar | gelmemişler | They are not coming |
Questions
- Person
- Ben
- Turkish
- gelmiş miyim?
- English
- Am I coming?
- Person
- Sen
- Turkish
- gelmiş misin?
- English
- Are you coming?
- Person
- O
- Turkish
- gelmiş mi?
- English
- Is he/she/it coming?
- Person
- Biz
- Turkish
- gelmiş miyiz?
- English
- Are we coming?
- Person
- Siz
- Turkish
- gelmiş misiniz?
- English
- Are you coming?
- Person
- Onlar
- Turkish
- gelmişler mi?
- English
- Are they coming?
| Person | Turkish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Ben | gelmiş miyim? | Am I coming? |
| Sen | gelmiş misin? | Are you coming? |
| O | gelmiş mi? | Is he/she/it coming? |
| Biz | gelmiş miyiz? | Are we coming? |
| Siz | gelmiş misiniz? | Are you coming? |
| Onlar | gelmişler mi? | Are they coming? |
Examples in real sentences
Read these examples for context. You do not need to memorize every word.
- Turkish
- Kargo sabah gelmiş.
- English
- Apparently, the package came this morning.
- Note
- Reported or discovered past
- Turkish
- Toplantı erken bitmiş.
- English
- It seems the meeting ended early.
- Note
- Inference/report
- Turkish
- Telefonum çantamda kalmış.
- English
- Apparently, my phone was left in my bag.
- Note
- New realization
- Turkish
- O yeni işe başlamış.
- English
- I heard he/she started a new job.
- Note
- Hearsay
- Turkish
- Biz yanlış durağa inmişiz.
- English
- Apparently, we got off at the wrong stop.
- Note
- Realization after the fact
- Turkish
- Kahve dökülmüş.
- English
- Looks like the coffee spilled.
- Note
- Inference from evidence
- Turkish
- Anahtar masada kalmış.
- English
- Apparently, the key was left on the table.
- Note
- Discovery
- Turkish
- Çocuklar çok yorulmuşlar.
- English
- Apparently, the children got very tired.
- Note
- Reported observation
- Turkish
- Yemek biraz yanmış.
- English
- Looks like the food burned a little.
- Note
- Inference from evidence
- Turkish
- Ben kanepede uyumuşum.
- English
- Apparently, I fell asleep on the couch.
- Note
- Realization after the fact
| Turkish | English | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Kargo sabah gelmiş. | Apparently, the package came this morning. | Reported or discovered past |
| Toplantı erken bitmiş. | It seems the meeting ended early. | Inference/report |
| Telefonum çantamda kalmış. | Apparently, my phone was left in my bag. | New realization |
| O yeni işe başlamış. | I heard he/she started a new job. | Hearsay |
| Biz yanlış durağa inmişiz. | Apparently, we got off at the wrong stop. | Realization after the fact |
| Kahve dökülmüş. | Looks like the coffee spilled. | Inference from evidence |
| Anahtar masada kalmış. | Apparently, the key was left on the table. | Discovery |
| Çocuklar çok yorulmuşlar. | Apparently, the children got very tired. | Reported observation |
| Yemek biraz yanmış. | Looks like the food burned a little. | Inference from evidence |
| Ben kanepede uyumuşum. | Apparently, I fell asleep on the couch. | Realization after the fact |
Common mistakes
These mistakes show up often during practice.
Mistake 1: Using reported past for directly witnessed events
If you directly saw or experienced the event, simple past is usually the better choice.
- Meaning
- Direct
- Turkish
- Ben geldim.
- English
- I came.
- Meaning
- Reported/inferred
- Turkish
- Ben gelmişim.
- English
- Apparently, I came.
| Meaning | Turkish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Direct | Ben geldim. | I came. |
| Reported/inferred | Ben gelmişim. | Apparently, I came. |
Mistake 2: Translating -mis as one fixed English tense
-mis does not have one perfect English or German equivalent. Depending on context, it can mean apparently, I heard, it seems, or I realized.
Mistake 3: Forgetting the person ending
Incorrect: Ben gelmiş.
Correct: Ben gelmişim.
FAQ
What does the Turkish reported past tense mean?
The reported past with -miş marks past events that are heard, inferred, discovered later, or not presented as directly witnessed.
When should I use -miş instead of -di?
Use -miş when the speaker learned the event indirectly, infers it from evidence, or realizes it after the fact. Use -di for direct or known past events.
Does -miş always mean apparently?
No. Apparently is only one common translation. Depending on context, -miş can also mean I heard, it seems, or I realized.
Keep going
Related verb examples
Practice
Practice reported past forms
Start with positive statement forms and immediate feedback.