---
title: "Turkish Reported Past Tense"
description: "Learn Turkish reported past conjugation with -mis, including hearsay, inference, realization, examples, common mistakes, and practice."
canonical_url: "https://turkce-trainer.com/en/grammar/reported-past-tense"
markdown_url: "https://turkce-trainer.com/en/grammar/reported-past-tense.md"
locale: en
last_updated: 2026-09-13
---

# Turkish Reported Past Tense

Learn Turkish reported past conjugation with -mis, including hearsay, inference, realization, examples, common mistakes, and practice.

## 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.

| Turkish | English |
| --- | --- |
| Ben gelmişim. | Apparently, I came. |

## Plain meaning

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.

## 1. Something you heard from someone else

| 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 | English |
| --- | --- |
| Yağmur yağmış. | It must have rained. / Apparently, it rained. |

## 3. Something you newly realize

| Turkish | English |
| --- | --- |
| Ben uyumuşum. | Apparently, I fell asleep. |

## 4. Storytelling or indirect information

This form appears often in stories and reported information.

| Turkish | English |
| --- | --- |
| Bir varmış, bir yokmuş. | Once upon a time... |

## Formation

Use this pattern:

Pattern: verb stem + -mIs + person ending

- The vowel changes by vowel harmony: -mis, -mis, -mus, -mus.

| Infinitive | Verb stem | Reported past |
| --- | --- | --- |
| gelmek | gel | gelmişim |
| gitmek | git | gitmişim |
| okumak | oku | okumuşum |
| çalışmak | çalış | çalışmışım |

## Six persons

| 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 |

## Practice

Practice reported past forms

[Start practice](https://turkce-trainer.com/en/practice/conjugation?verb=gelmek&tense=reported-past&returnTo=%2Fen%2Fgrammar%2Freported-past-tense)

## Positive, negative, and question reference

Compare positive statements, negatives, and questions with the same reference verb.

These forms show the pattern; the explanation of a special negative form belongs to the relevant tense.

## Positive statements

| Person | Turkish form | English |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Ben | gelmişim | Looks like 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 |

## Negative statements

| Person | Turkish form | English |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Ben | gelmemişim | Looks like I didn't come |
| Sen | gelmemişsin | Apparently, you did not come |
| O | gelmemiş | Apparently, he/she/it did not come |
| Biz | gelmemişiz | Apparently, we did not come |
| Siz | gelmemişsiniz | Apparently, you did not come |
| Onlar | gelmemişler | Apparently, they did not come |

## Questions

| Person | Turkish form | English |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Ben | gelmiş miyim? | I wonder if I came |
| Sen | gelmiş misin? | I wonder if you came |
| O | gelmiş mi? | I wonder if he/she/it came |
| Biz | gelmiş miyiz? | I wonder if we came |
| Siz | gelmiş misiniz? | I wonder if you came |
| Onlar | gelmişler mi? | I wonder if they came |

## Examples

| 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 |

## 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 | 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

- Ben gelmiş. → Ben gelmişim.

## Mini practice

| Prompt | Correct Turkish |
| --- | --- |
| Apparently, the package came this morning. | Kargo sabah gelmiş. |
| Apparently, we got off at the wrong stop. | Biz yanlış durağa inmişiz. |
| Looks like the food burned a little. | Yemek biraz yanmış. |

## 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.

## Related verb examples

| Verb | Form |
| --- | --- |
| [Conjugate yemek in Turkish](https://turkce-trainer.com/en/verbs/yemek) | yemişim |
| [Conjugate içmek in Turkish](https://turkce-trainer.com/en/verbs/icmek) | içmişim |
| [Conjugate okumak in Turkish](https://turkce-trainer.com/en/verbs/okumak) | okumuşum |
| [Conjugate görmek in Turkish](https://turkce-trainer.com/en/verbs/gormek) | görmüşüm |
| [Conjugate yapmak in Turkish](https://turkce-trainer.com/en/verbs/yapmak) | yapmışım |

## Keep learning

[Turkish simple past tense](https://turkce-trainer.com/en/grammar/simple-past-tense)

[Simple past vs reported past](https://turkce-trainer.com/en/grammar/simple-past-vs-reported-past)

[Turkish aorist tense](https://turkce-trainer.com/en/grammar/aorist-tense)

[Verb Endings and Vowel Harmony](https://turkce-trainer.com/en/grammar/verb-endings)