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Turkish Simple Past Tense
Use the Turkish simple past tense for past actions that are presented as direct, known, or witnessed. This tense usually uses -di, with vowel harmony and d/t spelling changes.
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Pattern
verb stem + -DI + person ending
Example
Ben geldim.
I came.
What this tense means
The simple past tense describes something that happened in the past. It is the normal form when the speaker treats the event as known, direct, or personally observed.
It often matches English sentences like I came, you saw, we ate, or they worked.
Use this tense for completed past events that the speaker presents as direct or known.
When to use it
Choose the situation first, then build the ending.
1. A completed past action
- Turkish
- Ben dün geldim.
- English
- I came yesterday.
- Turkish
- O kitabı okudu.
- English
- He/she read the book.
| Turkish | English |
|---|---|
| Ben dün geldim. | I came yesterday. |
| O kitabı okudu. | He/she read the book. |
2. Something you directly experienced
- Turkish
- Biz filmi gördük.
- English
- We saw the movie.
- Turkish
- Ben kahve içtim.
- English
- I drank coffee.
| Turkish | English |
|---|---|
| Biz filmi gördük. | We saw the movie. |
| Ben kahve içtim. | I drank coffee. |
3. A past event in a clear time frame
- Turkish
- Sen geçen hafta çalıştın.
- English
- You worked last week.
- Turkish
- Onlar sabah gittiler.
- English
- They went in the morning.
| Turkish | English |
|---|---|
| Sen geçen hafta çalıştın. | You worked last week. |
| Onlar sabah gittiler. | They went in the morning. |
How to form positive statements
verb stem + -DI + person ending
Use this pattern:
- The D can appear as d or t. The vowel changes by vowel harmony: -di, -di, -du, -du, -ti, -ti, -tu, -tu.
- Infinitive
- gelmek
- Verb stem
- gel
- Simple past
- geldim
- Infinitive
- gitmek
- Verb stem
- git
- Simple past
- gittim
- Infinitive
- okumak
- Verb stem
- oku
- Simple past
- okudum
- Infinitive
- çalışmak
- Verb stem
- çalış
- Simple past
- çalıştım
| Infinitive | Verb stem | Simple past |
|---|---|---|
| gelmek | gel | geldim |
| gitmek | git | gittim |
| okumak | oku | okudum |
| çalışmak | çalış | çalıştım |
Forms by person
See how this tense looks with the same verb across all persons.
- Person
- Ben
- Turkish
- geldim
- English
- I came
- Person
- Sen
- Turkish
- geldin
- English
- You came
- Person
- O
- Turkish
- geldi
- English
- He/she/it came
- Person
- Biz
- Turkish
- geldik
- English
- We came
- Person
- Siz
- Turkish
- geldiniz
- English
- You came
- Person
- Onlar
- Turkish
- geldiler
- English
- They came
| Person | Turkish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Ben | geldim | I came |
| Sen | geldin | You came |
| O | geldi | He/she/it came |
| Biz | geldik | We came |
| Siz | geldiniz | You came |
| Onlar | geldiler | 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
- geldim
- English
- I am coming
- Person
- Sen
- Turkish
- geldin
- English
- You are coming
- Person
- O
- Turkish
- geldi
- English
- He/she/it is coming
- Person
- Biz
- Turkish
- geldik
- English
- We are coming
- Person
- Siz
- Turkish
- geldiniz
- English
- You are coming
- Person
- Onlar
- Turkish
- geldiler
- English
- They are coming
| Person | Turkish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Ben | geldim | I am coming |
| Sen | geldin | You are coming |
| O | geldi | He/she/it is coming |
| Biz | geldik | We are coming |
| Siz | geldiniz | You are coming |
| Onlar | geldiler | They are coming |
Negative statements
- Person
- Ben
- Turkish
- gelmedim
- English
- I am not coming
- Person
- Sen
- Turkish
- gelmedin
- English
- You are not coming
- Person
- O
- Turkish
- gelmedi
- English
- He/she/it is not coming
- Person
- Biz
- Turkish
- gelmedik
- English
- We are not coming
- Person
- Siz
- Turkish
- gelmediniz
- English
- You are not coming
- Person
- Onlar
- Turkish
- gelmediler
- English
- They are not coming
| Person | Turkish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Ben | gelmedim | I am not coming |
| Sen | gelmedin | You are not coming |
| O | gelmedi | He/she/it is not coming |
| Biz | gelmedik | We are not coming |
| Siz | gelmediniz | You are not coming |
| Onlar | gelmediler | They are not coming |
Questions
- Person
- Ben
- Turkish
- geldim mi?
- English
- Am I coming?
- Person
- Sen
- Turkish
- geldin mi?
- English
- Are you coming?
- Person
- O
- Turkish
- geldi mi?
- English
- Is he/she/it coming?
- Person
- Biz
- Turkish
- geldik mi?
- English
- Are we coming?
- Person
- Siz
- Turkish
- geldiniz mi?
- English
- Are you coming?
- Person
- Onlar
- Turkish
- geldiler mi?
- English
- Are they coming?
| Person | Turkish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Ben | geldim mi? | Am I coming? |
| Sen | geldin mi? | Are you coming? |
| O | geldi mi? | Is he/she/it coming? |
| Biz | geldik mi? | Are we coming? |
| Siz | geldiniz mi? | Are you coming? |
| Onlar | geldiler mi? | Are they coming? |
Examples in real sentences
Read these examples for context. You do not need to memorize every word.
- Turkish
- Dün toplantıya geç kaldım.
- English
- I was late to the meeting yesterday.
- Note
- Completed past event
- Turkish
- Sabah anahtarımı evde unuttum.
- English
- I forgot my key at home this morning.
- Note
- Direct past experience
- Turkish
- Az önce seni aradım.
- English
- I called you a moment ago.
- Note
- Recent completed action
- Turkish
- Biz hafta sonu pazara gittik.
- English
- We went to the market at the weekend.
- Note
- Completed past movement
- Turkish
- O faturayı dün ödedi.
- English
- He/she paid the bill yesterday.
- Note
- Direct completed action
- Turkish
- Siz doğru durağı buldunuz.
- English
- You found the right stop.
- Note
- Completed result
- Turkish
- Onlar filmi yarıda bıraktılar.
- English
- They stopped the movie halfway through.
- Note
- Completed past action
- Turkish
- Kargo bugün geldi.
- English
- The package came today.
- Note
- Known past event
- Turkish
- Ben akşam yemeğini hazırladım.
- English
- I prepared dinner.
- Note
- Direct past action
- Turkish
- Biz eski mesajları sildik.
- English
- We deleted the old messages.
- Note
- Completed past action
| Turkish | English | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Dün toplantıya geç kaldım. | I was late to the meeting yesterday. | Completed past event |
| Sabah anahtarımı evde unuttum. | I forgot my key at home this morning. | Direct past experience |
| Az önce seni aradım. | I called you a moment ago. | Recent completed action |
| Biz hafta sonu pazara gittik. | We went to the market at the weekend. | Completed past movement |
| O faturayı dün ödedi. | He/she paid the bill yesterday. | Direct completed action |
| Siz doğru durağı buldunuz. | You found the right stop. | Completed result |
| Onlar filmi yarıda bıraktılar. | They stopped the movie halfway through. | Completed past action |
| Kargo bugün geldi. | The package came today. | Known past event |
| Ben akşam yemeğini hazırladım. | I prepared dinner. | Direct past action |
| Biz eski mesajları sildik. | We deleted the old messages. | Completed past action |
Common mistakes
These mistakes show up often during practice.
Mistake 1: Ignoring the d/t change
After some verb stems, Turkish uses t instead of d.
Follow the conjugated form you see here.
Incorrect: Ben gitdim.
Correct: Ben gittim.
Mistake 2: Mixing simple past with reported past
Use simple past when the speaker presents the event as direct or known.
- Turkish
- Ben geldim.
- English
- I came.
- Turkish
- Ben gelmişim.
- English
- Apparently, I came.
| Turkish | English |
|---|---|
| Ben geldim. | I came. |
| Ben gelmişim. | Apparently, I came. |
Mistake 3: Forgetting the person ending
Incorrect: Ben geldi.
Correct: Ben geldim.
FAQ
What is the Turkish simple past tense?
The Turkish simple past tense uses -di forms for completed past events that the speaker presents as direct, known, or witnessed.
When do I use simple past instead of reported past?
Use simple past when you directly saw, did, or know the event. Use reported past with -miş when the event is heard, inferred, or newly realized.
Why does -di sometimes become -ti?
After some voiceless consonants, Turkish uses t instead of d. For example, gitmek becomes gittim, not gitdim.
Keep going
Related verb examples
Practice
Practice simple past forms
Start with positive statement forms and immediate feedback.