The use of participles in Turkish is rather different than in English and at first sight is difficult to understand.

This is mainly due to the fact that the Relative Pronouns - who, what, which, where - are not used in Turkish as in English.

Instead, Turkish uses Participles of its Verbs as Adjectives

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Formation of the Present Participle

Relative Subject Participle

Computers who knows
lady worker is being sought

The suffix -an or -en is added to the verb stem, (or either -yan or -yen after vowels)
yürümek - to walk
yürüyen - who walks, who is walking

yürümemek - not to walk
yürümeyen - who doesn't walk, who is not walking

beklemek - to wait
bekleyen - who waits, who is waiting

beklememek - not to wait
beklemeyen - who doesn't wait, who is not waiting

bakmak - to look
bakan - which looks, who is looking

görmek - to see
gören - who sees, who is seeing

görmemek - not to see
görmeyen - who doesn't see, who is not seeing

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About the Subject Participle

Let us consider the sentence:

I know the man who is sitting in the chair - or - I know the man sitting in the chair

Here - who - is a Relative Pronoun referring to - the man - which may be omitted in English - as in the second version above. While - sitting - is a Present Participle or Verbal Adjective to describe - the state - of the man.

The sentence above can be broken down to:

(1) The man is sitting in the chair. - (2) I know him.

This shows that the Subject is The man who is sitting in the chair - this is the reason that Turkish calls this Participle a Subject Participle as it describes the subject verbally.

One could also say:

I can see the bird that is flying in the sky

I pulled the rope which was hanging down.

In these cases which and that are Relative Pronouns whilst flying and hanging down are Present Participles used as Adjectives.

However, in Turkish the Present Participle does the job of both the Relative Pronoun and the Adjective.

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Further Explanation

If we transpose the examples above to the form that Turkish exhibits, then they would convert as follows:

Experienced lady worker who
knows English is being sought

1. Chair-in sitting-who-is man-the know-I.
2. Sandalyede oturan adamı tanıyorum
3. Sky-in flying-which-is bird-the see-can-I.
4. Gökte uçan kuşu görebilirim
5. Hanging down-which-was rope pulled-I.
6. Sarkan ipi çektim.

Note that this last example is in the past tense, which is taken from the final verb of the sentence.

Then it can be seen that the Present Participle - sitting etc.. translates the Relative Pronoun by implication ie who is sitting.., which is flying.. etc.

Therefore in Turkish the Present Participle is used as a Relative Pronominal Adjective.

This point is important to understand and in translation to English it is always best to add who is.., which is.., that is.., until facility in understanding the Turkish point of view has been reached.

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Some Examples Relative Subject Participles

The suffix -an or -en is added to the verb stem, (or either -yan or -yen after vowels)

1. Arka bahçeye bakan pencere kırıldı.
2. The window facing the back garden is broken.
3. Lit: Back garden-to looking-at-which-is (facing) broken-is.

1. Mektup yazan adam çok yaşlıdır
2. The man writing the letter is very old
3. Lit: Letter-the writing-who-is man-the old-is

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Examples in the Potential Mood:

The suffix -an or -en is added to the verb stem, (or either -yan or -yen after vowels)

1. yürüyebilmek -to be able to walk
2. yürüyebilen - who can walk

1. yürüyememek - not to be able to walk
2. yürüyemeyen - who can't walk

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Using the Relative Participle as an Adjective or a Noun

As the Participle formed is a Verbal Noun - or Adjective - then we can add suffixes to it to change the meaning as we do with all Nouns in Turkish

Formation of the Subject Participle

Examples of a Positive and Negative Verbs

1. oturmak - to sit (or to live at)
2. oturan - who is sitting / sitting (adj.)
3. oturanı - oturan -ı - who sits / sitter
4. - direct object noun

1. uçmak - to fly
2. uçan - which is flying / flying (adj.)
3. uçana - uçan -a - to that flying / to the flier
4. - dative case noun

1. sarkmak - to hang down (to dangle)
2. sarkan - which is hanging down / hanging down (adj.)
3. sarkandan - sarkan -dan - from that hanging
4. - ablative case noun

1. yemek - to eat
2. yiyen - who is eating / eater (adj.)
3. yiyenlere - yiyen -ler-e - to those eating / to those who eat
4. - dative case plural noun

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Example of a Causative Verb

1. güldürmek - to cause to laugh
2. güldüren - who makes one laugh/comic, funny (adj.)
3. güldüreni - güldür - en -in - of that which makes one laugh/comic, funny
4. - genitive case noun

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Example of a Passive Verb

1. kesilmek - to be cut
2. kesilen - which is being cut (adj.)
3. kesilenlerinden - kesilen -leri -nden - from those that are being cut
4. - dative case plural noun

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Using the Relative Participle as an Adjective

Then we can translate adjectivally:

1. Masaya oturan adamı tanırım - I know the man who is sitting at the table
2. Lit: Table-to (at) sitting man-the know-I.
3. In this case - oturan - is an adjective describing - the man

And in the plural:

1. masaya oturan adamları tanırım - I know the men who are sitting at the table
2. Lit: Table-to sitting men-the know-I
3. Thus using - oturan - as an adjective describing - the men

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Using the Relative Participle as a Noun

However we could say in Turkish - as a noun:

1. Masaya oturanı tanıyorum. - I knew (he) who is sitting at this table
2. Lit: Table-to sitting-he-who-is know-I.
3. Thus using -oturanı - as a relative pronoun - singular direct object)

And in the Plural

1. masaya oturanları tanırdım - I knew those who were sitting at the table
2. Lit: Table-to sitting-they-who-were knew-I
3. Thus using - oturanları - as a relative pronoun - plural direct object)

Note that the Past tense of this sentence is taken from the final verb.

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The Effect of Suffixes with the Subject Participle

The Relative Participle can be declined in both Singular and Plural Positive and Negative and in the Passive and Potential Moods of the verbs.

The Basic Verb Form Participle - vermek - to give

General Notes: The suffix -an or -en is added to the verb stem, (or either -yan or -yen after vowels)

1. The Positive Verb
2. vermek - to give
3. veren - who gives
4. verenler - those who are giving

1. The Negative Verb
2. vermemek - not to give
3. vermeyen - who doesn't give
4. vermeyenler - those who don't give

Some Examples

1. Oğluma, hediye veren adam onun amcasıydı
2. The man who gave the present to my son was his uncle
3. Lit: Son-my-to, present gave-who man-the his uncle-was.

1. Ankara'ya giden otobüslerin hepsi doludur
2. All the buses which are going to Ankara are full up.
3. Lit: Ankara-to going-which-are buses all full-are.

1. Ankara'ya gidenlerin hepsi erkek
2. All the those who are going to Ankara are male.
3. Lit: Ankara-to going-those-who-are all male-are.

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Passive Mood Examples - beklenmek - to expect, hope, wait

General Notes: The resulting -an or -en Relative Adjective is used to describe nouns. Or can be used as a noun or pronoun according to sense.

1. beklenmek - to be expected
2. beklenen - which is expected
3. beklenenler - those who are expected

1. beklenmemek - not to be expected
2. beklenmeyen - which is not expected
3. beklenmeyenler - those which are not expected

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Potential Mood - Active Examples

General Notes: The resulting -an or -en relative adjective can be used as a noun in its own right.

1. çalışmak - to work
2. çalışan - who works
3. çalışanlar - those who are working

1. çalışmamak - not to work
2. çalışmayan - which is not working
3. çalışmayanlar - those which are not working

An actual example

 

Here we see a sign at Ladies Beach in Kuşadası for restricted entry into the Güneş (Sun) Site of Apartments.

This sign just shows how difficult Turkish can be to understand when you are first learning, as the grammatical constuction is alien to speakers of English. So let us explain what is happening..

1. Güneş sitesine (Güneş site-si-ne) (In)to the Güneş Site
2. ait olmayan who is not concerned
3. araçların park edilmesi their car's parking
4. yasaktır. is prohibited.

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Some Further Examples

1. Yüzebilenlere bir madalya verelim
2. Let us give a medal to those who can swim

In the above example the Relative Adjective is used as a noun with the Dative Suffix -e - to - added - yüz -ebil -en -ler -e

1. Sokağımızda çalışamayan bir engelli oturuyor
2. A disabled man who is unable to work is living in our street

In the above example the Relative Adjective - çalış -a -ma -y -an - who is unable to work / who can not work - is used to describe the noun - engelli - invalid / cripple

1. Süremeyenlerden arabaları geri alınız. - (Thanks to Nilda for correction - Feb 2006)
2. Take away the cars from those who can't drive.

In the above example the Relative Adjective - sür -e -me -y - en -ler -den - from those who can not drive - is used as noun with the addition of the suffix -den - from

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Potential Mood - Passive Examples

General Notes: This is an example of Turkish turning everything into an adjectival description wherever possible.

1. yapılabilmek - to be able to be done / made
2. yapılabilen - which can be done
3. yapılabilenler - yapılabil - en -ler - those which can be done

1. sürülememek - not to be able to be driven
2. sürülemeyen - which can not be driven
3. sürülemeyenler - sürül -e - me -y - en -ler - those which can not be driven

Examples

1. Sürülemeyen arabaları çıkarınız
2. Take away the cars which can not be driven

In the above example the Relative Adjective is used sürül -e - me -yen

1. Yapılabileneri bitirelim
2. Let's finish those that can be done

In the above example the Relative Adjective - yapılabil -en -ler -i - those that can be done (object) - is used as a direct object noun.

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Some Special Cases

The Verb - olmak - to be, become

It can be deduced that the present participle of the verb - olmak - is - olan - meaning - which..., is being... or if used in its Pronominal Form means - That... Who... Which... What is...

This is used with the Infinitive in the Locative Case to form a Present Continuous Participle:

Some Examples

1. Yüzmekte olanlar - those who are presently swimming...
2. Denizde yüzmekte olanları tanırım
3. I know those who are presently swimming in the sea

1. Kalmakta olanlardan - from those who are presently staying..
2. Hırsızlar, otelde kalmakta olanlardan para çaldılar
3. The thieves stole money from those who are staying at the hotel

1. Beklemekte olana - to he who is waiting and still is waiting...
2. Bu koliyi, beklemekte olana verin.
3. Give this parcel to the man (he who is) waiting

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Use of - olan - with adjectives

Another use of - olan - is with normal adjectives to describe people and events as the following examples show.

In these cases - olan - can sometimes be translated as - being.., as a..

1. Satılık olan bir ev arıyorum
2. I am looking for a house which is for sale
3. Lit: For sale being a house look for-I

1. Çok pahalı olan bir fotoğraf makinesini aldım
2. I have bought a camera which was very expensive.
3. Lit: Very dear being a camera bought-I

1. Babası kasap olan bir arkadaşım var
2. I have got a friend whose father is a butcher.
3. Lit: Father-his butcher being a friend-mine there-is

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Use of olan to mean - the one that..

An explanation of - olan - the which one

olanı - One [the one that..] - [lit: that which is..] as an item
olanları - Ones [the ones that..] - [lit: those which are..] as items

1. Hangi tişörtü istiyorsunuz? - Which tee-shirt do you want?
2. Mavi olanı(nı) lütfen - The blue one, please

1. Hangi ayakkabıları istiyorsunuz? - Which shoes do you want?
2. Siyah olanları(nı) lütfen. - The black ones, please.

Note that (-ni) as an accusative direct object ending is gramatically correct in the answers as the the verb - istemek - to want - is understood. But as with all languages sometimes the easy way is used and the direct object suffix is discarded though constant daily conversational usage.

Thanks to Nurcan Akaltun Çiftçi for addition of the above section - JG - June 2008.

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Another Special Case bulunmak

The Verb - bulunmak - to be found, to be

This verb - to be found - is the Passive Form of bulmak - to find. It is used very much as in English - one might say to a friend you are meeting later on:

When you get to to the hotel tonight, I'll be found in the bar - I'll be in the bar

Or you might say in a strange place something like:
Are there any of today's newspapers to be found at all?

This construction is used (is to be found [sic.]) - a lot in Turkish and is often translated more easily by the verb - to be

Let's see how this is used

1. Bankada çalışan elemanlar iyi değil
2. The staff working at the bank are no good

1. Bankada çalışmakta bulunan elemanlar çok iyidir
2. The staff who are presently working in the bank are very good

It has been pointed out that the example above is a little awkward - but I leave it in as it shows the usage of - bulunmak. The following relative sentence sounds better however.

1. Bankada çalışan elemanlar çok iyidir.
2. The staff who are working at the bank are really good.

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Use of - bulunan - with adjectives

Similarly another use of - bulunan - is with normal adjectives to describe people and events as the following examples show.

In these cases - bulunan - can sometimes be translated as - having a.., containing a..

Some Examples

1. İçinde beş kitap bulunan kutuyu getirin.
2. Bring along the box containing the five books
3. Lit: Inside five books-the found-which-are-to-be (containing) bring along.

1. Bahçemizde bulunan güzel çiçekleri sana göstereyim.
2. Let me show you the beautiful flowers (which are) in our garden
3. Lit: Garden-ours-in found-which-are-to-be beautiful flowers you-to show-let-me

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The Past Tense Subject Participles

There are two types of Past Participle in Turkish

The first type is formed by suffixing -miş to the verb stem and is used when the participle is subject of the sentence.

The second type is formed by the addition of -dik to the basic verb stem which is used as an Objective Participle for both the Present and Past Tenses

The Object participle is discussed elsewhere.

The Subject Participle in -miş is discussed below. This Past Subject Participle is used when the action is definitely completed.

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The -miş Subject Past Participle

It should be noted that the -miş suffix does not take on a dubative or reportative sense when used as a participle.

As with the present Continuous Participle the relation is completed by using the relative participle - olan - that... who... which... is..

Examples of Indicative and Passive Verbs

1. vermiş olan - given , which is given
2. vermemiş olan - not given , which has not given

1. verilmiş olan - given, which has been given
2. verilmemiş olan - given, which has not been given

1. boyamış olan - painted, which is painted
2. boyanmış olan - painted, that has been painted

1. seçmiş olan - chosen, which is chosen
2. seçilmiş olan - chosen , that has been chosen

Some Further Examples

1. Seçilmiş olan şapkayı beğenirim
2. I like the hat that has been chosen

1. Seçmiş olanı beğenirim
2. I like the one who has chosen - (Thanks to Nilda for correction - Feb 2006)

1. Henüz gelmiş olan adamı tanırım
2. I know the man who has just come

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Official and Public Statements

The -miş Past Participle is also used with suffix -dir to make an official statement.

1. Türkiye'de yapılmıştır
2. Made in Turkey
3. Lit: Turkey-in made-which-has-been-is

1. Paslanmaz çelikten yapılmıştır
2. Made from stainless steel
3. Lit: Stainless steel-from made-which-has-been-is

1. İzmir' de üretilmiştir
2. Produced in Izmir
3. Lit: Izmir-in produced-which-has-been-is