The passive voice (edilgen çatı) puts the focus on what happens rather than on who does it: Kapı açıldı. (The door was opened.) Turkish uses it far more than English, especially in news reports, official notices, recipes, instructions and signs. It also has an impersonal passive for verbs with no object (Buradan nasıl gidilir? — How does one get there from here?), which English has to translate with “one”, “you” or “people”. This guide covers the three passive suffixes, how to add the agent, the main uses and the typical errors.
Forming the passive
The passive suffix comes right after the verb stem (and after any causative), before negation and tense. Which form you use depends on the last sound of the stem:
| Stem ends in | Suffix | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| a vowel | -n | ara- → aranmak (to be searched/called), bekle- → beklenmek (to be expected), oku- → okunmak (to be read), temizle- → temizlenmek (to be cleaned) |
| l | -ın / -in / -un / -ün | bul- → bulunmak (to be found), al- → alınmak (to be taken), bil- → bilinmek (to be known), sil- → silinmek (to be deleted) |
| any other consonant | -ıl / -il / -ul / -ül | yap- → yapılmak (to be done), yaz- → yazılmak (to be written), sev- → sevilmek (to be loved), gör- → görülmek (to be seen), aç- → açılmak (to be opened) |
The -In and -Il forms follow 4-way vowel harmony.
Special cases
- etmek → edilmek: the t softens before the vowel. This is the most frequent passive of all, because so many compound verbs use etmek: iptal edildi (was cancelled), kabul edildi (was accepted), tamir edildi (was repaired).
- demek → denmek (or denilmek) and yemek → yenmek (or yenilmek). Note that yenilmek also means “to be defeated”.
- Monosyllabic vowel stems use -n: de- → den-, ye- → yen-.
Conjugation
Once formed, the passive stem behaves like any other verb, in every tense:
| Tense | yapılmak | English |
|---|---|---|
| present continuous | yapılıyor | is being done |
| past | yapıldı | was done |
| reported past | yapılmış | has (apparently) been done |
| future | yapılacak | will be done |
| aorist | yapılır | is (generally) done |
| necessitative | yapılmalı | must be done |
| ability | yapılabilir | can be done |
| negative past | yapılmadı | was not done |
The suffix order is stem + causative + passive + negative + tense + person: yap-tır-ıl-ma-dı → yaptırılmadı (it wasn’t had done). See the causative for the first part of that chain, and paste long forms into the suffix deconstructor to split them.
Adding the agent: “by …”
Most Turkish passive sentences leave the agent out. When you need it, there are two options:
- tarafından after a noun: Bu roman ünlü bir yazar tarafından yazıldı. (This novel was written by a famous author.) With pronouns, use the genitive and a possessive: benim tarafımdan (by me), senin tarafından (by you), onun tarafından (by him/her), bizim tarafımızdan (by us).
- -ca / -ce (formal, mainly institutions): Proje belediyece onaylandı. (The project was approved by the municipality.)
If the agent is important, Turkish speakers usually prefer an active sentence instead: Bu romanı ünlü bir yazar yazdı.
The object becomes the subject
In an active sentence the object is often in the accusative. In the passive it becomes the subject, so it loses that ending:
- Active: Ali kapıyı açtı. (Ali opened the door.)
- Passive: Kapı açıldı. (The door was opened.) — ❌ Kapıyı açıldı.
Uses of the passive
News and official language
Turkish news is full of passives: Yeni metro hattı hizmete açıldı. (The new metro line was opened to the public.) Uçuşlar iptal edildi. (Flights were cancelled.) Maç yağmur nedeniyle ertelendi. (The match was postponed because of rain.)
The impersonal passive (intransitive verbs)
Verbs without an object can also be made passive. The result has no subject and means “one does / people do”:
- Buradan istasyona nasıl gidilir? — How do you get to the station from here?
- Türkiye’de sağdan gidilir. — In Türkiye, people drive on the right.
- Kütüphanede yüksek sesle konuşulmaz. — One doesn’t speak loudly in a library.
Rules, signs and instructions (aorist passive)
The aorist passive states general rules and procedures. Negative forms are typical on signs:
- Girilmez — No entry
- Çimlere basılmaz — Keep off the grass
- Fotoğraf çekilmez — No photography
- Bu kelime nasıl yazılır? — How is this word spelled?
Recipes
Recipes are written in the aorist passive: Soğanlar doğranır ve yağda kavrulur. Domatesler eklenir, on dakika pişirilir. (The onions are chopped and fried in oil. The tomatoes are added and cooked for ten minutes.)
Passive or reflexive?
The suffixes -n and -In are also used for reflexive verbs, so some forms have two readings: yıkanmak = “to be washed” or “to wash oneself”; giyinmek is only “to get dressed”. Context, or the presence of tarafından, settles it. Reflexive and reciprocal forms are explained in reciprocal and reflexive verbs.
Example sentences
- Kapı açıldı. — The door was opened.
- Bu kitap birçok dile çevrildi. — This book has been translated into many languages.
- Toplantı yarına ertelendi. — The meeting has been postponed until tomorrow.
- Cüzdanım bulundu mu? — Has my wallet been found?
- Ev her hafta temizlenir. — The house is cleaned every week.
- Bu köprü 1973’te yapıldı. — This bridge was built in 1973.
- Buraya park edilmez. — Parking is not allowed here.
- Türkçede bu harf nasıl okunur? — How is this letter pronounced in Turkish?
- Sonuçlar gelecek hafta açıklanacak. — The results will be announced next week.
- Siparişiniz kargoya verildi. — Your order has been shipped.
- Bu sorun hemen çözülmeli. — This problem must be solved immediately.
- Resim ünlü bir ressam tarafından yapılmış. — The painting was apparently made by a famous painter.
- Başvurunuz kabul edildi. — Your application has been accepted.
- Bayramda büyüklerin eli öpülür. — At bayram, the hands of older relatives are kissed.
- Bu müzeye pazartesi girilmez. — The museum can’t be entered on Mondays.
- Dosya yanlışlıkla silindi. — The file was deleted by mistake.
Common mistakes
- Using -ın/-in after a vowel: ❌ arayınmak, temizleinmek / ✅ aranmak, temizlenmek.
- Using -ıl after l: ❌ bulılmak / ✅ bulunmak.
- Keeping the accusative: ❌ Kitabı okundu / ✅ Kitap okundu.
- Forgetting t → d in etmek: ❌ iptal etildi / ✅ iptal edildi.
- Overusing tarafından: Yemek annem tarafından yapıldı is grammatical but stiff; Yemeği annem yaptı is the natural choice.
- Wrong harmony: ❌ görilmek / ✅ görülmek.
Mini-exercise
Make the passive stem, then put it in the past tense (3rd person).
- satmak → ?
- beklemek → ?
- bilmek → ?
- açmak → ?
- kabul etmek → ?
- okumak → ?
- görmek → ?
- almak → ?
Answers: 1. satıl- → satıldı 2. beklen- → beklendi 3. bilin- → bilindi 4. açıl- → açıldı 5. kabul edil- → kabul edildi 6. okun- → okundu 7. görül- → görüldü 8. alın- → alındı
Practice this
Read a few Turkish headlines and underline every -ıl-, -ın- and -n- form, then check them in the suffix deconstructor. Next, compare the passive with the causative.
