B1 Sentence Structure 1 min read Medio

Passive Sentence Construction

Marcar como aprendido
Practícalo

Grammar Rule in 30 Seconds

Turkish passives shift focus from the 'doer' to the 'action' using specific suffixes like -il, -in, or -n.

  • Add -il/-ıl/-ül/-ul to verbs ending in consonants (except 'l'): Yap-ıl-dı (It was done).
  • Add -in/-ın/-ün/-un to verbs ending in 'l': Sil-in-di (It was erased).
  • Add -n to verbs ending in a vowel: Oku-n-du (It was read).
Verb Root + (il/in/n) + Tense + Person 📥

Meanings

The passive voice is used when the person performing the action is unknown, unimportant, or intentionally hidden. The object of the active sentence becomes the subject of the passive sentence.

1

Standard Passive

Focusing on the result of an action on an object.

“Cam kırıldı.”

“Yemekler hazırlandı.”

2

Impersonal Passive

Used with intransitive verbs to express general rules or situations where there is no logical object.

“Burada sigara içilmez.”

“Bu yoldan gidilir.”

Passive Suffix Selection

Verb Ending Suffix Example Root Passive Form English
Consonant (not L) -il / -ıl / -ül / -ul Kır- Kır-ıl-dı It was broken
Ends in L -in / -ın / -ün / -un Bul- Bul-un-du It was found
Ends in Vowel -n Oku- Oku-n-du It was read
Negative -ma / -me Yap- Yap-ıl-ma-dı It wasn't done

Reference Table

Reference table for Passive Sentence Construction
Form Structure Example
Affirmative Root + Passive + Tense Yazıldı (It was written)
Negative Root + Passive + Negative + Tense Yazılmadı (It wasn't written)
Question Root + Passive + Tense + Question Yazıldı mı? (Was it written?)
Negative Question Root + Passive + Neg + Tense + Q Yazılmadı mı? (Wasn't it written?)
With Agent Subject + tarafından + Verb-Passive Ali tarafından yapıldı (Done by Ali)
Impersonal Intransitive Root + Passive Gidilir (One goes / It is gone)

Espectro de formalidad

Formal
Proje tamamlanmıştır.

Proje tamamlanmıştır. (Workplace)

Neutral
Proje tamamlandı.

Proje tamamlandı. (Workplace)

Informal
Proje bitti.

Proje bitti. (Workplace)

Jerga
Proje paket oldu.

Proje paket oldu. (Workplace)

Passive Voice Suffixes

Passive

Normal Consonants

  • -il Standard

Ends in L

  • -in Special Case

Ends in Vowel

  • -n Simple

Active vs Passive

Active
Ali kapıyı açtı Ali opened the door
Passive
Kapı açıldı The door was opened

Choosing the Suffix

1

Ends in vowel?

YES
Use -n
NO
Check consonant
2

Ends in 'L'?

YES
Use -in
NO
Use -il

Common Passive Verbs

🏠

Daily Life

  • • Yıkandı
  • • Temizlendi
  • • Pişirildi
💼

Business

  • • İmzalandı
  • • Gönderildi
  • • İncelendi
Regístrate gratis para leer la explicación completa

Ejemplos por nivel

1

Kapı kapandı.

The door closed.

2

Süt içildi.

The milk was drunk.

1

Bu ev satıldı.

This house was sold.

2

Ödevler bitti.

The homework is finished.

1

Yeni bir karar alındı.

A new decision was made.

2

Toplantı iptal edildi.

The meeting was cancelled.

1

Yasa meclis tarafından onaylandı.

The law was approved by the parliament.

2

Hırsız polisçe yakalandı.

The thief was caught by the police.

1

Bu gölde yüzülmez.

One does not swim in this lake.

2

Oraya nasıl gidilir?

How does one go there?

1

Söz konusu veriler titizlikle incelendi.

The data in question were meticulously examined.

2

Gereğinin yapılacağı bildirildi.

It was reported that what is necessary will be done.

Fácil de confundir

Passive Sentence Construction vs Reflexive Voice (-n)

Both use the -n suffix. Learners can't tell if someone did it to themselves or if it was done to them.

Passive Sentence Construction vs Causative Voice (-dir)

Learners confuse 'making someone do something' with 'something being done'.

Passive Sentence Construction vs Active vs Passive in 'to be' sentences

Turkish doesn't use 'olmak' for passives like English uses 'to be'.

Errores comunes

✗

Kapı açtı.

✓

Kapı açıldı.

A1 learners often use the active form when they mean the passive.
✗

Mektup yazdı.

✓

Mektup yazıldı.

Confusing 'The letter wrote' with 'The letter was written'.
✗

Bil-il-di.

✓

Bil-in-di.

Using -il for a verb ending in 'L'.
✗

Ali ile yapıldı.

✓

Ali tarafından yapıldı.

Using 'ile' (with) instead of 'tarafından' (by) for the agent.
✗

Yemek ye-il-di.

✓

Yemek ye-n-di.

Forgetting the -n rule for vowel-ending verbs.
✗

Burada sigara içmez.

✓

Burada sigara içilmez.

Failing to use the impersonal passive for general prohibitions.

Patrones de oraciones

___ (Object) + ___ (Suffix) + dı/di.

Burada ___ (Verb) + il/in + mez.

___ (Agent) + tarafından + ___ (Verb) + ıldı.

Real World Usage

News Headlines constant

Enflasyon rakamları açıklandı.

Cooking Recipes very common

Soğanlar ince ince doğranır.

Warning Signs common

Girilmez.

Texting occasional

Mesajın alındı.

Regístrate gratis para ver todos los ejemplos
💡

The 'L' Rule

If the verb ends in 'L', don't use '-il'. Use '-in'. It's easier to say 'bilindi' than 'bilildi'.
⚠️

Don't over-passive

In daily conversation, Turks prefer active sentences. Use passives mainly for formal writing or when the actor is truly unknown.
🎯

Impersonal Passives

Use the passive of 'gitmek' (gidilir) to ask for general directions. It sounds very natural and native.

Smart Tips

Switch your 'I think' (bence) sentences to passive constructions like 'it is thought that' (düşünülmektedir).

Bence bu doğru değil. → Bunun doğru olmadığı düşünülmektedir.

Immediately prepare to use the '-in' suffix instead of '-il'.

Gel-il-di (Wrong) → Gel-in-di (Correct)

Use the passive voice to make it a general rule rather than a direct order.

Buraya park etme! (Don't park here!) → Buraya park edilmez. (No parking here.)

Pronunciación

ya-PIL-dı vs. YA-pıl-ma-dı

Suffix Stress

The stress usually falls on the syllable just before the passive suffix in negative forms, but on the suffix itself in affirmative forms.

Statement

Mektup yazıldı. ↘

Falling intonation at the end of a passive statement.

Memorízalo

Mnemotecnia

If it ends in L, use N. If it ends in a vowel, use N. Otherwise, use IL.

Asociación visual

Imagine a curtain falling over the person doing the action, leaving only the object visible on stage.

Rhyme

Vowel ends with N, L ends with IN, the rest take IL to begin!

Story

A chef (the subject) disappears from a kitchen. Suddenly, the 'soup is cooked' (çorba pişirildi) and the 'table is set' (masa kuruldu) by invisible hands.

Word Web

EdilgenTarafındanYapıldıEdildiAlındıVerildi

Desafío

Look around your room and describe 5 things using the passive voice (e.g., 'The light is turned on', 'The book is opened').

Notas culturales

Passive voice is the 'language of the state'. Official documents almost never use 'I' or 'We'; everything 'is done' or 'has been decided'.

Using the passive voice can be more polite as it avoids direct confrontation. Instead of saying 'You broke this', one says 'This was broken'.

The passive suffixes -il and -in date back to Old Turkic (Orkhon Inscriptions).

Inicios de conversación

“

Dün akşam neler yapıldı?

“

Sence bu sorun nasıl çözülür?

“

Şehrinde en çok hangi yemekler sevilir?

Temas para diario

Describe a typical day at an office without mentioning any people.
Write a news report about a fictional event.
Explain the rules of your favorite game.
Sign up free to see all tips

Test Yourself

Choose the correct passive form of 'yapmak' (to do). Opción múltiple

Ödevler dün ___.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: yapıldı
'Yap-' ends in a consonant (not L), so it takes '-ıl'.
Fill in the blank with the correct passive suffix for 'silmek' (to erase).

Tahta ___ (sil + passive + dı).

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: silindi
Verbs ending in 'L' take the '-in' suffix.
Correct the mistake in the sentence. Error Correction

Find and fix the mistake:

Mektup Ali ile yazıldı.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Mektup Ali tarafından yazıldı.
The agent in a passive sentence is introduced with 'tarafından'.
Match the active verb to its passive counterpart. Match Pairs

Match each item on the left with its pair on the right:

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: 1-Okundu, 2-Alındı, 3-Bulundu
Oku (vowel) -> -n, Al (L) -> -ın, Bul (L) -> -un.

Score: /4

Ejercicios de practica

4 exercises
Choose the correct passive form of 'yapmak' (to do). Opción múltiple

Ödevler dün ___.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: yapıldı
'Yap-' ends in a consonant (not L), so it takes '-ıl'.
Fill in the blank with the correct passive suffix for 'silmek' (to erase).

Tahta ___ (sil + passive + dı).

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: silindi
Verbs ending in 'L' take the '-in' suffix.
Correct the mistake in the sentence. Error Correction

Find and fix the mistake:

Mektup Ali ile yazıldı.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Mektup Ali tarafından yazıldı.
The agent in a passive sentence is introduced with 'tarafından'.
Match the active verb to its passive counterpart. Match Pairs

1. Oku- , 2. Al- , 3. Bul-

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: 1-Okundu, 2-Alındı, 3-Bulundu
Oku (vowel) -> -n, Al (L) -> -ın, Bul (L) -> -un.

Score: /4

Preguntas frecuentes (6)

Use `-in` if the verb ends in 'L' or a vowel (just `-n`). Use `-il` for all other consonants.

Yes! `Gidilir` means 'one goes' or 'it is possible to go'. This is an impersonal passive.

No, it's usually omitted. Only use it if you specifically need to mention who did the action.

`Kırıldı` is a known past event; `kırılmış` implies you just saw the broken pieces and are inferring it happened.

Because 'al-' ends in 'L', and Turkish phonology prefers the `-in` suffix to avoid double 'L' sounds.

Yes. `Yapılacak` means 'it will be done'. The passive suffix always stays attached to the root.

Scaffolded Practice

1

1

2

2

3

3

4

4

Mastery Progress

Needs Practice

Improving

Strong

Mastered

Regístrate gratis para practicar

In Other Languages

Spanish moderate

Se + verb / Ser + participio

Turkish uses suffixes; Spanish uses auxiliary verbs or particles.

French low

Voix passive (être + participe)

Turkish has no gender/number agreement for verbs.

German low

Passiv mit 'werden'

German uses word order and auxiliaries; Turkish uses morphology.

Japanese high

Reru / Rareru (れる / られる)

Japanese passives often imply the subject is bothered by the action.

Arabic none

Majhul (Internal Vowel Change)

Arabic uses internal inflection; Turkish uses suffixation.

Learning Path

Prerequisites

Connected Grammar

Reflexive Verbs

Similar

They share the -n suffix and can be easily confused.

Causative Verbs

Contrast

Causatives add an agent, while passives remove or de-emphasize one.

Vowel Harmony

Prerequisite

Essential for choosing the correct version of the passive suffix.

Previous
Passive Voice Suffixes (-in/-il)
Next
Agentive Passive (Tarafından)
Was this helpful?

Comentarios (0)

Inicia Sesión para Comentar
¡No hay comentarios todavía. Sé el primero en compartir tus ideas!