The Gerunds in Turkish

in Grammar |

The Gerunds in Turkish

Mastering gerunds in Turkish allows you to express simultaneous actions, methods, or gradual processes with clarity and ease. In this article, we’ll explore Turkish gerunds, their formations, uses, and provide plenty of examples to help you understand them better.

There are three main ways to form gerunds in Turkish:

1. Gerund: -ken (While / When)

The gerund “-ken” expresses simultaneous actions or states, equivalent to “while” or “when” in English. It can attach to nouns, adjectives, and verbs.

With Nouns and Adjectives:

  • If the noun/adjective ends with a consonant, directly add -ken.
  • If the noun/adjective ends with a vowel, add the buffer -y- before -ken to ease pronunciation.
TurkishEnglish
Üniversite öğrencisiyken İstanbul’da yaşamak çok keyifliydi.Living in Istanbul was very enjoyable when I was a university student.
Ben çocukken bayram sabahı teyzemlere giderdik.When I was a child, we used to go to my aunt’s house on the morning of Bayram.
Peru’dayken surf yapmayı öğrendim.When I was in Peru, I learned how to surf.
Sahildeyken güneş kremi sürmeyi unutma.Don’t forget to apply sunscreen while on the beach.

With Verbs:

“-ken” attaches to the Simple Present (Geniş Zaman) form of verbs. The present tense marker (-r, -ar, -er, -ır, -ir, -ur, -ür) must precede “-ken.” As “-ken” itself doesn’t indicate tense, the main verb in the sentence determines whether the action happens in the present or past.

TurkishEnglish
Vapurdan manzarayı izlerken kendimi çok huzurlu hissediyorum.I feel very peaceful while watching the view from the ferry.
Spor yaparken kendini aşırı zorlamamaya dikkat etmelisin.You should be careful not to push yourself too hard while exercising.
Televizyon izlerken elektrikler kesildi.The power went out while I was watching TV.
Geçen gün şarap içerken yanlışlıkla bardağı düşürdüm.The other day, while drinking wine, I accidentally dropped the glass.
Türkçe çalışırken uyuyakalmışım.I accidentally fell asleep while studying Turkish.

Special Use: -mişken

“-ken” is normally attached to the aorist form of verbs, but it can also be used with the -miş past participle (-mişken) for a different meaning. It means “since (one has) already done something” or “while (one is) at it.” It emphasizes taking advantage of a situation or doing something while another action has already happened.

  • Market gitmişken bana da bir kilo elma alır mısın? (Since you’re already going to the market, can you buy me one kilo of apples too?)
  • Dışarı çıkmışken biraz yürüyelim. (Since we’re already outside, let’s take a walk.)

2. Gerund: -(y)arak / -(y)erek (By / While)

The gerund “-(y)arak / -(y)erek” describes how an action is performed. It answers the question “how” you do something and it is attached directly to the verb stem:

TurkishEnglish
Yeter artık! Benimle bağırarak konuşma.Enough already! Don’t talk to me by shouting.
Anadolu yakasından Avrupa yakasına yüzerek geçmiş.She passed from the Asian side to the European side by swimming.
Anneni dinlemeyerek büyük hata yapıyorsun.By not listening to your mother, you are making a big mistake.
Şarkı söyleyerek temizlik yapmayı çok seviyorum.I love cleaning while singing.
Çok ders çalışarak üniversite sınavını kazandım.I passed the university entrance exam by studying a lot.

3. Gerund: Verb + (y)a Verb + (y)a (By Doing Continuously)

This gerund form expresses repeated or continuous action leading gradually to a result. It shows that an action gradually reaches a result.

Formation: attach “(y)a/e” directly to the verb stem and repeat the verb.

TurkishEnglish
Türk dizileri izleye izleye Türkçem gelişti.By watching Turkish TV series repeatedly, my Turkish improved.
Her hafta spor yapa yapa kondisyonumu arttırdım.By working out every week, I improved my endurance.
Onu görmeye görmeye unuttum.By not seeing him/her for a long time, I forgot about him/her.
Kebap yiye yiye kilo aldım.By eating kebabs all the time, I gained weight.

Summary Table of Turkish Gerunds

In conclusion, here are the three ways to form gerunds in Turkish:

Gerund FormUsageExample
-kenwhile, when (simultaneous)Çalışırken müzik dinlerim. (I listen to music while working.)
-(y)arak / -(y)erekhow an action is performedGülerek cevap verdi. (She answered by laughing.)
Verb + (y)a Verb + (y)acontinuous or repetitive actionKonuşa konuşa anlaştık. (We understood each other by talking continuously.)

Now that you can use gerunds in Turkish, learn how to say “without” or “before” in Turkish with -meden/-madan.

Sibel is a professional Turkish teacher, born and raised in Turkey. She is responsible for creating the content for TurkishFluent lessons.

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