Direct Speech Turkish

in Grammar

The Direct Speech in Turkish

Direct speech is a way of reporting someone’s exact words. In Turkish, the quoted sentence is placed inside quotation marks (” “) and remains unchanged. It is typically followed by verbs that indicate speaking, asking, thinking, or reacting. We explain how to form the direct speech in Turkish bellow.

Common Verbs Used in Direct Speech

When using direct speech (doğrudan anlatım) in Turkish, certain verbs are frequently used to introduce the quoted words. Below is a list of common reporting verbs:

Turkish VerbMeaning in English
dedihe/she said
diye bağırdıhe/she shouted
diye kızdıhe/she got angry and said
diye düşündühe/she thought
diye sorduhe/she asked
diye ekledihe/she added
diye mırıldandıhe/she murmured
diye haykırdıhe/she exclaimed
diye belirttihe/she stated
diye fısıldadıhe/she whispered

“Diye” in Turkish

“Diye” is a versatile word in Turkish that plays a key role in direct speech. It is often used to introduce the quoted speech and connects it to the reporting verb. In direct speech, “diye” helps indicate how the quoted sentence is related to the main sentence.

Usage of “Diye” in Direct Speech:

  1. With Verbs of Speech:
    • It links the spoken words to verbs like “dedi” (said), “sordu” (asked), or “bağırdı” (shouted).
    • Example: Ali, “Hava çok sıcak” dedi. (Ali said, “The weather is very hot.”)
  2. With Verbs of Thought:
    • It can also introduce thoughts, often with verbs like “düşündü” (thought) or “hayal etti” (imagined).
    • Example: Ayşe, “Bu sınav çok zor olacak” diye düşündü. (Ayşe thought, “This exam will be very difficult.”)
  3. With Commands and Requests:
    • “Diye” is used with imperative sentences to indicate commands or requests.
    • Example: Öğretmen, “Sessiz olun” diye uyardı. (The teacher warned, “Be quiet.”)
  4. With Exclamations:
    • It appears with emotional expressions like exclamations.
    • Example: Ali, “Çok güzel bir gün!” diye haykırdı. (Ali exclaimed, “What a beautiful day!”)

Structure of Direct Speech in Turkish

The basic structure of a sentence using direct speech is:

[Person] + [quoted speech] + [reporting verb]

In Turkish, the quoted words remain exactly as they were spoken, and quotation marks are used to separate them from the rest of the sentence.

Example:

  • Belediye Başkanı “Hukuk işleyecek” dedi. (“The law will prevail” the Mayor said.)

Examples of Direct Speech

Here are some example sentences demonstrating direct speech in Turkish:

Statements in Direct Speech

Turkish SentenceEnglish Translation
Dedem, “Eskiden her şey daha ucuzdu” dedi.Grandpa said, “Everything was cheaper back in the day.”
Ahmet, “Bu film çok güzeldi” diye düşündü.Ahmet thought, “This movie was really good.”
Öğretmen, “Dersin sonunda soru sorabilirsiniz” diye ekledi.The teacher added, “You can ask questions at the end of the lesson.”

Commands in Direct Speech

Turkish SentenceEnglish Translation
Patron, “Bu projeyi yarına kadar bitirin” diye bağırdı.The boss shouted, “Finish this project by tomorrow!”
Annem, “Odanı hemen toparla” dedi.My mother said, “Clean up your room immediately.”
Polis, “Kimliğinizi gösterin” diye emretti.The police officer ordered, “Show your ID.”

Questions in Direct Speech

Turkish SentenceEnglish Translation
Merve, “Yarın hep beraber Boğaz’da kahvaltı yapalım mı?” diye sordu.Merve asked, “Shall we have breakfast together by the Bosphorus tomorrow?”
Öğrenci, “Bu kelimenin anlamı nedir?” diye sordu.The student asked, “What does this word mean?”
Adam, “Saat kaç?” diye sordu.The man asked, “What time is it?”

Examples of Direct Speech from News Articles

“Muharrem Bey’in CHP’ye gelmek gibi bir niyeti olduğunu herkes biliyor. Ancak CHP’nin genel merkez yönetiminin bu konudaki tavrını bilmiyorum. Fakat Muharrem Bey’in böyle bir isteği, ‘baba ocağına dönüş’ gibi bir arzusu olduğunu biliyorum” açıklamasını yaptı. (Aposto, Özel, CHP’nin yeni yol haritasını açıkladı, 28 Ocak 2025)

Sern Ling de BBC’ye yaptığı açıklamada bunun “tüm yapay zeka tedarik zinciri için yatırım durumunu potansiyel olarak rayından çıkarabileceğini” söyledi. (Aposto, DeepSeek: Çin, ABD ambargosu ve yasaklara rağmen nasıl ‘ucuza’ yapay zeka üretti?, 27 Ocak 2025)

TÜİK’in yani Türkiye İstatistik Kurumunun enflasyon verilerini açıkladığı gün, bir TV kanalında haber spikeri, “TÜİĞ’in açıkladığı…” diye cümleye başlamıştı. (Aposto, Kısaltmalar: Kısalta kısalta açılımı neydi unuttuk, 26 Ocak 2025)

Key Points to Remember

  • The quoted speech is always enclosed in quotation marks (” “).
  • The verb that introduces the speech typically follows the quoted words.
  • The quoted sentence does not change its structure or tense.
  • Verbs introducing speech often include “dedi,” “diye sordu,” “diye ekledi,” etc.

Now that you know direct speech, discover how to use “should” and “must” (-malı/meli) in Turkish.

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