{"id":1143,"date":"2026-08-19T10:30:00","date_gmt":"2026-08-19T10:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/turkishfluent.com\/blog\/?p=1143"},"modified":"2026-08-19T13:13:50","modified_gmt":"2026-08-19T13:13:50","slug":"turkish-passive-causative-verbs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/turkishfluent.com\/blog\/turkish-passive-causative-verbs\/","title":{"rendered":"Passive and Causative Verbs in Turkish: A Complete Guide"},"content":{"rendered":"

One Turkish verb root can become three different sentences. Take a\u00e7-<\/em> (to open). On its own, Ali kap\u0131y\u0131 a\u00e7t\u0131<\/em> means “Ali opened the door.” Add one passive suffix, and Kap\u0131 a\u00e7\u0131ld\u0131<\/em> means “The door was opened.” Swap in a causative suffix, and Kap\u0131y\u0131 a\u00e7t\u0131rd\u0131m<\/em> means “I had the door opened.” That single root, reshaped by a suffix, changes who acts and who receives the action.<\/p>\n\n

In this article, you will learn how to form the Turkish passive voice with the suffixes -il, -in, and -n, how to build the causative with -dir, -t, -ir, and -er, and how to tell the two apart when they share the same root. You will also see conjugation tables across the main tenses, the impersonal passive, and the common mistakes learners make. Haydi ba\u015flayal\u0131m!<\/em><\/p>\n\n

Here is a quick overview before the details:<\/p>\n\n

Voice<\/th>Suffix<\/th>Meaning<\/th>Example<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
Passive (edilgen \u00e7at\u0131<\/em>)<\/td>-il \/ -in \/ -n<\/td>The action happens to the subject<\/td>Kap\u0131 a\u00e7\u0131ld\u0131.<\/em> (The door was opened.)<\/td><\/tr>
Causative (ettirgen \u00e7at\u0131<\/em>)<\/td>-dir \/ -t \/ -ir \/ -er<\/td>You make or have someone do the action<\/td>Kap\u0131y\u0131 a\u00e7t\u0131rd\u0131m.<\/em> (I had the door opened.)<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n
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Table of Contents<\/p>\n<\/span><\/div>\n