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CourseGrammarDictionaryVocabulary
  1. Home
  2. ›Grammar
  3. ›A1
  4. ›Geçmiş zaman (görülen)
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Geçmiş zaman (görülen)

Witnessed/definite past tense (di-past): -dı/-di/-du/-dü and -tı/-ti/-tu/-tü

Learning Goal

Can describe past events that were personally witnessed or experienced

Exam Skills:KonuşmaYazma

Look at these examples. Can you spot the grammar pattern?

Dün sinemaya gittim.

I went to the cinema yesterday.

Kahvaltıda yumurta yedim, çay içtim.

I ate eggs and drank tea for breakfast.

Seni dün görmedim, neredeydin?

I didn't see you yesterday, where were you?

Pay attention to the highlighted parts. What do they have in common?

Görülen geçmiş zaman (di-geçmiş) bizzat görülen veya kesin bilinen geçmiş olayları anlatır.

Yapılışı: Fiil kökü + -dı/-di/-du/-dü (veya sert ünsüzden sonra -tı/-ti/-tu/-tü) + kişi eki

Kişigelmekyazmakgörmek
bengeldimyazdımgördüm
sengeldinyazdıngördün
ogeldiyazdıgördü
bizgeldikyazdıkgördük
sizgeldinizyazdınızgördünüz
onlargeldileryazdılargördüler

Sert ünsüzden sonra: git → gitti (d→t), iç → içti, konuş → konuştu.

Olumsuz: Kök + -ma/-me + -dı: gelmedim, yazmadım.

Apply this grammar in A1 course exercises

Practice Exercises
Learners mix up -di (witnessed) with -miş (reported/hearsay). Also forget consonant hardening: git-ti not *git-di. 🇬🇧 English speakers: English has one past tense. The witnessed/reported distinction is totally new — no English equivalent.

Common Error Patterns

Used -di after hard consonant instead of -ti

After p,ç,t,k,f,h,s,ş → use -tı/-ti/-tu/-tü

Used -di (witnessed) when -miş (reported) was needed or vice versa

-di = I saw/experienced it; -miş = I heard about it / I just noticed

Dün sinemaya gittim.

I went to the cinema yesterday.

gittim: hard t → -ti suffix. Di-past = I personally experienced this.

Kahvaltıda yumurta yedim, çay içtim.

I ate eggs and drank tea for breakfast.

yedim (soft → -di); içtim (hard ç → -ti).

Seni dün görmedim, neredeydin?

I didn't see you yesterday, where were you?

görmedim: negation -me- before tense -di-.

Practice in course

Apply this grammar in A1 course exercises

A1 Course
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Put it into practice

Try a free exercise from the course

Frequently asked questions

When is Geçmiş zaman (görülen) used?
Görülen geçmiş zaman (di-geçmiş) bizzat görülen veya kesin bilinen geçmiş olayları anlatır.
How is Geçmiş zaman (görülen) formed?
Yapılışı: Fiil kökü + -dı/-di/-du/-dü (veya sert ünsüzden sonra -tı/-ti/-tu/-tü ) + kişi eki Sert ünsüzden sonra: git → git ti (d→t), iç → iç ti , konuş → konuş tu .
What are common mistakes with Geçmiş zaman (görülen)?
Learners mix up -di (witnessed) with -miş (reported/hearsay). Also forget consonant hardening: git-ti not *git-di. 🇬🇧 English speakers: English has one past tense. The witnessed/reported distinction is totally new — no English equivalent. 🇷🇺 Russian speakers: Russian has no evidentiality markers. The concept requires thinking about HOW you know something happened. 🇨🇿 Czech speakers: Czech has no evidentiality. Must learn that -di means 'I saw it happen' vs -miş means 'I heard about it'. 🇩🇪 German speakers: German has Perfekt/Präteritum but no evidentiality distinction.

Related grammar topics

  • Geniş zaman
  • Şimdiki zaman
  • Geçmiş zaman (duyulan)
  • Gelecek zaman
  • İstek kipi
  • Emir kipi
  • Olumsuzluk
  • -mak/-mek istemek