Ali sabahları yıkanır.
English: Ali washes himself in the mornings.
- Language
- Turkish
- Level
- B1
- Unit
- Çatı ve Fiil Yapıları
- Practice types
- 0
What this grammar point covers
Reflexive voice (dönüşlü çatılar) in Turkish shows that the subject of the sentence does the action to itself. It is often formed with the suffix -l or -n before the reflexive verb ending -mek/-mak.
When to use it
Use the reflexive voice in Turkish when the subject and object are the same, meaning the person does the action to themselves. It is common with actions like washing, dressing, or looking at oneself.
Key forms
- Verb stem + -n/-l + -(i)r (present tense)
- Verb stem + -ndi/-ldi (past tense)
- Example: yıkanmak, giyinmek, taranmak
Examples
Ben her gün giyinirim.
English: I get dressed every day.
Çocuk aynada kendine bakıyor.
English: The child is looking at himself in the mirror.
Saçlarımı taranıyorum.
English: I am combing my hair (myself).
Tips
- Not all verbs can be made reflexive; only some verbs accept the reflexive form.
- Do not confuse reflexive verbs with passive or causative forms in Turkish.
- Remember to use the correct reflexive suffix (-n or -l) depending on the verb.
Exceptions and edge cases
- Some verbs change meaning when used reflexively, so always check the context.
- A few reflexive verbs have irregular forms.