Ali okula gittiğini söyledi.
English: Ali said that he went to school.
- Language
- Turkish
- Level
- B1
- Unit
- Bağlaçlar ve Cümle Yapıları
- Practice types
- 0
What this grammar point covers
Indirect speech (dolaylı anlatım) in Turkish is used to report what someone else said, thought, or asked, without quoting their exact words.
When to use it
Use indirect speech in Turkish when you want to tell what someone else said or thought, but not with their exact words. It is common in stories, news, and conversations.
Key forms
- Verb stem + -diğini/-diğini/-diğini/-diğini + söyledi/düşündü/sordu, etc.
- For questions: Verb stem + -ip/-madığını + sordu
Examples
Ayşe yağmur yağacağını düşündü.
English: Ayşe thought that it would rain.
Öğretmen, ödevini yapıp yapmadığını sordu.
English: The teacher asked if you did your homework.
Murat, yarın geleceğini söyledi.
English: Murat said that he will come tomorrow.
Tips
- Pay attention to the verb endings (-diğini, -eceğini, etc.) as they change depending on tense and person.
- The subject can change in indirect speech; make sure to use the correct possessive suffix.
- Do not use direct quotation marks in indirect speech.
Exceptions and edge cases
- For some verbs like 'istemek' (to want), the structure may change (e.g., gelmek istediğini söyledi).