Turkish grammar: fiilimsiler

What this grammar point covers

Fiilimsiler are verb-derived words in Turkish that act like nouns, adjectives, or adverbs. They are not full verbs, but they help make sentences more complex and interesting.

When to use it

Use fiilimsiler in Turkish when you want to talk about actions as things (like 'reading'), describe nouns with actions (like 'the person who reads'), or explain how or when something happens (like 'while reading' or 'after reading').

Key forms

• -mek/-mak (verbal noun): okumak, yazmak
• -en/-an (participle): okuyan, yazan
• -erek/-arak (adverbial participle): okuyarak, yazarak
• -ince/-ınca/-unca/-ünce (adverbial participle): okuyunca, yazınca

Examples

Tips

• Fiilimsiler never show tense or person, so do not add personal endings.
• Pay attention to the correct suffix for each type of fiilimsi.
• Practice recognizing fiilimsiler to improve your reading and writing.

Exceptions and edge cases

• Some verbs have irregular stems before adding fiilimsi suffixes.
• Not all verbs can take every fiilimsi suffix naturally.