Ayşe yarın geleceğini söyledi.
English: Ayşe said that she will come tomorrow.
- Language
- Turkish
- Level
- B2
- Unit
- Dolaylı anlatım ve yapılar
- Practice types
- 0
What this grammar point covers
Dolaylı anlatım in Turkish is a way to report what someone else said, thought, or felt, without quoting them directly. It is similar to indirect speech.
When to use it
Use dolaylı anlatım when you want to report someone's words, thoughts, or questions without quoting them exactly. It is common in stories, news, and conversations.
Key forms
- Verb stem + -diğini/-diğini/-diğini/-diğini (according to vowel harmony) + söyledi/düşündü/sordu, etc.
- Example: Ali gelmek istediğini söyledi.
Examples
Öğretmen sınavın zor olacağını açıkladı.
English: The teacher explained that the exam will be difficult.
Babam eve geç döneceğini belirtti.
English: My father stated that he would come home late.
Ali bu kitabı okuduğunu söyledi.
English: Ali said that he had read this book.
Tips
- Remember to change the verb to the correct -diğini form based on the subject and vowel harmony.
- The verb after -diğini is usually in the past tense (söyledi, dedi, düşündü, etc.).
- Do not use direct speech punctuation (like quotation marks) in dolaylı anlatım.
Exceptions and edge cases
- If the reported action is negative, use -mediğini/-madığını forms.
- With some verbs like 'istemek', use the infinitive form (gelmek istediğini).
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