Turkish: A Comprehensive Grammar

Tense, aspect and modality 285
21.2.1 PAST TENSE
The markers of past tense in Turkish are the verbal suffixes -DI and -mIş and the copular
marker -(y)DI (with its relatively uncommon alternant idi).
(i) -DI and -mIş:
These suffixes express both past tense and perfective aspect (21.3), that is to say they
express past events that are viewed as a completed whole.
(4) Ev-i sat-tı-nız mı?
house-ACC sell-PF-2PL INT
‘Did/Have you sold the house?’
(5) Kerem’in babası ona biraz para ver-miş.
give-EV/PF
‘Apparently Kerem’s father gave/has given him some money.’
For the use of -DI and -mIş to express the completion of entry into a state, and thus the
existence of that state of affairs at the moment of speech, see 21.3.3.
(ii) -(y)DI:
The past copula expresses past tense and imperfective aspect (21.3), that is to say it
presents a situation as it was at some time in the past. This can be a state of affairs, as in
the nominal sentences (6) and (7), or it can be an event which was ongoing (8) or
anticipated (9) at the time referred to.
(6) Bodrum-da-ydı-k.
-LOC-P.COP-1PL
‘We were in Bodrum.’
(7) Evde hiç para yok-tu.
non-existent-P.COP
‘There was absolutely no money in the house.’
(8) Ayten bir bankada çalış-ıyor-du.
work-IMPF-P.COP
‘Ayten was working in a bank.’
(9) Yeni bir öğretmenimiz ol-acak-tı.
be-FUT-P.COP
‘We were going to have a new teacher.’
The suffixes -DI and -mIş and the copular marker -(y)DI differ not only in terms of aspect
but also in terms of their precise tense values. Except for contexts in which it is not a
tense marker at all but a marker of counter-factual modality (21.4.1.3, 27.2.3), the past
copula -(y)DI expresses past tense in absolute terms; that is, it locates a situation in a time
prior to the moment of speech. -mIş, by contrast, is a marker of relative past tense. When
followed by -(y)DI or by the auxiliary verb ol-, it can refer to a time that is prior to any
reference point established by the context:
(10) [Dön-düğ-üm-de] herkes yat-mış-tı.
return-CV-1SG.POSS-LOC everyone go.to.bed-PF-P.COP
‘[When I came back] everyone had gone to bed.’