Turkish: A Comprehensive Grammar

Turkish: A comprehensive grammar 400
26.1.1 CLAUSES FORMED WITH diye
Diye is itself the -(y)A converbial form (26.3.8) of the verb de- ‘say’. In its function as a
subordinator it marks both noun clauses (24.3.1) and adverbial clauses. It always stands
at the end of its clause:
(3) [Çocukları getir-ir-ler diye] porselen eşyayı ortadan kaldırmıştı.
bring-AOR-3PL SUB
‘[Thinking they would bring the children], she had put the china pieces away.’
Adverbial clauses with diye are used in relatively informal registers to express reason,
purpose, precaution, or understanding, as explained in the following sections. The sense
of ‘saying’ (or, more usually, ‘thinking’, cf. 24.2.1 (iii)) is detectable in all of them,
which gives them a subjective tone not found in their non-finite counterparts.
26.1.1.1 Reason
The kind of reason expressed by a diye clause is one which exists in the perception of the
subject of the main verb.
(4) [Kalabalık olacağız diye] bir ekmek daha almıştım.
(i) ‘[As there were going to be a lot of us], I had bought another loaf.’
(ii) ‘[Thinking there were going to be a lot of us], I had bought another loaf.’
As indicated by the second translation above, the speaker may be aware that this
perception is or was incorrect. This element of meaning differentiates reason clauses
expressed with diye from those expressed by non-finite means (26.3.14). A form such as
olacağımız için could not be substituted for olacağız diye in (4) if interpretation (ii) was
intended.
26.1.1.2 Purpose
In this meaning the verb in the subordinate clause is always in the optative form (8.2.3.3):
(5) [Kışın üşü-me-ye-lim diye] kalorifer yaptırdık.
‘We’ve had central heating installed [so that we shan’t be cold in winter].’
26.1.1.3 Precaution
In this meaning (equivalent to English ‘in case…’) the verb in the subordinate clause
takes the form of an open conditional (27.2.1.1), i.e. aorist + -(y)sA:
(6) [Bir daha görüş-e-mez-se-k diye] anahtarları sana şimdiden
see.each.other-PSB-NEG.AOR-COND.COP-1PLSUB veriyorum.
‘[In case we don’t have the chance to see each other again], I’m giving you the
keys now.’