Causative and passive together (bitirildi, durduruldu)
Causative and passive can be combined, always in this order: stem – causative – passive: bitirildi (was finished), durduruldu (was stopped). Many English transitive verbs are causatives in Turkish.
| Stem | + causative | + passive | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| bit- (to end) | bitir- (to finish) | bitirildi | was finished |
| öl- (to die) | öldür- (to kill) | öldürüldü | was killed |
| piş- (to cook, intr.) | pişir- (to cook) | pişirilir | is cooked |
| dur- (to stop, intr.) | durdur- (to stop sth) | durduruldu | was stopped |
| yap- (to make) | yaptır- (to have made) | yaptırıldı | was commissioned |
What should you know?
- The order is fixed: causative – passive – negation – tense: *yap-tır-ıl-ma-dı* (was not commissioned).
- Many verbs come in pairs: *bitmek* (to end) / *bitirmek* (to finish something), *durmak* / *durdurmak*, *artmak* / *artırmak*.
- English often uses one verb for both (“the meeting ended / we ended the meeting”); Turkish needs the causative for the one with an object.
- Very common in the news: *Yol trafiğe kapatıldı* (The road was closed to traffic).
Examples
- Toplantı erken bitirildi.The meeting was finished early.
- Toplantı saat beşte bitti.The meeting ended at five o'clock.
- Yol trafiğe kapatıldı.The road was closed to traffic.
- Ev yeniden boyatıldı.The house was repainted.
- Maç yağmur yüzünden durduruldu.The match was stopped because of the rain.
Common mistakes
- ✗ Toplantıyı erken bittik.✓ Toplantıyı erken bitirdik.English “we finished the meeting” and “the meeting finished” use one verb; with an object Turkish needs the causative bitirmek.
- ✗ Proje bitildi.✓ Proje bitirildi.Bitmek (to end) has no passive; “was finished” is the passive of the causative bitirmek.
- ✗ Rapor yazıldırıldı.✓ Rapor yazdırıldı.The causative comes before the passive: yaz-dır-ıl-dı.
- ✗ Şirket fiyatları arttı.✓ Şirket fiyatları artırdı.English “raised prices” has an object; artmak only means “to rise”, so use the causative artırmak.
- ✗ Toplantı bitirmedildi.✓ Toplantı bitirilmedi.The negation comes after the passive: bitir-il-me-di.