Separate forms: idi, imiş, ise (güzel idi, Ali ise)
In older texts, poems and formal style the auxiliary forms are written separately: idi (was), imiş (is said to have been), ise (if; as for): Hava güzel idi instead of *güzeldi*. ise in particular has its own meaning.
| Separate (formal) | Joined (everyday) | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| güzel idi | güzeldi | was nice |
| hasta imiş | hastaymış | is said to be / have been ill |
| gelir ise | gelirse | if he comes |
| Ali ise | Aliyse | as for Ali, whereas Ali |
| gelmekte idi | gelmekteydi | was coming |
What should you know?
- Written separately, idi, imiş, ise never follow vowel harmony; joined, they adapt: *güzeldi*, *soğuktu*.
- ise after a noun sets up a contrast: *Ben çay içtim, Ali ise kahve* (I had tea, whereas Ali had coffee).
- In texts ise also means “as for”: *Sonuç ise beklenmedik oldu.*
- In everyday writing the joined form is normal; the separate one sounds literary or emphatic.
Examples
- O zamanlar çok genç idim.I was very young back then.
- Kış soğuk geçti, yaz ise çok sıcak.The winter was cold, whereas the summer was very hot.
- Sonuç ise herkesi şaşırttı.The result, however, surprised everyone.
- Eskiden burada bir çarşı var imiş.There is said to have been a bazaar here in the past.
- Vakit ise hızla geçmekte idi.Time, however, was passing quickly.
Common mistakes
- ✗ O çok mutlu idı.✓ O çok mutlu idi.Written separately, idi never follows vowel harmony and stays idi.
- ✗ Annem çay içti, babamise kahve.✓ Annem çay içti, babam ise kahve.Ise is written separately (babam ise) or joined with -y- after a vowel (Aliyse).
- ✗ Ali için, o kahve içti. (= as for Ali)✓ Ali ise kahve içti. (= as for Ali)English “as for Ali” is not Ali için (for Ali); the contrastive “as for” is ise.
- ✗ Yağmur yağmakda idi.✓ Yağmur yağmakta idi.After the voiceless k, the d of -mekte becomes t: yağmakta.
- ✗ Ev büyüktü idi.✓ Ev büyük idi.Idi is either separate or joined (büyüktü), never both at once.