Grammar
Conjunctions (Bağlaçlar)
Conjunctions (bağlaçlar) are words that connect words, phrases, clauses, or sentences. They are essential for creating coherent and complex expressions.
Coordinating Conjunctions (Eşgüdümlü Bağlaçlar):
These connect elements of equal grammatical rank.
- ve (and): The most common conjunction for joining.
Example: elma ve armut (apple and pear), Geldi ve oturdu. (He came and sat down.) - ile (and): Similar to 've', but can also mean 'with'. Often suffixed as -(y)le/-(y)la. More common for joining nouns.
Example: anne ile baba / anneyle baba (mother and father) - ama / fakat / lakin (but, however): Introduce a contrast or opposition.
Example: Çalıştım ama başaramadım. (I studied, but I couldn't succeed.) - veya / ya da / yahut (or): Present alternatives.
Example: Çay veya kahve ister misin? (Do you want tea or coffee?) - hem ... hem (de) ... (both ... and ...):
Example: Hem güzel hem de akıllı. (She is both beautiful and smart.) - ne ... ne (de) ... (neither ... nor ...): Used with a positive verb form to express a double negative.
Example: Ne geldi ne de aradı. (He neither came nor called.) - çünkü / zira (because): Introduce a reason or cause.
Example: Gelemedim çünkü hastaydım. (I couldn't come because I was sick.) - yani (that is, in other words, so): Clarifies or rephrases.
Example: Vakit yok, yani acele etmeliyiz. (There's no time, so we must hurry.)
Subordinating Conjunctions (Bağımlı Bağlaçlar):
These connect a dependent clause to an independent (main) clause. Many subordinating relationships in Turkish are also handled by verbal nouns, participles, and gerunds.
- ki (that, which, who): A very versatile particle, often introduces subordinate clauses, relative clauses, or reported speech.
Example: Biliyorum ki haklısın. (I know that you are right.)
Example: Öyle bir kitap ki herkes okumalı. (It's such a book that everyone should read.) - eğer / şayet (if): Often optional when the conditional mood (-se/-sa) is used on the verb.
Example: Eğer istersen, gelebilirim. (If you want, I can come.) - madem(ki) (since, seeing that, now that):
Example: Mademki geldin, içeri gir. (Since you've come, come inside.)
This is not an exhaustive list, but covers many commonly used conjunctions.
Practice Zone
1. Which conjunction means 'and'?