Advanced Converbs in Turkish

Overview

Building on the basic converbs (-ip, -erek, -ince, -meden) you learned at A2, the advanced converbs at B2 level add nuanced temporal, proportional, and manner relationships between actions. These suffixes — -dikçe/-dıkça (the more/as), -eli/-alı (since), -esiye/-asıya (to the point of), and -cesine/-casına (as if) — allow you to express sophisticated ideas about how actions relate to each other in time, degree, and manner.

These converbs appear frequently in literature, formal writing, and expressive speech. They are what allow Turkish speakers to create vivid, layered descriptions of how events unfold in relation to each other. While the basic converbs handle sequence and method, the advanced converbs handle proportion, duration, intensity, and comparison.

Mastering these constructions will significantly elevate your Turkish and allow you to express ideas that are difficult to convey with simpler structures. They are also essential for understanding Turkish literature, journalism, and academic writing.

How It Works

-dikçe/-dıkça (The More... / As...)

This converb expresses proportional change — as one action progresses, another changes accordingly. It can also mean "as long as" or "whenever."

Formation: Verb stem + -dikçe/-dıkça/-dukça/-dükçe (four-way vowel harmony)

Turkish	English	Meaning
Çalıştıkça başarılı olursun.	The more you work, the more successful you'll be.	Proportional
Okudukça anlıyorum.	The more I read, the more I understand.	Proportional
Yaşlandıkça bilgelik gelir.	As one ages, wisdom comes.	Temporal/proportional
Baktıkça güzelleşiyor.	The more you look, the more beautiful it gets.	Progressive
Düşündükçe kafam karışıyor.	The more I think, the more confused I get.	Proportional

-eli/-alı (Since Doing)

This converb marks the starting point of a duration — "since" or "ever since" an action happened.

Formation: Verb stem + -eli/-alı (two-way vowel harmony) + optional beri for emphasis

Turkish	English
Geleli iki yıl oldu.	It's been two years since I came.
Tanışalı beş yıl oldu.	It's been five years since we met.
Evleneli mutlu.	He's been happy since getting married.
Başlayalı çok şey değişti.	A lot has changed since it started.
Geleli beri görmedim.	I haven't seen (him) since he came.

Note: -eli/-alı can also be combined with beri (since) for extra emphasis: geleli beri.

-esiye/-asıya (To the Point of / Until)

This converb expresses an extreme degree of intensity — doing something "to the point of" or "until" reaching a limit. It is expressive and somewhat literary.

Formation: Verb stem + -esiye/-asıya (two-way vowel harmony)

Turkish	English	Note
Ölesiye çalıştı.	He worked himself to death. (figurative)	Extreme intensity
Bayılasıya seviyorum.	I love it to the point of fainting.	Extreme affection
Kırasıya vurdu.	He hit (so hard) as if to break.	Violent intensity
Dönesiye koştu.	He ran until he could spin/collapse.	Physical limit
Çıldırasıya özledim.	I missed (you) to the point of going crazy.	Extreme emotion

-cesine/-casına (As If Doing)

This converb describes manner by comparison — doing something "as if" performing another action. It creates vivid, metaphorical descriptions.

Formation: Verb stem + -cesine/-casına (two-way vowel harmony)

Turkish	English
Uçarcasına koştu.	He ran as if flying.
Öldüresine baktı.	He looked (at him) as if to kill.
Anlarmışcasına başını salladı.	He nodded as if he understood.
Bilircesine konuştu.	He spoke as if he knew.
Duymazlıktan gelircesine yürüdü.	He walked as if pretending not to hear.

Note: -cesine/-casına can also attach to nouns and adjectives: delicesine (crazily, as if crazy), kahramancasına (heroically, as if a hero).

Summary Table

Converb	Meaning	Example	Translation
-dikçe	the more / as	Çalıştıkça	The more you work
-eli	since doing	Geleli	Since coming
-esiye	to the point of	Ölesiye	To the point of dying
-cesine	as if doing	Uçarcasına	As if flying

Examples in Context

Turkish	English	Note
Çalıştıkça başarılı olursun.	The more you work, the more successful you'll be.	Proportional
Geleli iki yıl oldu.	It's been two years since I came.	Duration
Ölesiye çalıştı.	He worked himself to death.	Extreme intensity
Uçarcasına koştu.	He ran as if flying.	Manner comparison
Okudukça daha çok merak ediyorum.	The more I read, the more curious I get.	Proportional
Tanışalı her gün konuşuyoruz.	We've been talking every day since we met.	Duration
Bayılasıya güzel bir yer.	A place beautiful to the point of fainting.	Extreme praise
Bilircesine konuşma.	Don't speak as if you know.	Manner + imperative
Yaşlandıkça sabrım artıyor.	As I age, my patience increases.	Life observation
İstanbul'a taşınalı yeni arkadaşlar edindim.	I've made new friends since moving to Istanbul.	Duration
Çıldırasıya seviyorum seni.	I love you to the point of going crazy.	Romantic expression
Anlarmışcasına dinledi.	He listened as if he understood.	Ironic manner

Common Mistakes

Confusing -dikçe with -ince

• Wrong: Çalışınca başarılı olursun. for "the more you work..."
• Right: Çalıştıkça başarılı olursun.
• Why: -ince means "when/upon" (a single point in time), while -dikçe means "the more/as" (continuous proportional relationship). They express fundamentally different temporal relationships.

Using -eli for General "Since" with Dates

• Wrong: 2020'den eli or 2020 geleli
• Right: 2020'den beri or Geleli iki yıl oldu
• Why: -eli attaches to verbs, not dates. For "since 2020," use 2020'den beri. -eli requires a verb: Geleli (since coming), not a date directly.

Overusing -esiye in Casual Speech

• Wrong: Using ölesiye in everyday small talk
• Right: Reserve -esiye for emphasis, stories, or emotional expression
• Why: The -esiye converb is inherently dramatic and expressive. Using it for mundane situations sounds exaggerated. It is most natural in emotional, literary, or emphatic contexts.

Forgetting Vowel Harmony on -dikçe

• Wrong: Okudukce
• Right: Okudukça
• Why: The -dikçe converb follows four-way vowel harmony. After the vowel "u" in okuduk-, the suffix must be -ça (with the back vowel "a"), giving okudukça.

Usage Notes

-dikçe is extremely common in proverbs and wisdom sayings: Yaşadıkça öğrenirsin ("You learn as long as you live" / "The more you live, the more you learn"). It is also very natural in everyday speech for expressing gradual change.

-eli/-alı is conversational and frequently used: Buraya geleli ("Since coming here") is something you might say any day. Combined with time expressions, it is a natural way to mark durations.

-esiye and -cesine are more literary and expressive. They appear frequently in Turkish pop songs, poetry, and novels. Delicesine sevdim ("I loved madly/as if crazy") is a classic romantic expression. Learning these forms through music and literature is both effective and enjoyable.

The -cesine form can also attach to past participles: anlarmışcasına (as if having understood), görmüşcesine (as if having seen). These create nuanced, layered descriptions that are characteristic of polished Turkish.

Practice Tips

• Practice -dikçe with personal observations about learning Turkish: Türkçe çalıştıkça daha çok seviyorum ("The more I study Turkish, the more I love it"). This pattern is perfect for expressing your learning journey.
• Use -eli to talk about life changes: "Since starting this job..." "Since moving to this city..." These are natural, high-frequency uses.
• Explore -esiye and -cesine through Turkish music. Search for songs containing delicesine, ölesiye, or çıldırasıya — they are abundant in Turkish pop and will make these forms memorable.

Related Concepts

• Prerequisite: Basic Converbs — the foundational converb suffixes (-ip, -erek, -ince, -meden) must be mastered first