Causative Voice in Turkish

Overview

The causative voice, known as ettirgen çatı in Turkish, allows you to express the idea of making, having, or letting someone do something. Instead of saying "I washed the car," you can say "I had the car washed" — indicating that you caused the action to happen without necessarily performing it yourself. This is achieved through causative suffixes added to the verb stem.

At the B1 level, understanding the causative is crucial because it is deeply embedded in everyday Turkish. Actions like having your hair cut, getting your house cleaned, making a child sleep, or having a document prepared are all expressed with causative constructions. Many common Turkish verbs are actually causative forms that have become standard vocabulary.

What makes the Turkish causative particularly interesting is that the suffix choice depends on the verb's phonological shape, and causative suffixes can even be stacked to create double causatives — where you cause someone to cause someone else to do something. This agglutinative power is a hallmark of Turkish grammar.

How It Works

Causative Suffix Selection

The choice of causative suffix depends on the number of syllables and the final sound of the verb stem:

Verb Type	Suffix	Example	Causative
Most polysyllabic stems ending in consonant	-t	öğren- (learn)	öğretmek (teach)
Most monosyllabic stems ending in consonant	-dir/-dır/-dur/-dür	gel- (come)	geldirmek (make come)
Stems ending in vowel	-t	ye- (eat)	yedirmek*
Some irregular monosyllabic	-ir/-ır/-ur/-ür	iç- (drink)	içirmek (make drink)
Some stems ending in -r, -l, -n	-t	öl- (die)	öldürmek (kill)

*Note: Some vowel-ending stems use -dir/-t with slight variations.

Common Causative Pairs

Base Verb	Meaning	Causative	Meaning
yemek	to eat	yedirmek	to feed
içmek	to drink	içirmek	to make drink
uyumak	to sleep	uyutmak	to put to sleep
ölmek	to die	öldürmek	to kill
gülmek	to laugh	güldürmek	to make laugh
ağlamak	to cry	ağlatmak	to make cry
korkmak	to be afraid	korkutmak	to frighten
düşmek	to fall	düşürmek	to drop/make fall
öğrenmek	to learn	öğretmek	to teach
bitirmek	to finish	bitmek	to end
görmek	to see	göstermek	to show
gelmek	to come	getirmek	to bring
gitmek	to go	götürmek	to take (away)
pişmek	to cook (intrans.)	pişirmek	to cook (trans.)

Having Someone Do Something

The most common everyday use is expressing "having" a service performed:

Turkish	Literal	Natural English
Saçımı kestirdim.	I had my hair cut-caused.	I got a haircut.
Arabayı yıkattım.	I had the car wash-caused.	I had the car washed.
Evi temizlettim.	I had the house clean-caused.	I had the house cleaned.
Elbiseyi dikdirdim.	I had the dress sew-caused.	I had the dress made.

Double Causative

Turkish can stack causative suffixes to add another layer of causation:

Base	1st Causative	2nd Causative	Meaning
yapmak (do)	yaptırmak (have done)	yaptırtmak (have someone have it done)	To arrange for someone to arrange for something
okumak (read)	okutmak (make read/teach)	okutturmak (have someone teach)	To arrange for teaching

Conjugation Example (yaptırmak)

The causative verb conjugates like any regular verb:

Tense	Example	Translation
Past	Yaptırdım.	I had it done.
Present continuous	Yaptırıyorum.	I'm having it done.
Future	Yaptıracağım.	I'll have it done.
Aorist	Yaptırırım.	I (generally) have it done.

Examples in Context

Turkish	English	Note
Arabayı yıkattım.	I had the car washed.	Service causative
Çocuğu uyuttum.	I put the child to sleep.	Direct causation
Evi temizlettim.	I had the house cleaned.	Service causative
Beni güldürdü.	He made me laugh.	Emotional causation
Saçını boyattı.	She had her hair dyed.	Service
Çocuklara yemek yedirdim.	I fed the children.	Feeding = making eat
Bize ev yaptırdı.	He had a house built for us.	Construction
Onu ağlattın.	You made her cry.	Emotional causation
Fotoğraf çektirdik.	We had photos taken.	Service
Doktor ilacı içirdi.	The doctor made (him) take the medicine.	Medical context
Öğretmen kitap okuttu.	The teacher had (them) read a book.	Educational context
Kapıyı tamir ettirdim.	I had the door repaired.	Repair service

Common Mistakes

Using the Wrong Causative Suffix

• Wrong: Öğrendirmek
• Right: Öğretmek
• Why: The causative of öğrenmek is öğretmek (to teach), not *öğrendirmek. Many causatives are irregular or use unexpected suffix variants. These must be learned as vocabulary.

Forgetting Common Lexicalized Causatives

• Wrong: Geldirmek for "to bring"
• Right: Getirmek
• Why: Some causatives have become so standard that they are dictionary entries with their own meanings. Getirmek (to bring = to make come) and götürmek (to take = to make go) are everyday words, not felt as causatives.

Confusing Causative and Passive

• Wrong: Saçım kesildi when you mean "I got a haircut"
• Right: Saçımı kestirdim
• Why: Saçım kesildi (my hair was cut) is passive and focuses on the hair. Saçımı kestirdim (I had my hair cut) is causative and focuses on your agency in arranging the action.

Overcomplicating with Double Causatives

• Wrong: Using double causatives in simple contexts
• Right: Use single causatives for everyday service situations
• Why: Double causatives (yaptırtmak) exist but are relatively rare. For most situations, a single causative (yaptırmak) is sufficient and more natural.

Usage Notes

Many Turkish words that appear in basic vocabulary are actually lexicalized causatives. Getirmek (to bring) is the causative of gelmek (to come). Göstermek (to show) derives from görmek (to see). Recognizing these relationships helps you understand word formation and expand your vocabulary.

The causative with service verbs is extremely practical for daily life in Turkey. Knowing how to say saçımı kestirmek (to have a haircut), arabayı tamir ettirmek (to have the car repaired), and elbise diktirmek (to have clothes made) will serve you in countless real-world situations.

In formal or business Turkish, causative constructions appear frequently in descriptions of delegated tasks: Raporu hazırlattım (I had the report prepared), Toplantıyı organize ettirdim (I had the meeting organized).

The distinction between direct causation ("I made the child sleep" — physical action) and indirect causation ("I had the house cleaned" — hiring someone) is not always explicit in Turkish. Context determines the interpretation.

Practice Tips

• Learn the most common causative pairs as vocabulary items. Start with: yemek/yedirmek, içmek/içirmek, uyumak/uyutmak, gülmek/güldürmek, ağlamak/ağlatmak, ölmek/öldürmek.
• Practice describing services you use regularly: getting a haircut, having clothes cleaned, having food delivered. These are high-frequency causative situations.
• When you encounter a new verb, try to figure out its causative form. This builds your understanding of the suffix selection rules, even though many forms are irregular and must be memorized.

Related Concepts

• Prerequisite: Passive Voice — understanding voice changes on verbs is essential background
• Next steps: Combined Voice Suffixes — stacking passive, causative, and reflexive suffixes