what is it?
Turkish has two verbal suffixes that attach directly to a verb stem to express time relationships between two events. -mAdAn (önce) means "before doing something", and -DIktAn sonra means "after doing something". These are called temporal converbs: they turn a verb into an adverbial phrase without making it a full finite clause. The subject of the converb phrase is expressed as a bare noun or pronoun — no extra case marking is added to it.
when to use it
Sequencing two actions (before): Use -mAdAn önce when the main-clause action must happen before the converb action. The converb phrase comes first in the sentence.
Sequencing two actions (after): Use -DIktAn sonra when the main-clause action happens after the converb action is completed.
Dropping önce: The postposition önce is optional. -mAdAn alone already carries the "before" meaning in everyday speech. sonra after -DIktAn is not optional — it is always present.
Different subjects: The converb phrase and the main clause can have different subjects. The converb's subject is simply placed before the converb phrase as a bare noun or pronoun.
formation
Both suffixes attach to the bare verb stem (the same base you use for the imperative). Vowel harmony applies throughout: the capital letters A and I represent the four-way and two-way vowel harmony alternations respectively, and D represents the consonant that surfaces as d or t depending on the final sound of the stem.
-mAdAn (önce) — stem + -madan / -meden (+ optional önce)
| stem | output form | meaning |
|---|---|---|
| git- | gitmeden (önce) | before going |
| ye- | yemeden (önce) | before eating |
| gel- | gelmeden (önce) | before coming |
| uyu- | uyumadan (önce) | before sleeping |
-DIktAn sonra — stem + -dikten / -dıktan / -duktan / -dükten (or -tikten / -tıktan / -tuktan / -tükten after voiceless final consonants) + sonra
| stem | output form | meaning |
|---|---|---|
| ye- | yedikten sonra | after eating |
| git- | gittikten sonra | after going |
| gel- | geldikten sonra | after coming |
| dön- | döndükten sonra | after returning |
| uyu- | uyuduktan sonra | after sleeping |
Neither suffix takes person or possessive endings. The form is invariable regardless of who performs the action: sen gittikten sonra, o gittikten sonra, biz gittikten sonra — the verb form never changes.
examples in context
common pitfalls
Using a noun construction instead of the verbal converb. Turkish does have a nominal pattern noun + -DAn önce/sonra (e.g. dersten sonra — after the lesson), but when the reference is to an action you must use the verbal suffix. Incorrect: gitmek önce — Correct: gitmeden önce.
Confusing -mAdAn ("without doing") with -mAdAn önce ("before doing"). The suffix -mAdAn has two uses. Without önce it can mean "without doing" in some contexts: yemeden gitme (don't go without eating). When the meaning is clearly temporal — especially before an imperative — it reads as "before": uyumadan dişlerini fırçala (brush your teeth before sleeping). Adding önce removes any ambiguity.
Adding person or possessive endings to -DIktAn sonra. Learners sometimes try to mark the converb's subject on the verb: Incorrect: gittiğinden sonra — Correct: gittikten sonra. The converb form never agrees with its subject.
Treating önce as obligatory after -mAdAn. önce is optional and is frequently dropped in everyday speech. Uyumadan and uyumadan önce are both correct and mean the same thing in a temporal context. By contrast, sonra after -DIktAn is always required.
Three sentences, graded here. Nothing is saved and no account is needed.
Şov ___ herkes alkışlamaya başladı. (bitmek)
Fill in the blank with the correct temporal converb form of the verb in parentheses.