what is it?
Reported speech in Turkish covers two related strategies: repeating someone's words as a direct quote, and embedding what they said as an integrated (indirect) clause. For direct quotes, the particle diye links the quoted words to a reporting verb such as sormak (to ask) or cevap vermek (to answer); the everyday verb demek (to say/quote) can follow a direct quote without diye. For integrated clauses, the quoted content becomes a subordinate noun clause using suffixes such as -DIğInI or -(y)AcAğInI, and reported commands use -mAsInI with verbs like istemek or söylemek.
when to use it
Direct quote + diye + reporting verb — use this when you repeat someone's exact words and the reporting verb is anything other than demek. Diye is required between the quoted clause and the verb.
Direct quote + dedi — demek is the standard everyday verb for quoting speech. It follows the quoted words directly; diye is optional with demek but not required.
Integrated clause + söyledi / dedi — use this when you summarise what was said rather than quoting word for word. The verb inside the clause takes -DIğInI (past/present meaning) or -(y)AcAğInI (future meaning), and person shifts to match the reporter's perspective.
Reported command — use -mAsInI (verb noun + possessive + accusative) with istemek or söylemek to report that someone told or asked another person to do something.
söylemek does not take a direct quotation. Use it only with integrated clauses (-DIğInI söyledi / -mAsInI söyledi). For direct quotes, use demek or diye + another reporting verb.
formation
Pattern 1 — direct quote with diye
| slot | example | gloss |
|---|---|---|
| quoted clause (in quotation marks) | "Yarın gelir misin?" | Will you come tomorrow? |
| diye | diye | (particle linking quote to verb) |
| reporting verb (past) | sordu | he/she asked |
Pattern 2 — direct quote with demek (dedi)
| slot | example | gloss |
|---|---|---|
| quoted clause (in quotation marks) | "Çok yorgunum" | I am very tired |
| dedi | dedi | she/he said (de- + past -di + 3sg) |
Pattern 3 — integrated clause (indirect speech)
| verb stem | suffix | integrated form | meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| gel- | -eceğini | geleceğini | that he/she will come |
| gel- | -diğini | geldiğini | that he/she came / comes |
| git- | -eceğini | gideceğini | that he/she will go |
| git- | -tiğini | gittiğini | that he/she went / goes |
The suffix -DIğI is a verbal noun. It takes a possessive suffix to agree with the subject of the embedded clause, then the accusative -nI because it is the object of the reporting verb. For a third-person subject: gel-diğ-i-ni → geldiğini.
Pattern 4 — reported command
| verb stem | suffix breakdown | full form | meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| gel- | gel + me + m + i | gelmemi | for me to come (1sg object) |
| gel- | gel + me + si + ni | gelmesini | for him/her to come (3sg object) |
| git- | git + me + m + i | gitmemi | for me to go (1sg object) |
| git- | git + me + si + ni | gitmesini | for him/her to go (3sg object) |
This form follows istemek (to want/ask) or söylemek (to tell). Example: Gelmemi istedi — He/she wanted me to come.
examples in context
common pitfalls
Omitting diye before the reporting verb
When the reporting verb is not demek, diye is required. Without it the sentence is ungrammatical.
✗ "Yarın gelir misin" sordu. → ✓ "Yarın gelir misin?" diye sordu.
Not shifting person or tense in integrated speech
In an integrated clause the verb must carry the appropriate suffix (-DIğInI or -(y)AcAğInI) and the possessive must match the embedded subject. Copying the original speaker's words unchanged produces an error.
✗ Geleceğim söyledi. → ✓ Geleceğini söyledi.
Using söylemek with a direct quotation
Söylemek cannot take a direct quotation as its object. Use demek or diye + another verb for direct quotes.
✗ "Çok yorgunum" söyledi. → ✓ "Çok yorgunum" dedi.
Forgetting the accusative on the reported command
The verb noun + possessive must also take the accusative suffix -i / -ı / -u / -ü because it is the direct object of istemek or söylemek. Dropping it is a very common error.
✗ Gelmem istedi. → ✓ Gelmemi istedi. (gel-me-m-i)
Three sentences, graded here. Nothing is saved and no account is needed.
Ahmet, "Bugün futbol oynayalım!" ___ bağırdı.
Fill in the blank with the correct word to complete the reported speech.