-mış olmak grammar (to have already done something)

Prerequisites for this Turkish Grammar Lesson

Kendi as a noun
Kendi kendi as a noun
Kendi kendi with verbs

-mış

-abilir
-amaz
-mayabilir

Understanding ‑mış olmak forms

When you see a verb that ends with a -miş ending followed by “olmak” in any tense, it adds to the verb the meaning of having been completed. The technical term for this grammar is the “perfect” form. In English, we usually add this meaning of completion by adding the word “have” or “finish” to the sentence, as in the examples in the table below. There are many types of ‑mış olmak grammar forms, and some of them show up in every day conversation. These forms also common in formal speech and writing. Click on the links in the table below to jump to the section for that form.

Examples of ‑mış olmak forms with yapmak

Yapmak (to do)	Yapmış olmak (to have done)
Yaptı (did)	Yapmış oldu (have done)
Yapacak (will do)	Yapmış olacak (will have done)
Yapar (will do)	Yapmış olur (will have done)
Yapıyor (is doing)	Yapmış oluyor (is finishing doing)
Yapsaydı (if he had done)	Yapmış olsaydı (if they had already done)
Yapacaktı (was going to do)	Yapmış olacaktı (would have done)
Yapardı (would do)	Yapmış olurdu (would have done)
Yapabilir (can do)	Yapmış olabilir (might have done)

Negative ‑mış olmak forms

Since the ‑mış olmak forms contain two verbs, it is possible to place the negative ending ‑ma/me either on the first verb or on the olmak verb. The result is normally about the same either way. However, changing where the negative ending goes can change the emphasis of the sentence. That is, the verb that gets the negative ending is the one that gets emphasized more. You can see how this works in the examples in the table below.

Examples with yapmak

Yapmış olmamak (to not be done)	Yapmamış olmak (to not have done)
Yapmış olmadı (is not done)	Yapmamış oldu (have not done)
Yapmış olmayacak (will not be done)	Yapmamış olacak (will not have done)
Yapmış olmaz (will not be done)	Yapmamış olur (will not have done)
Yapmış olmuyor (is not finishing doing)	Yapmamış oluyor (does not finish)
Yapmış olmayacaktı (would not be done)	Yapmamış olacaktı (would not have done)
Yapmış olmayabilir (might not be done)	Yapmamış olabilir (might not have done)

Infinitive perfect: to have done

Grammar form:

Verb + miş/mış/muş/müş olmak

Since the ‑mak/mek ending is easy to use, this form is probably the easiest of the “-miş olmak” forms. But it does not get used very often. It is mainly used to say that a person wants to have done something.

Examples

miş olmak

I only went in order to say that I had been there [lit. to have gone].

Yurt dışında bir üniversite bitirmiş olmak iş ararken avantaj sağlıyor
Having finished a university [degree] in another country provides a big advantage when looking for a job.
(Excerpt from interview)

Akşama da eşim işten geldiğinde önüne bi kaç çeşit bir şey yapmış olmak istiyorum.
Also, by the time my husband comes home I want to have made a few different things for him.
(Excerpt from forum post)

Hocam nasıl buldunuz? Ben de yakında okuyacağım çünkü filmi izlemeden önce okumuş olmak istiyorum.
How did you find it? I am also going to read it soon because I want to have read the book before watching the movie.
(Reply to forum post)

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Past perfect: have done

Grammar form:

Verb + miş/mış/muş/müş oldu + (personal ending)

This grammar form is used to say that something has been done. This can be confusing because this is very similar to the “-mıştı” ending, which can also mean “has been done.” The difference is that when “-mıştı” is used, the focus is on whether or not something has been done before. The “-mış oldu” ending, on the other hand, is for something that has now happened as a result of something else. You can use this ending in two different ways: describing an unexpected result or showing your disapproval of someone else’s actions.

Usage #1: describing unexpected results

This form is often used to describe the result of something unexpected that just happened. Sentences with this grammar form often have a meaning like, “thanks to [some event], I have now gained [some kind of knowledge or experience].”

Examples

miş oldum

I had never played Mikado before because I did not know about it. Thanks to this workshop, I have now learned it.

news report

Olsun, gezmiş olduk.
Oh well, at least we ended up doing some exploring [lit. we have explored].
(Common expression used after getting lost)

Sevdiğim oğlan benden vatsaptan ona birşey atmamı istedi böylece numaram onda olmuş oldu.
The boy I like asked me to send him something over Whatsapp so now my number has been saved on his phone [lit. has become at him].
(Excerpt from forum post)

Usage #2: condemning someone’s actions

Another usage of the “-miş oldu” grammar form is in situations where someone did an action and the speaker wants to explain something about the nature of that action. While it is possible to use this grammar form to praise someone for their actions, it is more commonly used to condemn someone’s actions. These sentences often appear in the form, “by doing this action, you have done wrong.”

Examples

mış oldun

It has only been a few months since you were elected; you have made a big mistake by increasing the [regulation on the] price of bread.

blog post

Yazık! Neden okulu bıraktın? Çok büyük hata yapmış oldun.
Shame on you! Why did you drop out of school? You have made a big mistake.
(Response to post on a video game forum)

Yoksa hakkaten vergi kaçırdım ve bir suç mu işlemiş oldum?
Or else did I really evade taxes and [by doing so] have I committed a crime?
(Question on forum post)

Slovakya maçında Beşiktaş’tan hiçbir futbolcu görev yapmamış oldu.
In the Slovakia match, not a single Beşiktaş player had done their job.
(Excerpt from news story)

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Future perfect: will have done

Grammar form:

Verb + miş/mış/muş/müş olacak/olacağı + (personal ending)

This grammar form is used to say that something will have been done. It can be used in some of the same contexts as the normal future tense (‑acak/-ecek). Using this form can add the meaning that something will be finished in the future. It is often used to explain that by a certain time, something will have [already] happened.

Examples

miş olacak

The City Hospital will be finished by November 30.

Kayseri’deki imam beklediği 2 diploma ile 7 üniversiteyi bitirmiş olacak.
With [the arrival of] the two diplomas that he is waiting for, an imam in Kayseri will have completed 7 university [degrees].
(Title of local news story)

Gül yağından örneğin 150 milyon dolar para giriyor, eğer bunu kozmetik olarak satarsak milyar dolarlar gelmiş olacak.
For example, $150 million are coming in from [the sale of] rose oil; if we sell this as a cosmetic [product], billions of dollars would be coming in.
(Excerpt from news story)

Allah kısmet ederse, en geç önümüzdeki yaz evlenmiş olacağız.
If God wills, we will be married [lit. will have gotten married] by next summer at the latest.
(Excerpt from news story)

Artık randevulaşıp doğuruyoruz çocuklarımızı. Bir hafta sonra, şu gün şu saatte çocuğum doğmuş olacak!
These days we make reservations for giving birth to our children. One week from now, on this day, at this time, my child will be born!
(Excerpt from post about c-sections)

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Simple present perfect: will have done

Grammar from:

Verb + miş/mış/muş/müş olur + (personal ending)

This grammar form is similar to the -mış olacak grammar form in that it is usually translated into something like “will have done” in English. The difference is that the ‑mış olur form is used when something is not certain to happen. This most often occurs in conditional statements, to say that if X happens, Y will have happened. This is commonly used for two different purposes, similar to the two different usages of the -mış oldu form above, but in the future.

Usage #1: describing potential results

The first usage of the “-miş olur” grammar form is to describe a result that would occur if a certain action is carried out. This form usually occurs when explaining an additional positive side effect of a proposed action besides the main reason given.

Examples

I will talk with Buket and come as her cousin; we will go bowling together. Meanwhile Melis and I will have gotten to know each other. What do you think?

DERİN: Adım Adım Düştüm Bu Aşka!

Bu sabah plaja gideyim. Deniz daha da iyi gelir sinirlerime. Arkadaşları da görmüş olurum.
I should go to the beach this morning. The sea will be good for my nerves. Besides, I would get to see friends.
(Excerpt from book, Karıncayı Tanırsınız)

Fazla uzak sayılmaz, dedi. Hem ilçeyi gezmiş olursun hem tanışmış oluruz.
“It is not that far,” he said. “Not only will you have gotten to explore the district, but we will have also gotten to know each other.”
(Excerpt from book, Sessiz Harfler)

Usage #2: condemning or describing a proposed action

The other primary usage of the “-miş olur” grammar form is for saying that if a certain action is carried out, it would count as a sin, a crime, or fall into some other negative category. As with the similar usage of -mış oldu, this grammar form can be used in the positive or neutral sense, but it is much more commonly used when condemning an action.

Examples

miş olursun

If you do not do anything, you will have helped an abuser!

video

Eğer intihar edersen cinayet işlemiş olursun.
If you commit suicide, you will have committed murder.
(Title of post on religious blog)

“Ya da en iyi arkadaşına pastadan daha büyük bir dilim verince, diğerlerine haksızlık yapmış olur musun?”
“Or when you give a bigger piece of the cake to your best friend, have you done an injustice to the others?”
(excerpt from a philosophical children’s book, Çıtır Çıtır Felsefe)

Hizmetlerimizi kullanarak, buradaki şartları kabul etmiş olursunuz.
By using our services, you agree to the conditions explained here [in this document].
(Excerpt from legal text on a website)

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Continuous present perfect: is finishing doing

Grammar from:

Verb + miş/mış/muş/müş oluyor + (personal ending)

This grammar form can have a few different uses. One usage is for saying that something usually finishes by a certain time. Another meaning is that something currently is being finished. This grammar form can also be used for hypothetical situations, as in the -mış olur form.

Examples

miş oluyor

When everyone is having breakfast, my day has already ended.

Sınav haftanız gelmeden, konuları bitirmiş oluyor musunuz?
Before exam week, are you [usually] finished with [studying the] subjects?
(Online poll question)

Anne olamıyorsa kariyer yapmamış mı oluyor?
If [a woman] can not become a mother, are they not fulfilling a career?
(Excerpt from news story).

Kendine hakim olan kendinin kölesi olmuş olmuyor mu?
Does not the one who judges himself become his own slave?
(Excerpt from an Instagram post)

Konuşmakla egzersiz yapmış olmuyor muyuz?
Does it not count as excercising when we talk? (Lit. “With talking do we not become people who have excercised?”)
(Excerpt from news story)

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Past conditional perfect: if they had already done

Grammar form:

Verb + miş/mış/muş/müş olsaydı + (personal ending)

This grammar form is very similar to the normal ‑saydı/-seydi verb ending in that it is used to mean “if he/she had done.” In fact, in most cases, “-mış olsaydı” is basically interchangeable with “-saydı.” The difference is that “-mış olsaydı” usually carries a connotation of having already done something, with emphasis on the “already.” It can also be used to mean “if you could have done.”

Examples

mış olsaydım

But then I think about it like this: if I had made a different choice, the result still would have been the same.

forum post

Tarihteki bir olaya tanıklık etmiş olsaydınız hangisi olurdu?
If you could have witnessed any event in history, which would it be?
(Question from survey of people on the streets of İzmir)

Başka bir zamanda doğmuş olsaydınız, tarihteki hangi önemli karakter olurdunuz?
If you had been born in another time, what important character in history would you have been?
(Question from Internet quiz)

Çalışırken ameliyat olmuş olsaydınız, iş göremezlik parasını alabilirdiniz.
If you had had surgery while you were still working, you could have gotten worker’s compensation money.
(Excerpt from interview)

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Past future perfect: would have done

Grammar form:

Verb + miş/mış/muş/müş olacaktı + (personal ending)

This grammar form is combined with a past conditional form (either “-saydı” or “-mış olsaydı”) in order to say that if something had happened, a person would have done Y. It gets used in many of the same contexts as “-acaktı” with only a slight difference in meaning.

Examples

muş olacaktım

If I had not done 2 years of prep courses, I would have already graduated at age 20.

Gürkan, bana sormuş olsaydı bu talihsiz açıklamayı yapmış olmayacaktı.
If Gürkan had asked me, he would not have made this unfortunate report.
(Excerpt from news story)

Makine mühendisliğini seçseydi makinelerle uğraşıp duracaktı ve sevdiği mesleği yapmamış olacaktı.
If he had chosen Mechanical Engineering, he would be doing nothing but dealing with machines and he would not have done the job he loves.
(Excerpt from news story)

Beşiktaş, bir şey kaybetmiş değil. Bu maçı kazanmış olsaydı da bir şey elde etmiş olmayacaktı.
It is not like Beşiktaş has lost anything. Even if they had won this match, they would not have gained anything.
(Quote from sports news report)

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Past potential perfect: would have done

Grammar form:

Verb + miş/mış/muş/müş olurdu + (personal ending)

Just like the “-mış olacaktı” form above, this grammar form is combined with a past conditional form (either “-saydı” or “-mış olsaydı”) in order to say that if something had happened, a person would have already done Y by now. The difference between this and “-mış olacaktı” is that “-mış olurdu” carries slightly less of a connotation of certainty than “-mış olacaktı.” In many cases, “-mış olurdu” can be used interchangeably with the “-ardı/ırdı” ending with only a slight difference in connotation.

Examples

muş olurduk

I think that cell phones are harmless [to the body]. If they were not that way, we would have already heard about it by now.

Atatürk’e otopsi yapılmış olsaydı mutlaka duymuş olurduk.
If there had been an autopsy done for Atatürk, we certainly would have heard it by now.
(Quote from a forensic expert)

Keşke… bizi uyarsalar. O zaman gerçekten bizlere iyilik yapmış olurlardı.
I wish they would warn us. If they had, then they would really would have done us a big favor.
(Excerpt from post on news site)

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Potential perfect: might have done

Grammar form:

Verb + miş/mış/muş/müş olabilir + (personal ending)

Usage #1: it might have happened in the past

This grammar form is usually used in two different ways. The first is for explaining that something might have happened in the past, but it is not known for sure. This usage is very common in everyday conversation.

Examples

miş olabilirim

I might have said some white lies.

news story

Çocuğunuz okula gitmek istemiyorsa ödevini yapmamış olabilir.
If your child does not want to go to school, he might not have done his homework.
(Excerpt from news article)

Petrol fiyatları dibi görmüş olabilir.
Petroleum prices might have seen the bottom.
(Excerpt from news story)

Usage #2: it might be done by a certain time

The other purpose is for contexts similar to those in which the -mış olacak form is used. Using the “mış olabilir” form instead of “-mış olacak” adds uncertainty to the sentence. It is used to explain that by a certain time in the future something might have already been done. This second usage of “mış olabilir” is not nearly as common as the first usage above.

Examples

miş olabilir

They will probably run a better sale when the season ends or something… I recommend that you wait for that, but the product you want might have already run out by that time.

product forum

Arkadaşlar stoklarda görünse de siz gidene kadar bitmiş olabilir.
Friends: even if it appears to be in stock, by the time you get there it may have already been sold out.
(Excerpt from comment on product forum)

Kapıyı sen açana kadar gitmiş olabilir. Yani kapıyı çalan adamın artık orada olmama ihtimali cok yüksek.
By the time you open the door, [he] may have already left. I mean, the chance that the man who knocked on the door is not there anymore is really high.
(Excerpt from philosophical dialogue)

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