What do each of these verb tenses mean, what are some examples in English, and what is the difference between them all?

Question

Context: I'm using www.verbix.com to conjugate Turkish verbs.

At the Turkish conjugation page (which can be reached by tapping the conjugator option in the top left corner, choosing Turkish, and typing in an infinitive such as "olmak"), the "Indicative mood" category lists tenses like "present continuous simple," "simple (aorist)," "past definite," "past progressive, dubitative," "indefinite past (past aorist)," "past progressive, narrative," "past perfect, narrative," "doubtful distant past," "past in the future," "past conditional, narrative," "past conditional, dubitative," "future simple," "future in the past," "future dubitative," and "future conditional."

What do these tenses mean, what are some examples in English, and how do they differ? Also, what do the mood categories like "Necessitative mood," "Imperative mood," "Conditional mood," and "Subjunctive mood" mean?

Thank you!

Answer 1

In Turkish, verb conjugation includes various tenses and moods that sometimes, don't always have direct equals in English. The categories you mentioned (like "present continuous simple," "past definite," "future simple," etc.) are all part of the Indicative mood, which is used to express statements of fact or events that happen in reality.

Let's breakdown all the tenses you mentioned! We'll also go over their meanings, and how they might be translated or understood in English, along with a brief explanation of the mood categories.

Indicative Mood Tenses:

1. Present Continuous Simple (şu an yapılan eylem):
2. Meaning: Something (action) happening right now, ongoing.
3. Example in Turkish: Yazıyorum (I am writing)
4. Example in English: "I am writing" (This is the present continuous tense in English, expressing something happening at the moment.)
5. Simple (Aorist) (genel bir alışkanlık veya genel gerçekler):
6. Meaning: Used for habitual actions, general truths, or statements that express something happening regularly.
7. Example in Turkish: Yazarım (I write [regularly]/I am a writer)
8. Example in English: "I write" or "I am a writer" (The simple present tense in English is used for general truths, habits, or routines.)
9. Past Definite (geçmişte tamamlanmış ve kesin olan eylemler):
10. Meaning: An event that occurred in the past.
11. Example in Turkish: Yazdım (I wrote)
12. Example in English: "I wrote" (This is simple past tense in English, referring to an action completed in the past.)
13. Past Progressive, Dubitative (geçmişte şüpheli bir şekilde devam eden eylem):
14. Meaning: An action that was ongoing in the past, but there is uncertainty or doubt about it.
15. Example in Turkish: Yazıyormuşum (I was writing [but I'm not sure] )
16. Example in English: "I was writing" with a doubt, like, "I think I was writing, but I'm not sure."
17. Indefinite Past (Past Aorist) (belirsiz geçmiş):
18. Meaning: A vague, unspecified event that happened in the past; often used in storytelling or when the exact time is not important.
19. Example in Turkish: Yazmışım (I have written [unspecified time])
20. Example in English: "I have written" (This is similar to the present perfect tense in English, used for an unspecified time in the past.)
21. Past Progressive, Narrative (geçmişte devam eden eylemler, anlatı):
22. Meaning: Used in storytelling, to describe an ongoing action in the past.
23. Example in Turkish: Yazıyordum (I was writing [in the past, as part of a story])
24. Example in English: "I was writing" (The past progressive tense in English is used similarly for continuous actions in the past.)
25. Past Perfect, Narrative (geçmişte bitmiş eylemler):
26. Meaning: Action that was completed before another action in the past.
27. Example in Turkish: Yazmıştım (I had written)
28. Example in English: "I had written" (This is past perfect in English, indicating an action that happened before another past action.)
29. Doubtful Distant Past (geçmişte şüpheli uzak bir olay):
30. Meaning: An action in the distant past that is uncertain or doubted.
31. Example in Turkish: Yazmışım galiba (I think I may have written)
32. Example in English: "I think I may have written" (This is a speculative past event in English.)
33. Past in the Future (gelecekteki bir geçmiş eylem):
34. Meaning: A past action in a future context (indicating a future event that will be completed before another future action).
35. Example in Turkish: Yazacağımı düşünmüştüm (I thought I would write)
36. Example in English: "I thought I would write" (This refers to something that was expected to be completed in the future.)
37. Past Conditional, Narrative (geçmişte olabilen şartlı eylemler):
38. Meaning: Used for hypothetical situations or actions that could have happened in the past under certain conditions.
39. Example in Turkish: Yazardım (I would have written)
40. Example in English: "I would have written" (The past conditional tense in English is used for hypothetical situations in the past.)
41. Past Conditional, Dubitative (geçmişte şüpheli şartlı eylemler):
42. Meaning: Hypothetical past action with doubt or uncertainty.
43. Example in Turkish: Yazardım galiba (I think I would have written)
44. Example in English: "I think I would have written" (A hypothetical event in the past with doubt.)
45. Future Simple (gelecek zaman):
46. Meaning: A future event or action.
47. Example in Turkish: Yazacağım (I will write)
48. Example in English: "I will write" (The simple future tense in English.)
49. Future in the Past (geçmişteki bir gelecek):
50. Meaning: A future event that was anticipated in the past.
51. Example in Turkish: Yazacağımı düşünmüştüm (I thought I would write)
52. Example in English: "I thought I would write" (Refers to an action in the future from a past perspective.)
53. Future Dubitative (gelecekteki şüpheli eylemler):
54. Meaning: A future action that is uncertain or speculative.
55. Example in Turkish: Yazacağımı düşünüyorum galiba (I think I will write, maybe)
56. Example in English: "I think I will write, maybe" (Speculative future.)
57. Future Conditional (gelecek şartlı eylem):
58. Meaning: A conditional action in the future, often dependent on a condition.
59. Example in Turkish: Yazacağım eğer zamanım olursa (I will write if I have time)
60. Example in English: "I will write if I have time" (Future conditional in English.)