yanlýþ anlaþýldým - I was misunderstood - by whom?

sevdik is active

sevildil - we were loved - loved by whom?

yemek yapýldý - food was made - made by whom?

I think your objection here has to do with semantics and how you define "subject" - I think Merih was referring to the subject as the "doer" the one that performs the action, which in passive voice is missing, unless you specify by whom the action is performed. In the passive voice the object of the verb becomes the subject in the sentence, and I think that´s what you´re referring to.

This is really interesting, I checked a few books, and most say that the reflexive is formed by -n/-in, EXCEPT Gökkuþaðý Türkçe, who does give examples of reflexive verbs with the -l/-il suffix, for example: bayýlmak (to faint, to feel faint), sýkýlmak (to get bored) - what´s even more interesting is that I found sýkýnmak meaning "to restrain oneself", which would be reflexive, but the book I mentioned gives sýkýlmak as reflexive too - üzülmek (to be upset, to be sad), etc. And those are verbs that in English would be translated in the passive voice. So I´m just wondering if maybe the English translation doesn´t really convey the "reflexive" meaning of those verbs.

Yes I guess so but it´s called agent (doer) and object is patient. In passive voice patient (object of active voice) becomes subject. This is very basic grammar knowledge.

Yemek yendi (yemek=subject)

Ýþ yapýldý (iþ=subject)

Söz söylendi (söz=subject)

Kutu açýldý (kutu=subject)

By whow? It doesn´t matter. Unkown most of the times. That´s what passive voice is all about.

 And that´s what Merih was trying to say. Like I said, it´s just a difference in semantics. Nothing to go to war over.

OK. Just I wanted to make it clear that it´s called subject of passive voice.

Without complicating the matter, my understanding is this:  Once we can form an infinitive, with -mek at the end [in any shape - whether in commomn, causative, passive or reflexive form > yapmak, yaptirmak, yapilmak or yapinmak > we can then use the ´estabkished´ way of dropping the -mek, and use the remaining ´verb stem´ in order to manipulate it!?  IS THIS PRESUMPTION CORRECT?  

My problem was that I got it into my tiny head that ´Yikanmak´ only means ´to clean one self´ and that it CANNOT be used for any 2nd or 3rd person.  But that is not right. So:-

Reflexive [with Yika-n-mak]

(Ben) Yikandim                     I dressed myself

(Sen) Yikandin                        you dressed yourself

(O) Yikandi                           He/she/it cleaned themself

(Biz) Yikandiz                         We ... ourself

(Siz) Yikandiniz                     You all .... yourselves

Onlar) Yikandilar                  They .... themselves

or using ´Kendi´+e  with using only the normal (common) infinitive ´Yikamak´

(Ben) Kendim-e yikadim                I clened myself                     

(Sen)  Kendini-e yikadin                You ...        

(O) Kendisi-n-e  Yikadi                   He/she/it ...

      Kendizi-n-e Yikadik                  We ....

     Kendinizi-n-e Yikadiniz             You all ....

     Kendileri-ne Yikadilar               They ....

[PLEASE GOD! TELL ME I HAVE GOT IT !!]

Passive    [using Yap-il-mek]

Yapildim               I was made

Yapildin

Yapildi

Yapildik

Yapildiniz

Yapildilar

If the ´doer´ is to be specified, we can add ´(falan) tarafindan´ [Note: No possesive if it ia proper Noun or using the possesive if it a personal pronoun e.g. Benim, senin, onun ... etc.]

I have used the Definite Past Tense to illustrate the point ... {but it will apply to all the tenses and moods}

Melek74´s examples >  [You are an angel 74]

1) Zerrin´i gördün mü, parti için nasýl da süslenmiþ! Did you see Zerrin? Just look how she has dolled herself up for the party!

2) Ýlkbaharda kýrlar çiçeklerle süslenir. In the spring the countryside adorns itself with flowers.

Suddenly did the trick for me!!!!!!!  Now who is going to tear me apart and throw me into a depression?

Tazx1

You´re too funny. I say let´s start a support group or something, god knows I felt like crying many a time lol.

I think yoU got it (to the best of my understanding, but hey, I´m a fellow learner).

One comment about the passive, I read somewhere that it is mostly used in the 3rd person to talk about things that were invented, discovered, etc. and that in the other persons the preferred voice is the active one. But I think it can be used for all persons and that would be correct gramatically.

Quoting Melek74:-

>One comment about the passive, I read somewhere that it is mostly used in the 3rd person to talk about things that were invented, discovered, etc. and that in the other persons the preferred voice is the active one. But I think it can be used for all persons and that would be correct gramatically.<

Melek74 is correct.  All the books, that I have come accross, use ´set piece´ verbs Açýldi, Yapýldi, Keþfedildi, Yazildi, Yikildi, to give give examples of the Passive use of verbs in the 3rd person >> with the ´actor´ left out.  When the ´actor´ is  specified, Trafaindan is used.   Passive verbs are comparatively easy to understand.

It is the Reflexive form which is very poorly dealt with.  One finds only loads verbal explanation and how to make them ... but no substantive examples to consolidate comprehension [for professional idiots like me].

Melek74 untangled the whole matter by quoting two apt examples which removed my ´blockage´, instantly.  I had been struggling with them for days, if not weeks till I was blue in the face.  All that I could glean from the books [and not very funny] ... almost every book gave the same ´set piece´ list of Passive verbs, and how to form them ... without supporting the explanation by way of sentences.   I was left with the idea that it can only be used for 1st Person i.e. ´Yýkanmak´ [To clean oneself] ... and that was all that was quoted, followed by a LIST of Passive verbs.  Saçma.

Melek74´a verecek için bir medal yapilacak.

Yes. You are correct and that´s what verb conjugation is based on. Add your list -me- (negative voice) suffix also.

Then it becomes as simple as how you would conjugate a verb (let´s call it V)

Aorist tense: V-ar

Past tense: V-di

Future tense: V-ecek

etc.

Example past tense:

Sev-di (V=gel)  = he loved (it/her/etc)

Sevme-di (V=sevme) = he didn´t love (it/her/etc)

Sevil-di (V=sevil) = he was loved (by him/her/etc)

Sevilme-di (V=sevilme) = he was not loved (by him/her/etc)

Sevin-di (V=sevin) = he became happy, he liked it

Sevinme-di (V=sevinme) = he didn´t become happy, he didn´t like it

Seviþ-ti-ler (V=seviþ) = They loved each other

Seviþme-di-ler (V=seviþme) = They didn´t love each other

Sevdirme-di (V=sevdirme) = he didn´t make himself loved by others

etc.

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Thanks for the examples and translations si++.

They are useful for all learners. 

Watch out with sev-iþ-mek.

Doesnt mean "we love each other" : it means to make love to one another.

Korean friend of mine shocked the Turks at church when she meant to say "Jesus wants us to love one another". She said "Ýsa birbirimize seviþmemizi istiyor."