Fiilî

Fiilî is a grammatical term used in Turkish-language grammars to refer to elements that are verbal in nature, namely forms and constructions derived from or functioning as verbs. The term comes from fiil, the Turkish word for verb, and is used to label forms that relate to action and predication rather than to stand as nouns. In many grammar traditions, fiilî forms are contrasted with isimî forms, which are derived from nouns.

The fiilî category can include finite verb forms that mark tense, aspect, and mood, as well as non-finite verbal forms such as participles and verbal nouns. In Turkish grammar, participles and other verb-derived forms that can modify nouns or function as adjectives are described as fiilî (verbal) forms, in contrast to nominal ones.

Examples help illustrate the distinction. The sentence Havladı, köpek havladı (The dog barked) is a fiilî sentence because it contains a conjugated verb. The phrase Koşan çocuk features a participle derived from the verb koşmak and is an example of a fiilî form functioning as an adjective. Verbal nouns formed from verbs, such as koşma or yürüyüş, can also be considered fiilî in broader grammatical treatments, as they retain action-related meaning while functioning as nouns.

In Turkish pedagogy, distinguishing fiilî from isimî helps learners understand how action-based forms organize sentence structure, clause type, and word class. The term also appears in related Turkic languages with similar but not identical scope.