Geçirmek

Geçirmek is Turkish bir fiil meaning to cause to pass or to spend/pass time. It is the causative form of geçmek and is used with time-related nouns to express how a period or interval is consumed, as well as to describe experiences or days that are lived through. The verb can be conjugated regularly in different tenses (geçiriyorum, geçirdim, geçireceğim, etc.).

The main use of geçirmek is to indicate spending or passing time. Common constructions include zaman geçirmek, vakit geçirmek and expressions with specific periods such as bir hafta geçirdik, bir gün geçirdim, tatilde güzel vakit geçirdik. These forms emphasize that time has been spent in a certain way or that a period has passed for the subject. In daily speech, the phrase bir şeyler yapmak yerine “zaman geçirmek” or “vakit geçirmek” is often preferred to specify how the time was spent.

Geçirmek also serves to express enduring or experiencing a period or event. For example, zor günler geçirdim (I endured difficult days) shows that the speaker has lived through a challenging time. This sense focuses on the experiential duration rather than the mere measurement of time.

Grammatical notes: geçirmek is a transitive verb, typically taking a direct object that names the time or period being spent or endured (zaman, günler, hafta, tatil, vb.). Its non-causative counterpart, geçmek, is intransitive and simply means “to pass” or “to go by.” Common collocations include zaman geçirmek, vakit geçirmek, güzel geçmek (to pass nicely) and kötü/zor geçmek (to pass badly).

Etymology: geçirmek is formed from geçmek with the causative suffix, reflecting the idea of causing time or an interval to pass.