Gelen

Gelen is a Turkish word formed as the present participle of the verb gelmek, meaning “to come.” It functions as an adjective or participial noun, describing something that comes, arrives, or is forthcoming. As a modifier, gelen precedes the noun it describes, forming compound phrases such as gelen yolcular (the arriving passengers) or gelen haberler (the incoming news).

In Turkish grammar, the suffix -en marks a present participle. The form gel- plus -en yields gelen, which is gender-neutral and does not inflect for number by itself; it agrees with the noun it modifies through the noun phrase, for example gelen yolcular (the arriving passengers) in the plural.

Gelen can also be used to refer to a person who comes, by means of a relative participle meaning “the one who comes.” This usage is common in conversational Turkish and in written Turkish to link clauses, as in phrases like gelen kim? (Who is the one who arrived?) or gelen kişiler (the people who arrived).

Opposite or contrasting usage is often seen with giden, the past participle form of gitmek (to go), used to mean “the one who goes” or “those who have gone.”

Etymologically, gelen derives from gelmek with the participial suffix -en, reflecting a common Turkish pattern for forming descriptive adjectives and relative clauses.

See also: Turkish grammar, participles, suffix -en, giden.