Olarak

Olarak is a Turkish postposition used to mark the role, identity, or status of the subject or object in a clause. It translates roughly as “as” or “in the capacity of” in English. It is attached to a noun or nominal expression to indicate the function or stance someone or something takes in relation to the action of the sentence.

Common uses include identifying a role or profession, stating a stance, or framing a statement from a particular perspective. For example: “Bir doktor olarak bu konuda konuşacağım” means “As a doctor, I will speak on this matter.” “Bir öğretmen olarak çalışıyorum” means “I work as a teacher.” “Bir vatandaş olarak bu karara saygı gösteriyorum” means “As a citizen, I respect this decision.” The construction is flexible and can be combined with adjectives or other nominals to express position, status, or viewpoint.

Grammatically, lombok: “olarak” is a suffix-like element that follows the noun or nominal phrase and precedes the predicate. It does not change the base meaning of the noun but rather situates it in a particular role or perspective for the clause. It is commonly used in formal and semi-formal Turkish, including journalism, speeches, and written prose, to present a person's or entity’s stated capacity.

Etymologically, “olarak” derives from the verb olmak (to be) plus a participial/gerundive suffix pattern that yields the sense of “in the form of” or “as.” While it is closely tied to the concept of being or becoming, its practical function in Turkish is to express role, status, or viewpoint rather than a literal transformation.

See also: Turkish grammar on postpositions and the use of - olarak with nouns.