Past Tense II (indefinite)

Also known as bilgesez (indefinite) ütkən zaman. The past tense II is formed by joining -ğan, -gən to stems ending in a vowel or a voiced consonant, -qan, -kən to stems ending in a voiceless consonant. This form, which is actually a past participle, is identical with the third person singular. The other persons are formed by adding the pronominal personal endings.

min eşləgənmen – I worked

sin eşləgənseñ – you worked

ul eşləgən – he/she/it worked

bez eşləgənbez – we worked

sez eşləgənsez – you (form./pl.) worked

alar eşləgənnər – they worked

❗ Past Tense II expresses an action or the result of an action that the speaker has NOT personally witnessed, which he relates on the basis of information received. The action was completed or its result realized at some point in the past.

Annarı üze turında söylərgə kereşte. Rayon məğərif bülegeneñ mödire bulıp eşli ikən. Pedagogik institutın təmamlağaç, bez uqığan məktəptə tarix uqıtqan. Annan direktor itkənnər. Annan rayonğa alğannar. (Tufan Miñnullin, “Xəsən Wəğizoviç”)

Then he began to talk about himself. It turned out that he works as the director of the Education Department of the district. After graduating from the Pedagogical Institute, he taught history at the school which we attended. Later he was made its principal. After that, he was transferred to the district administration.

💡 NOT witnessing the action is the main indicator of the Past Tense II. Some other indicators can be:

✔️ An action or state that the speaker has done unwillingly (or unconsciously) or does not remember about (especially if you add ikən (apparently) to the verb)

Min üzem, bilgele, bu “çəyni” zamanın bötenləy diyərlek xəterləmim, bik keçkenə bulğanmın əle, – əytik, ike belən biş arasında ğına. Annarı bez çəynineñ üzendə tügel, ə kürşedəge ikençe ber yortta torğanbız. (Əmirxan Yeniki, “Soñğı kitap”)

I myself, of course, have almost no remembrance at all of the time of the teahouse. I was very little – let’s say, only between two and five years old. Then, we lived not in the teahouse itself, but in another house in the neighborhood.

Min ... 1901. yılnıñ 7. ğinwarında tuğanmın. ... Min Yañasala awılında tuğanmın. (Ğömər Bəşirov, “Tormış suqmaqları”) 

I was born on January 7, 1901. ... I was born in the village of Yañasala.

✔️ Actions that took place over a period of time in the distant past (for example, in the narration of historical events and in fairy tales). 

Urta ğasırlarda şəhərlər, bigrək tə başqala rolen ütəgənnəre, ğədəttə ikegə bülengənnər. Berençe öleşe qəlğə dip atalğan həm anda dəwlət başlığı, xökümət əğzaları, yuğarı dərəcəle ruxanilar urnaşqan. Bistə yəki şəhər dip yörtelgən ikençe öleşendə hönərçelər, səwdəgərlər həm şunıñ işe “qara xalıq” yəşəgən. (Səlam Alişev, “Qazannıñ 800 yıllığına – tarixtan ber səxifə”)

In the Middle Ages, cities, especially those functioning as capitals, were usually divided into two parts. The first part was called the fortress, where the head of state, members of the government, and the high-ranking clergymen lived. In the second part, called the suburb or city, lived the craftsmen, merchants, and similar “common people.”

✔️ Timelessness as, for example, in descriptions of general characteristics.

Awıl. Uramnarnı qar qaplağan, öylərneñ tübələre belən tərəzələre genə kürenə. (Xəy Waxit, “Soñğı xat”) 

A village. Snow covers the streets, only the roofs and windows of the houses are visible.