Accusative (-i)

The Accusative case (Belirtme Hali) is used to mark the definite direct object of a verb. This means it specifies which particular person or thing is being directly affected by the verb's action. It answers the question "Whom?" or "What (specific one)?".

Suffixes:

The accusative suffix follows I-Type vowel harmony:

• If the last vowel of the noun is a or ı, add -ı.
• If the last vowel of the noun is e or i, add -i.
• If the last vowel of the noun is o or u, add -u.
• If the last vowel of the noun is ö or ü, add -ü.

If the noun ends in a vowel, the buffer consonant 'y' is inserted before the suffix. After a 3rd-person possessive suffix, the buffer is 'n' instead: arabasını (his/her car (acc.)), evini (his/her house (acc.)). Words ending in p, ç, t, k usually soften before the suffix (kitap → kitabı), and proper nouns take an apostrophe (Ayşe'yi, Mehmet'i).

Examples:

• Kitabı okudum. (I read the book.) (kitap + -ı)
• Elmayı yedim. (I ate the apple.) (elma + -yı)
• Kediyi gördüm. (I saw the cat.) (kedi + -yi)
• Okulu seviyorum. (I like the school.) (okul + -u)
• Gözlüğü buldum. (I found the glasses.) (gözlük + -ü, with k → ğ softening)

Definite vs. Indefinite:

It's crucial to distinguish between definite and indefinite direct objects.

• Definite (Accusative): Ben elmayı yedim. (I ate the apple. - a specific apple known to speaker/listener)
• Indefinite (Nominative): Ben elma yedim. (I ate an apple / some apples. - any apple)

Personal pronouns and names used as direct objects are always definite, so they always take the accusative: Seni seviyorum. (I love you.), Ali'yi gördüm. (I saw Ali.) Note that an indefinite object stands directly before the verb: Her gün gazete okurum. (I read a newspaper every day.)

Negative and Question Forms

• Kitabı okumadım. (I didn't read the book.)
• Filmi gördün mü? (Did you see the film?)
• Neyi arıyorsun? (What (exactly) are you looking for?)

Common Mistakes

• ✗ Ali gördüm. → ✓ Ali'yi gördüm. (names and pronouns as objects need the accusative)
• ✗ arabaı → ✓ arabayı (buffer y after a vowel)
• ✗ kitapı → ✓ kitabı (p softens to b)
• ✗ arabasıyı → ✓ arabasını (buffer n after a possessive)
• ✗ Kediyi uyuyor. → ✓ Kedi uyuyor. (a subject never takes the accusative)