Question:

Why does the suffix -i (iyelik eki) come after “gidiş” and the suffix -dü (geçmiş zaman eki) after “üz-” in the Turkish sentence “Onun gidişi beni üzdü” (His departure made me sad)? Explain in English.

Answer:

1. “-i” in “gidiş-i” (The Possessive Suffix)

• “Gidiş” is a verbal noun (derived from the verb “gitmek” → “to go/depart”).
• The suffix “-i” is a possessive suffix (iyelik eki) meaning “his/her/its.”
• Here, “onun” (his) explicitly shows possession, so “gidiş” must take the possessive suffix “-i” to form “his departure”:
  • gidiş + *-i* → gidişi (his departure).
• English Equivalent: In English, we use possessive pronouns (e.g., “his”) before nouns. Turkish attaches suffixes directly to the noun.“Onun gidişi” = “His departure”

2. “-dü” in “üz-dü” (The Past Tense Suffix)

• “Üz-“ is the verb root meaning “to sadden/make sad.”
• The suffix “-dü” is the past tense suffix (geçmiş zaman eki).
  • It appears as -dü (not *-dı*) due to vowel harmony:
    • The verb root “üz-” has a front vowel (ü), so the suffix takes a front vowel too: -dü.
  • Structure: *üz-* + *-dü* → üzdü (made sad).
• English Equivalent: English uses auxiliary verbs (e.g., “made”) for past tense. Turkish adds a suffix directly to the verb.“Beni üzdü” = “Made me sad”

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Key Grammar Points:

• Possessive Suffixes (İyelik Ekleri):
  Turkish links ownership with suffixes (e.g., kitab-ı = his book). English uses separate words (“his book”).
• Past Tense Suffixes (-dı/-di/-du/-dü):
  The form changes based on vowel harmony (e.g., *üz-* → üzdü; git- → gitti).
• Word Order:
  Turkish: Owner (onun) + Possessed Noun (gidiş-i) + Object (beni) + Verb (üzdü)
  English: Owner (His) + Noun (departure) + Verb (made) + Object (me) + Adjective (sad).

Example Breakdown:

Turkish Part	Literal Meaning	Suffix Function
Onun	His	Possessive Pronoun
Gidiş-i	Departure-his	Possessive Suffix (-i)
Ben-i	Me	Accusative Case Suffix (-i)
Üz-dü	Sadden-ed	Past Tense Suffix (-dü)

💡 Summary:

The suffix “-i” in “gidişi” shows possession (“his departure”).
The suffix “-dü” in “üzdü” marks past tense (“made sad”), shaped by vowel harmony.
Turkish uses suffixes to express grammar relationships that English conveys with word order/auxiliaries.