Başrolü ben oynuyorum.

I am playing the lead.

Breakdown of Başrolü ben oynuyorum.

• ben: I
• oynamak: to play
• başrol: the leading role

Questions & Answers about Başrolü ben oynuyorum.

Where is the word the in this sentence? How does başrolü mean the lead role?

Turkish does not have a separate word for the.

Instead, definiteness is often shown by context and, with direct objects, by the accusative ending. Here:

• başrol = lead role / main role
• başrolü = the lead role as a specific direct object

So Başrolü ben oynuyorum means something like I am playing the lead role, with başrolü understood as a specific, known role.

Why is it başrolü and not başrolu?

That is a very good question, because regular vowel harmony might make you expect -u after o.

But rol is a loanword, and some Turkish loanwords take suffixes in a way that does not follow the most basic harmony pattern you may expect. So Turkish says:

• rolü
• başrolü
• kontrolü

not rolu or başrolu in standard usage.

So this is one of those forms that is best learned as a fixed pattern: başrolü.

Why is ben included? Doesn't oynuyorum already mean I am playing?