Müdür dün istifa etti.

The manager resigned yesterday.

Breakdown of Müdür dün istifa etti.

• dün: yesterday
• müdür: the manager
• istifa etmek: to resign

Questions & Answers about Müdür dün istifa etti.

Why is istifa etti two words instead of one verb?

Because istifa etmek is a very common type of Turkish compound verb.

• istifa is a noun meaning resignation
• etmek is an auxiliary verb meaning to do / to make

Together, istifa etmek means to resign.

So:

• istifa etmek = to resign
• istifa etti = resigned

Turkish often forms verbs this way with a noun + etmek, especially with words borrowed from Arabic, Persian, or French.

Examples:

• yardım etmek = to help
• telefon etmek = to phone
• kontrol etmek = to check

What exactly does etti mean here?