Abim beni aradı.

My older brother called me.

Breakdown of Abim beni aradı.

• ben: me
• aramak: to call
• abi: older brother; bro

Questions & Answers about Abim beni aradı.

What does abim literally mean, and why doesn’t it just say abi?

Abim means my older brother.

It is made of:

• abi / ağabey = older brother
• -im = my

So:

• abi = older brother / bro
• abim = my older brother

In everyday Turkish, abi is very common in speech, while ağabeyim is a fuller, more formal version of my older brother. Abim is the natural everyday form.

Why is it beni and not just ben?

Because ben means I, while beni means me as a definite object.

In this sentence, the older brother is doing the action, and me is receiving it:

• Abim = my older brother
• beni = me
• aradı = called

Turkish often marks a definite direct object with the accusative ending.
The pronoun ben changes irregularly:

• ben = I
• beni = me

So beni aradı = called me.

Why does beni have an extra -i? Is that the accusative case?