Sonunda tehlikeden kurtulduk.

Sonunda means at the end / finally / in the end here.

It comes from the noun son (end) plus:

• -u = a possessive-type form often used in fixed time expressions
• -nda = in / at / on

So sonunda literally looks like at its end, but in modern Turkish it functions as a set expression meaning finally or in the end.

You will often see it as an adverb:

• Sonunda geldiler. = They finally came.
• Sonunda başardık. = We finally succeeded.

Tehlike means danger.

The ending -den is the ablative case, which often means:

• from
• out of
• away from
• sometimes because of

So tehlikeden means from danger.

In this sentence, kurtulmak usually takes the thing escaped from in the ablative case:

• tehlikeden kurtulmak = to escape from danger
• sorundan kurtulmak = to get rid of / escape from the problem
• borçtan kurtulmak = to get out of debt

This is an important distinction.

• kurtulmak = to be saved / to escape / to get free
• kurtarmak = to save someone/something

So:

• Tehlikeden kurtulduk. = We escaped the danger / We got out of danger.
• Onu tehlikeden kurtardık. = We saved him/her from danger.

In other words:

• kurtulmak focuses on the subject becoming free
• kurtarmak focuses on the subject rescuing something else

Kurtulduk is in the simple past tense.

Breakdown:

• kurtul- = verb stem
• -du- = past tense
• -k = we

So:

• kurtuldum = I escaped
• kurtuldun = you escaped
• kurtuldu = he/she/it escaped
• kurtulduk = we escaped
• kurtuldunuz = you escaped
• kurtuldular = they escaped

Because of vowel harmony and consonant changes, the past tense suffix can appear as -dı, -di, -du, -dü, -tı, -ti, -tu, -tü.

Because of vowel harmony.

The last vowel in kurtul- is u, so the 4-way past tense suffix becomes -du.

Compare:

• gel-di = came
• bak-tı = looked
• otur-du = sat down / lived
• gör-dü = saw

Also, the d/t part can change depending on the final sound before it. Here the verb stem ends in l, a voiced consonant, so d is used: kurtuldu.

Yes. Turkish verbs usually show the subject in the verb ending, so a separate word for we is not necessary.

• kurtulduk = we escaped
• kurtuldum = I escaped

If you want extra emphasis, you can add the pronoun:

• Biz sonunda tehlikeden kurtulduk.

But usually biz is omitted unless you want contrast, emphasis, or clarity.

Yes, it can be changed. Turkish word order is flexible.

The neutral order here is:

• Sonunda tehlikeden kurtulduk.

But you could also say:

• Tehlikeden sonunda kurtulduk.
• Kurtulduk sonunda tehlikeden. (less neutral, more stylistic/emphatic)

Turkish often puts the main verb at the end in neutral sentences, so kurtulduk at the end sounds most standard.

Changing the order usually changes emphasis, not the core meaning.

Yes. Nihayet also means finally / at last.

So these are both possible:

• Sonunda tehlikeden kurtulduk.
• Nihayet tehlikeden kurtulduk.

Very roughly:

• sonunda often feels like in the end / eventually
• nihayet often feels a bit more like at last / finally, sometimes slightly more emotional or literary

In many everyday contexts, they are very close.

Because kurtulmak does not take a direct object in the accusative here. It works with the ablative: -den / -dan.

So the correct pattern is:

• bir şeyden kurtulmak = to get free from something

Examples:

• hastalıktan kurtulmak = to recover from illness
• sıkıntıdan kurtulmak = to get rid of trouble
• tehlikeden kurtulmak = to escape danger

By contrast, kurtarmak can take a direct object:

• tehlikeyi önledik = we prevented the danger
• onu kurtardık = we saved him/her

So this is really about the verb pattern you have to learn with kurtulmak.

Yes. Turkish does not have articles like a/an/the, so tehlike can mean:

• danger
• a danger
• the danger

The exact meaning depends on context.

In tehlikeden kurtulduk, English will often naturally translate it as we escaped the danger or we got out of danger, even though Turkish does not use a separate word for the.

You keep the same structure and change the verb ending:

• Sonunda tehlikeden kurtuldum. = I finally escaped the danger.
• Sonunda tehlikeden kurtuldun. = You finally escaped the danger.
• Sonunda tehlikeden kurtuldu. = He/She finally escaped the danger.
• Sonunda tehlikeden kurtulduk. = We finally escaped the danger.
• Sonunda tehlikeden kurtuldunuz. = You finally escaped the danger.
• Sonunda tehlikeden kurtuldular. = They finally escaped the danger.

This is a good sentence pattern to memorize:

• [time word] + [thing in ablative] + kurtul-

No. It is used very widely for becoming free from many things, both literal and figurative.

Examples:

• tehlikeden kurtulmak = escape danger
• hastalıktan kurtulmak = recover from illness
• stresten kurtulmak = get rid of stress
• borçtan kurtulmak = get out of debt
• bu işten kurtulmak = get out of this job / be rid of this task

So in Turkish, kurtulmak is a very common general verb for escaping, getting rid of, or being freed from something.