Başkan kararı bugün ilan etti.

Başkan is a general Turkish word meaning president, chairperson/chairman, head, or sometimes mayor, depending on context.

So in this sentence, it does not automatically mean only president in the political sense. The wider context tells you which English word fits best.

Also, Turkish has no separate word for the, so başkan here can naturally mean the president/the chairperson.

Because başkan is the subject of the sentence here, not a possessor.

• başkan = the president/chairperson
• başkanın = of the president / the president’s

So:

• Başkan kararı bugün ilan etti = The president announced the decision today
• Başkanın kararı... = the president’s decision...

A native English speaker often expects something like the president’s decision, but that would need başkanın kararı, not just başkan kararı.

Because it is the direct object and it is specific/definite.

In Turkish, a specific direct object usually takes the accusative ending:

• karar = decision
• kararı = the decision

So the -ı here is the accusative ending.

This is one of the most important differences from English: Turkish often shows definiteness on the object with case marking rather than with a separate word like the.

In some contexts, a form like kararı may look ambiguous to learners, but in this sentence it is understood as the decision.

If you wanted his/her decision as the direct object, you would normally say:

• kararını = his/her decision

For example:

• Başkan kararını bugün ilan etti = The president announced his/her decision today

So here, kararı is best understood as the definite object the decision.

Because ilan etmek is a common Turkish compound/light-verb expression.

• ilan = announcement, proclamation
• etmek = to do, to make

Together:

• ilan etmek = to announce, to proclaim

Turkish uses many expressions like this, where a noun combines with etmek, yapmak, or olmak to form a verbal meaning.

So ilan etti functions just like a single English verb announced, even though it is written as two words.

Etti is simple past tense, 3rd person singular.

Breakdown:

• et- = do/make
• -ti = past tense

So:

• ilan etti = announced

Because the subject is başkan, which is third person singular, there is no extra person ending beyond that past-tense form.

This happens because of a regular Turkish sound rule.

The past tense suffix is often shown as -DI, but its actual form changes according to sound harmony. After a voiceless consonant such as t, the d becomes t.

So:

• et-
  • -di becomes et-ti
• written as etti

This is completely normal Turkish spelling and pronunciation.

Because Turkish normally prefers verb-final word order.

A very common neutral pattern is:

• Subject + Object + other information + Verb

So here:

• Başkan = subject
• kararı = object
• bugün = time expression
• ilan etti = verb

English usually puts the verb earlier:

• The president announced the decision today

Turkish usually saves the verb for the end:

• Başkan kararı bugün ilan etti

Yes, bugün can move.

For example, all of these are possible:

• Başkan kararı bugün ilan etti
• Başkan bugün kararı ilan etti
• Bugün başkan kararı ilan etti

The basic meaning stays similar, but the focus or emphasis changes.

In the given sentence, putting bugün near the verb can make the time element feel especially relevant. Turkish word order is flexible, and speakers often move parts of the sentence to highlight what matters most in the context.

Turkish usually expresses this through a mix of context and grammar, not articles.

Here:

• kararı is definite/specific because it has the accusative ending
• başkan is understood as definite from context, even without a separate word for the

So Turkish often does with case marking and context what English does with the.

If you wanted something clearly indefinite, you would often use bir:

• bir başkan = a president / a chairperson
• bir karar = a decision