Avukat davayı kazandı.

Because dava is the direct object of the verb, and here it is a specific/definite one: the case.

Turkish often marks a specific direct object with the accusative ending.
So:

• dava = case / lawsuit
• dava-y-ı = the case / the lawsuit as a specific object

The -y- is just a buffer consonant. Turkish inserts it when a vowel-initial ending is added to a word that already ends in a vowel.

So the structure is:

• dava
  • -(y)ı → davayı

It marks the noun as the definite accusative.

In this sentence, the lawyer did something to a specific thing: won the case. Turkish shows that specificity with the accusative ending.

A useful contrast:

• Avukat dava kazandı. = The lawyer won a case / won cases (less specific, more general)
• Avukat davayı kazandı. = The lawyer won the case (a particular case)

So -ı helps signal that the object is definite/specific.

That y is a buffer letter (sometimes called a linking consonant).

Turkish does not usually like two vowels coming directly together between a noun and a suffix. Since dava ends in a vowel and the accusative suffix begins with a vowel, Turkish inserts y:

• dava
  • ı → not preferred
• dava + y + ı → davayı

This happens in many Turkish words:

• arabayı
• odayı
• masayı

Because it is the subject of the sentence, and subjects are often in the basic form in Turkish. This basic form is sometimes called the nominative.

So:

• avukat = lawyer
• no extra ending is needed here, because it is the one performing the action

In Avukat davayı kazandı, avukat is the subject: the lawyer is the one who won.

By itself, avukat can mean either the lawyer or a lawyer, depending on context, because Turkish has no articles like the or a/an.

So a bare noun like avukat does not automatically tell you definiteness the way English does. The context tells you which is intended.

In this sentence, English often translates it as The lawyer won the case, but in another context it could also be understood as A lawyer won the case.

Kazandı comes from the verb kazanmak, which means to win.

Breakdown:

• kazan- = verb stem
• -dı = simple past tense ending

So kazandı means won.

In this sentence, it is third person singular:
he/she won or the lawyer won.

Turkish usually does not need a separate word for he/she here, because the subject can be understood from context or from the noun avukat.

Because Turkish suffixes often change according to vowel harmony.

The past tense suffix has four common vowel forms:

• -dı
• -di
• -du
• -dü

The verb stem here is kazan-, and its last vowel is a, which is a back unrounded vowel. That is why the suffix appears as -dı.

So:

• kazan-
  • -dı → kazandı

You may also notice that in some verbs the past ending appears with t instead of d after certain consonants, but here the stem ends in n, so d is used.

Because the normal Turkish word order is Subject–Object–Verb.

So:

• Avukat = subject
• davayı = object
• kazandı = verb

This gives:

Avukat davayı kazandı.

English usually prefers Subject–Verb–Object, but Turkish commonly puts the verb last.

Yes. Turkish word order is flexible, but changing it usually changes the focus or emphasis, not the basic meaning.

For example:

• Avukat davayı kazandı. = neutral order
• Davayı avukat kazandı. = emphasizes the lawyer
• Kazandı avukat davayı. = possible in special contexts, but much less neutral

So the original sentence is the most straightforward, standard way to say it.

Not exactly invisible, but Turkish often does not use subject pronouns unless needed.

Since kazandı already tells you it is third person singular, Turkish does not need to say o (he/she) unless there is a reason for emphasis or contrast.

So instead of saying something like O avukat davayı kazandı, Turkish can simply say:

Avukat davayı kazandı.

This is very natural.

A simple approximate pronunciation is:

ah-voo-KAHT dah-vah-YUH kah-zahn-DUH

A few helpful notes:

• v in avukat is a normal v
• dava has two open a vowels
• yı in davayı contains ı, which is the Turkish undotted ı; it is not the same as English ee
• kazandı also ends with that same ı sound

Word by word:

• avukat
• davayı
• kazandı

If you are learning pronunciation, the most important thing here is to notice that ı is a separate vowel in Turkish and should not be pronounced like English i in machine.

Yes. Kazandı is the simple past, so it presents the action as a completed event in the past.

So the sentence means that the winning already happened and is finished.

It is not:

• is winning
• wins in a general sense
• has won as a separate present perfect form

It is simply a completed past action: won.