Learn Hardcore Turkish: Bugün arkadaşım geldi.

Arkadaş means friend, and the suffix -ım attaches to indicate possession, forming my friend. In Turkish, possessive suffixes are added directly to the noun.

What tense is indicated by the verb geldi, and how does it relate to its English counterpart?

Geldi is the simple past tense form of the verb gelmek (to come). It implies that the action was completed in the past, corresponding to came in English.

Why is the subject omitted in this sentence?

Turkish often drops the subject because the verb conjugation already shows who is performing the action. In geldi, the third-person singular ending tells us that the subject is implied, eliminating the need for an explicit subject.

How does the sentence structure in Bugün arkadaşım geldi differ from the typical English sentence structure?

Turkish usually follows a Subject–Object–Verb order. However, in this sentence, the time adverb (bugün) comes first, followed by the noun with a possessive suffix (arkadaşım), and finally the verb (geldi). In contrast, English follows a Subject–Verb–Object order, as seen in “My friend came today.”

Can the sentence be rearranged without changing its meaning, and if so, what effect does that have?

Yes, Turkish word order is flexible. For instance, saying Arkadaşım bugün geldi still means “My friend came today.” Rearranging the components can shift the emphasis—for example, putting bugün at the beginning emphasizes the timing of the visit.