Ben kalem sayısını artırıyorum.

I am increasing the number of pens.

Breakdown of Ben kalem sayısını artırıyorum.

• ben: I
• kalem: the pen
• artırmak: to increase
• sayı: the number

Questions & Answers about Ben kalem sayısını artırıyorum.

Why is the subject pronoun Ben explicitly included in this sentence, even though Turkish verbs already indicate the subject?

In Turkish, the verb ending shows who is doing the action, so subject pronouns can often be dropped. However, Ben (‘I’) is included here either for extra clarity or emphasis. It makes the sentence unmistakably personal even though it isn’t always necessary in everyday conversation.

Why does only sayı receive the accusative ending in kalem sayısını, while kalem remains unchanged?

In expressions like kalem sayısı (‘number of pens’), sayı is the head noun of the compound phrase. Since the entire noun phrase is the definite direct object of the verb, the accusative marker -ı is added only to the head noun. Kalem acts as an attributive modifier, so it does not take any case ending.

What tense and aspect does arttırıyorum express, and how is this form constructed?

Artırıyorum is in the present continuous tense for the first person singular. It’s built from the root of arttırmak (‘to increase’) plus the continuous aspect suffix -ıyor (which adjusts according to vowel harmony) and then the personal ending -um. This construction conveys that the action is ongoing—as in “I am increasing.”

Why is the noun phrase kalem sayısı marked with the accusative case in this sentence?

In Turkish, when a direct object is definite or clearly specified, it receives an accusative ending. Although kalem sayısı is a compound noun (with sayı as its head), the entire phrase is treated as a specific object. Therefore, the accusative suffix -ı is attached to sayı to mark it as the definite direct object of arttırıyorum.

How does vowel harmony influence the formation of arttırıyorum?

Turkish vowel harmony requires that suffix vowels harmonize with the vowels in the verb root. Since arttır- contains the vowel a, the continuous suffix is rendered as -ıyor rather than -iyor or -uyor. Adding the first person ending -um after that creates arttırıyorum, which perfectly follows the rules of vowel harmony.