Learn Hardcore Turkish: Hafta sonu ailemizle restorana gidip yemek yedik. - Over the weekend, we went to a restaurant with our family and had a meal.

Hafta sonu translates to weekend. In Turkish, time expressions like these are often positioned at the start of the sentence to set the temporal context for the actions that follow.

How is ailemizle constructed, and what does it signify?

The word ailemizle is built from aile (meaning family), the possessive suffix -miz (meaning our), and the instrumental suffix -le (meaning with). Together, it means with our family.

What is the function of restorana in this sentence, and which case is it in?

Restorana means to the restaurant. It is in the dative case, indicated by the suffix -a, which is used to express direction or destination of an action.

Why is the verb gidip used instead of a simple conjunction, and how does it work?

Gidip is a conjunctive form derived from gitmek (to go) with the -ip suffix. In Turkish, this suffix links sequential actions. Here, it shows that the speakers first went to the restaurant, and then, with the final verb, they ate. It effectively functions like saying went and... in English without having to repeat the auxiliary verb.

How does the verb form yedik indicate both tense and subject in this sentence?

Yedik is in the simple past tense and is conjugated for the first-person plural, which means we ate. In Turkish, the verb ending carries information about both the tense and the subject, so the subject pronoun (in this case, we) is typically omitted because it is implied.

Why is it common in Turkish to omit explicit subject pronouns like we in sentences such as this one?

Turkish relies on extensive verb conjugations that provide clear information about the subject. Since yedik already indicates that the subject is we in the past tense, there is no need to state the subject explicitly. This omission is a regular feature of Turkish syntax and helps keep sentences concise.