Learn Hardcore Turkish: Annem, çocuklarına kahvaltı hazırlattı. - My mom had breakfast prepared for her children.

Hazırlattı is the causative form of the verb hazırlamak (to prepare). It means that my mother had someone else prepare breakfast for her children instead of doing it herself. In contrast, hazırladı in the simple past would indicate that she prepared the breakfast by herself.

How is the indirect object expressed in çocuklarına, and what does it signify?

Çocuklarına is formed by taking the noun çocuk (child), with an implied plural marker to indicate children, a possessive suffix that refers back to her (meaning “her children”), and the dative case ending -na which shows the indirect object (“to” or “for”). Therefore, it translates as “to her children.”

Why is there a comma after Annem in the sentence?

In Turkish, commas are often used to introduce a natural pause or to emphasize parts of a sentence. Here, the comma after Annem sets off the subject from the rest of the sentence, drawing attention to “my mother” before indicating what she arranged.

What does the word annem reveal about possessive constructions in Turkish?

The noun anne means “mother,” and when the first-person singular possessive suffix is added (in this case -m or -em following vowel harmony), it becomes annem, meaning “my mother.” This demonstrates that Turkish expresses possession by attaching suffixes directly to the noun.

Which verb tense and person is shown in hazırlattı?

Hazırlattı is in the simple past tense (geçmiş zaman) and is conjugated for the third person singular. It fuses the causative form of the verb with the past tense marker, indicating that the action—a preparation arranged by my mother—has already been completed.

What is the typical word order in Turkish, as illustrated by this sentence?

Turkish generally follows a Subject-Indirect Object-Direct Object-Verb order. In this sentence, Annem is the subject, çocuklarına is the indirect object, kahvaltı is the direct object, and hazırlattı is the verb, which differs from the common English Subject-Verb-Object structure.

Why isn’t the actual preparer (the agent of the causative action) mentioned in the sentence?

In Turkish, it is common to omit the agent in causative constructions when the focus is on the fact that the subject arranged the action rather than on who executed it. The sentence emphasizes that my mother had breakfast prepared for her children without specifying who performed the preparation.