Breakdown of Projeyi tamamladığımda müdürüm bana onay verdi.
benim
my
proje
the project
vermek
to give
ben
me
müdür
the manager
-a
to
-ınca
when
tamamlamak
to finish
onay
the approval
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Questions & Answers about Projeyi tamamladığımda müdürüm bana onay verdi.
Why does Projeyi have the suffix -yi?
In Turkish, a definite direct object (a specific thing) takes the accusative suffix -i/-ı/-u/-ü. Because proje ends in a vowel, you insert a buffer y and then i:
- proje + y + i = projeyi
This marks “the project” as the thing you completed.
What does tamamladığımda mean, and how is it formed?
tamamladığımda means “when I finished (it)”. It’s a single word made by combining:
- tamamla- (root: “to complete”)
- -dı (past tense marker)
- -ğım (1st person singular possessive: “my finishing”)
- -da (locative/time suffix: “in/when”)
Literally: “in the time of my finishing” → “when I finished.”
Can I use tamamlayınca or tamamladıktan sonra instead of tamamladığımda?
Yes, you have options:
- tamamlayınca = “when I finish” (more general or future-oriented)
- tamamladıktan sonra = “after I have finished”
- tamamladığımda = “when I finished” (specifically at the moment of finishing).
Choose based on nuance: past focus versus general/future or “after” emphasis.
Why is müdürüm used instead of simply müdür?
Turkish uses possessive suffixes. -üm is 1st person singular possessive, so müdürüm means “my manager.” If you just said müdür, it would be “the manager” without indicating whose.
Why is bana used here instead of ben?
bana is the dative case (“to me”), marking the recipient of an action. Since the manager is giving approval to you, you need the indirect object dative suffix -a/-e, not the nominative ben (“I”).
Why do we say onay verdi instead of using the verb onaylamak?
In Turkish, the collocation for “to give approval” is onay vermek (noun onay + verb vermek). Although onaylamak (“to approve”) exists, in many formal or bureaucratic contexts people prefer onay vermek.
The sentence is müdürüm bana onay verdi. Can I change the word order, for example müdürüm onay verdi bana?
Turkish word order is flexible because case endings show each word’s role. The neutral order is Subject-IndirectObject-DirectObject-Verb (S-IO-DO-V), i.e. müdürüm bana onay verdi. You can move bana to the end (müdürüm onay verdi bana) to emphasize “to me.” The verb generally stays last.
Why is the verb verdi in simple past instead of a perfect form like vermişti?
verdi is the simple past (-di) stating a completed action. vermişti is past perfect or reported past (“had given” or “apparently gave”), which adds nuance or backgrounding. Here, you’re simply reporting that your manager gave approval, so verdi is the natural choice.