Üniversiteden beri bu şehri çok seviyorum.

(I have loved this city since university.)

Breakdown of Üniversiteden beri bu şehri çok seviyorum.

• çok: very
• bu: this
• sevmek: to love
• şehir: the city
• -den: from
• üniversite: the university
• beri: since

Questions & Answers about Üniversiteden beri bu şehri çok seviyorum.

What does the phrase Üniversiteden beri mean, and how is it constructed?

Üniversiteden beri literally translates as “since university.” It’s built from:

• Üniversite (“university”)
• the ablative case suffix -den (“from”)
• the postposition beri (“since”)
  Together they mean “from (the time of) university” → “since university.”

Why is Üniversite in the ablative case (Üniversiteden) rather than the nominative?

The postposition beri requires its preceding noun to be in the ablative case. In Turkish, whenever you say “since X,” you put -den/-dan on X and add beri. Without the ablative -den, beri cannot attach.

What exactly does the word beri do in this sentence?

Beri is a time postposition meaning “since.” It indicates that the action or state has continued from a certain point in time up to now. Here, it shows your loving this city started at university and still goes on.

Why is the direct object bu şehir marked with the accusative case (bu şehri)?

In Turkish, definite and specific direct objects take the accusative suffix -ı/-i/-u/-ü. Since bu şehir (“this city”) is a specific city known to both speaker and listener, it becomes bu şehri. If it were indefinite (“a city”), you would say bir şehir (no suffix).

Why is the verb seviyorum in the present continuous rather than a past tense?

Turkish doesn’t have a direct equivalent of the English present perfect. To express “I have loved this city since university,” you use the present continuous seviyorum plus the time expression beri. That combo shows the feeling began in the past and continues now. If you said sevdim (past tense), it would imply you loved it then but might not now.

Could I make the starting point more explicit by saying Üniversiteye başladığımdan beri bu şehri çok seviyorum? How does that differ from Üniversiteden beri?

Yes. Üniversiteye başladığımdan beri means “since I started university,” spelling out the action. Üniversiteden beri is an elliptical (shortened) form implying (Üniversiteye başladığımdan beri). Both convey the same time frame, but the longer version specifies the exact event.

Is Turkish word order flexible? Could I say Bu şehri üniversiteden beri çok seviyorum?

Absolutely. Turkish relies on case endings rather than strict word order. Bu şehri üniversiteden beri çok seviyorum is perfectly correct and retains the same meaning. Moving Üniversiteden beri can slightly shift emphasis but doesn’t alter the core idea.

What’s the difference between beri and itibaren when talking about time?

Both can be glossed as “since” or “from,” but:

• Beri emphasizes an ongoing state from a past point to now (dünden beri = “since yesterday, still ongoing”).
• İtibaren marks the start of something, often focusing on “as of” a point (yarından itibaren = “as of tomorrow,” possibly future).
  They’re not always interchangeable.

Could I use beğenmek instead of sevmek, for example Üniversiteden beri bu şehri çok beğeniyorum? What changes?

Yes, you could. Beğenmek means “to like” or “to find pleasing,” a milder sense. Sevmek is “to love,” expressing deeper affection. Choosing beğeniyorum → “I’ve liked this city since university,” whereas seviyorum → “I’ve loved this city since university.”

Can you break down the components of the verb form seviyorum?

Certainly. Seviyorum is formed by:

• sev- (root of sevmek, “to love”)
• -iyor- (progressive suffix, denotes ongoing action)
• -um (first-person singular suffix, “I”)
  Combined under vowel harmony and phonetic adjustments: sev-iyor-um → seviyorum (“I am loving” / “I have been loving”).