Learn Hardcore Turkish: Cep telefonum bozuk.

The -um suffix is the first-person singular possessive ending, meaning my. Turkish has four variants (-ım/-im/-um/-üm) that follow vowel harmony. Since telefon ends in the back, rounded vowel o, we attach -um (not -im, -ım, or -üm) to get telefon-um (“my phone”).

Why don't we use benim in the sentence?

In Turkish, possession is usually shown with a suffix on the noun, so you don’t need the separate pronoun benim (“my”). The -um in telefon-um already means my. You could say Benim cep telefonum bozuk for emphasis or contrast, but in everyday speech benim is omitted.

Why is there no verb equivalent to “is” in Cep telefonum bozuk?

Modern Turkish drops the copula to be in the present tense. You simply place the subject (here, cep telefonum) followed by the predicate adjective (bozuk). The meaning “is broken” is understood without a separate word.

What part of speech is bozuk, and where does it come from?

bozuk is an adjective meaning broken or out of order. It derives from the verb bozulmak (“to break down”), formed by removing -mak and adding -uk/-ük in accordance with vowel harmony.

How would I say “My cell phone is not broken”?

Insert the negation değil (“not”) after the adjective:
• Cep telefonum bozuk değil.
This literally reads “My cell phone broken not.”

How do I ask “Is my cell phone broken?”

Use the question particle mu (which harmonizes to mu after bozuk’s u):
• Cep telefonum bozuk mu?
Rising intonation finalizes the question: “Is my cell phone broken?”

What does cep mean in cep telefonu?

cep literally means pocket. As a compound, cep telefonu is “pocket telephone,” i.e. cell phone or mobile phone.

Can I say Telefonum bozuk instead of Cep telefonum bozuk?

Yes. Telefonum bozuk also means “My phone is broken,” but it’s more general (it could be a landline or office phone). Cep telefonu specifically indicates a mobile/cell phone.

What’s the difference between Cep telefonum bozuk and Cep telefonum bozuldu?

Cep telefonum bozuk describes a state: “My phone is broken.”
Cep telefonum bozuldu uses the past-tense verb bozulmak (“to break”), meaning “My phone broke” (focusing on the action of breaking).

Why is bozuk after cep telefonum and not before?

Here bozuk is a predicate adjective, so it follows the subject (cep telefonum). If you place it before the noun (bozuk telefonum), it becomes an attributive adjective: “my broken phone” (a noun phrase), not a full sentence meaning “is broken.”