Ben ödevimi öğretmene teslim ediyorum.

Elon.io is an online learning platform
We have an entire course teaching Turkish grammar and vocabulary.

Start learning Turkish now

Questions & Answers about Ben ödevimi öğretmene teslim ediyorum.

Why does ödevimi have two -i suffixes, and what do they mean?

Breakdown of ödevimi:

  • ödev = “homework”
  • -im = my (first-person singular possessive)
  • -i = accusative case (marks a definite/specific object)

So ödevim literally means “my homework,” and adding -i makes it “my homework” as a definite object (“the homework I’m handing in”).

In öğretmene, why does öğretmen take an -e ending?

The suffix -e is the dative case marker, meaning “to” or “toward.”

  • öğretmen = “teacher”
  • -e = “to”

Thus öğretmene = “to the teacher” (indirect object).

Can I omit the subject pronoun Ben in this sentence, and why is it included here?

Yes. Turkish verbs are conjugated for person, so Ben (“I”) is not strictly necessary. We include Ben only for:

  • Emphasis (“I, not someone else, am handing it in”)
  • Clarity or contrast

Without Ben, the sentence Ödevimi öğretmene teslim ediyorum still clearly means “I am handing in my homework to the teacher.”

What tense is teslim ediyorum, and how is it formed?

It’s the present continuous (“I am handing in”). Formation steps:

  1. Start with the compound verb teslim etmek (“to hand in”).
  2. Drop etmek, leaving teslim (noun) + et (light verb).
  3. Add the progressive marker -iyor to et, giving ediyor (note vowel assimilation: eted
    • iyor).
  4. Add first-person singular -um, yielding ediyorum.

Combine with teslim: teslim ediyorum = “I am handing in.”

Is teslim etmek written as one word or two, and why?

It’s a compound verb of a noun + light verb, so it’s written as two separate words:

  • teslim (noun “delivery”/“handing in”)
  • etmek (verb “to do/make”)

Together they mean “to hand in” or “to deliver.”

What is the typical word order in Turkish, and can this sentence be rearranged?

Turkish follows Subject–Object–Verb (SOV):

  • Ben (Subject)
  • ödevimi (Direct Object)
  • öğretmene (Indirect Object)
  • teslim ediyorum (Verb)

You can scramble objects or the subject for emphasis—e.g., Ödevimi ben öğretmene teslim ediyorum—but the verb normally stays at the end.

How do you pronounce the letter ö in ödevimi?

The Turkish ö is like the German “ö” or the vowel in English burn (without the “r”). To make it:

  1. Round your lips as if saying o.
  2. Produce the e sound (as in bed) with those rounded lips.
Where is the stress in ödevimi öğretmene teslim ediyorum?

Turkish words are generally stressed on the last syllable. So you stress:

  • ödeviMI
  • öğretmeNE
  • teslim ediyoRUM
Why isn’t there an apostrophe before the suffix in öğretmene?
Apostrophes are used only when attaching suffixes to proper nouns (names, titles). öğretmen is a common noun, so you attach -e directly with no apostrophe.