Ben minderde kitap okuyorum.

I am reading a book on the cushion.

Breakdown of Ben minderde kitap okuyorum.

• ben: I
• kitap: the book
• okumak: to read
• -de: on

Questions & Answers about Ben minderde kitap okuyorum.

What is the locative case, and why is minderde formed with -de?

The -de in minderde is the locative case suffix, which expresses “in/on/at something.” In Turkish you attach -da/-de/-ta/-te directly to a noun to show location. Because minder ends in a front vowel e and a voiced consonant r, vowel and consonant harmony give you -de:
 • minder + de → minderde (“on the cushion”)

Why doesn't kitap take an accusative suffix like -ı here?

Turkish marks definite (specific) direct objects with the accusative suffix -ı/-i/-u/-ü. If you’re talking about “reading a book” in general (indefinite), you leave kitap unmarked.
 • Ben minderde kitap okuyorum = “I’m reading (a) book on the cushion.”
If you want to say “I’m reading the book,” you’d add the suffix:
 • Ben minderde kitabı okuyorum = “I’m reading the book on the cushion.”

Why is there no article equivalent to the or a before kitap?

Turkish does not have separate words for “a” or “the.” Instead, definiteness is shown by whether you add the accusative suffix:
 • Unmarked noun = indefinite (“a …”)
 • Noun + accusative = definite (“the …”)
So there’s simply no article word in Turkish.

How is the present continuous tense formed in , and why is the suffix and not ?