Damla göle düştü.

A drop fell into the lake.

Breakdown of Damla göle düştü.

• -e: to
• düşmek: to fall
• göl: the lake
• damla: the drop

Questions & Answers about Damla göle düştü.

Why is there no article like a or the before Damla or göle?

Turkish does not have articles equivalent to English a or the. In Damla göle düştü, damla can mean “a drop” or “the drop” depending on context. If you specifically want “a drop,” add bir:
Bir damla göle düştü – “A drop fell into the lake.”

Why is Damla capitalized here? Is it a name?

It’s capitalized because it’s the first word of the sentence. damla is a common noun meaning “drop” and would be lowercase in the middle of a sentence. (By the way, Damla can also be a female name in Turkish, but here it simply means “drop.”)

What does the -e ending in göle mean?

The -e suffix marks the dative case, indicating motion toward or into something. So göle means “to the lake” or “into the lake.” Turkish expresses “to/into” with case endings rather than separate prepositions.

How do I know to use -e and not -a or -ye?

Turkish vowel harmony dictates which vowel you choose. Since göl has a front vowel ö, you use the front vowel suffix -e. You only insert a buffer consonant -y- (forming -ye) if the noun ends in a vowel; göl ends in a consonant, so you get göle.

What’s the difference between göle and gölde?

göle is the dative case (“to/into the lake”).
gölde is the locative case (“in/at the lake”).
Use -e for movement toward, and -de for location.

Why is the verb düştü, and how is this past tense formed?

düştü is the simple past (definite past) 3rd-person singular of düşmek (“to fall”). You add the past suffix -dü (vowel-harmonized to ü because düş has ü). Due to voicing assimilation, the suffix’s d becomes voiceless t after the voiceless consonant ş, yielding düştü.

If I want to emphasize “a drop,” can I say Bir damla göle düştü?

Yes. Placing bir before a noun makes it explicitly indefinite:
Bir damla göle düştü – “A drop fell into the lake.”

How would I say “The drop fell into the lake,” emphasizing “the drop”?

Since Turkish has no direct articles, you can use a demonstrative to indicate definiteness:
O damla göle düştü – “That drop fell into the lake.”

What if I want to say “into the inside of the lake” more explicitly?

You can use the genitive + dative construction:
göl → genitive gölün, plus içine → gölün içine düştü – “fell into the inside of the lake.”