Learn Hardcore Turkish: Mezuniyet günü yaklaşıyor.

The -ü on günü here is not the accusative suffix but the third-person singular possessive marker. In Turkish noun-noun compounds (like oda kapısı “door of the room”), the second noun takes a possessive ending to mean “the X of Y.” So Mezuniyet günü literally means “graduation’s day,” i.e. graduation day.

How can I tell if -ü is a possessive suffix or the accusative case when they look the same?

Look at the verb’s requirements. Yaklaşmak in this sentence is intransitive (“to get closer”), so it has no direct object and therefore no accusative. Also, the phrase Mezuniyet günü is a fixed compound meaning “graduation day.” When you see a noun followed by another noun with a 3rd-person possessive ending (-ı, ‑i, ‑u, ‑ü), it’s typically a compound, not an object.

Why is yaklaşıyor in the present continuous form instead of using the future tense?

In Turkish, the present continuous tense (-ıyor) can express that something is definitely coming soon—similar to English “is approaching” or “is coming up.” You could say yaklaşacak, but yaklaşıyor emphasizes the nearness of the event, making it feel more immediate.

Do I need a subject pronoun like o before yaklaşıyor?