Elon.io is an online learning platform
We have an entire course teaching Turkish grammar and vocabulary.
Questions & Answers about Ben bahçeye çiçek ekiyorum.
Why is there an -e suffix on bahçeye instead of -de?
In Turkish, the -e suffix is the dative case marker, showing direction (“to” or “into”). So bahçeye means “to/into the garden,” emphasizing that you’re placing (planting) flowers into the soil. The -de suffix would be the locative case (“in the garden”), which focuses on location rather than movement. With verbs like ekmek (to sow/plant), Turkish normally uses the dative to express that you are moving seeds or plants into the ground.
Why is çiçek not marked with an accusative suffix -i (like çiçeği)?
Turkish marks definite direct objects with the accusative suffix -i (adjusted by vowel harmony). Indefinite or non-specific objects remain bare. Here çiçek is indefinite (“flower(s)” in general), so it has no suffix. If you meant “the flower” or “these flowers” specifically, you’d say çiçeği ekiyorum or çiçekleri ekiyorum.
What does ekmek mean here, and is it always “to plant”?
Literally ekmek means “to sow” or “to plant” seeds and crops. It’s most appropriate for planting seeds (e.g. domates ekiyorum – “I’m sowing tomatoes”). When planting already-grown saplings or potted plants, Turks often use dikmek (“to plant/stick into the ground”), as in çiçek dikiyorum for “I’m planting flowers” (young plants).
What tense and aspect is expressed by -iyor in ekiyorum?
The suffix -iyor marks the present continuous tense in Turkish (equivalent to English “I am …ing”). It indicates an ongoing or habitual action. You then add the personal ending (-um, -sun, -uz, etc.) to show who is doing the action.
What is the role of -um at the end of ekiyorum?
The -um ending is the first-person singular agreement suffix. It tells you the subject is “I.” So ek-iyor-um combines the root ek (“to plant”), the continuous marker -iyor, and the personal ending -um → “I am planting.”
Why is Ben used at the beginning? Can it be omitted?
Ben means “I,” but it’s optional because the verb ending -um already indicates first-person singular. Native speakers often drop ben unless they want to emphasize or contrast “I” as opposed to someone else. So Bahçeye çiçek ekiyorum is perfectly natural.
Why is the word order Ben bahçeye çiçek ekiyorum instead of Ben çiçek bahçeye ekiyorum?
The default Turkish sentence structure is Subject–IndirectObject–DirectObject–Verb (S-IO-DO-V). Here that gives Ben (S) bahçeye (IO) çiçek (DO) ekiyorum (V). You can rearrange for emphasis, but the neutral order places the dative phrase before the direct object and the verb at the end.
Could I say bahçem instead of bahçeye to mean “my garden”?
Bahçem means “my garden” in the nominative case. If you want “to my garden,” you need the dative ending: bahçeme. If you want “in my garden,” you’d use the locative: bahçemde. So Bahçeme çiçek ekiyorum = “I am planting flowers in my (own) garden.”
Can I use dikmek instead of ekmek for planting flowers?
Yes. Dikmek is commonly used when you plant saplings or potted plants (“stick them into the ground”). Ekmek is more for sowing seeds. So çiçek dikiyorum is very natural if you’re planting young flower plants, while çiçek ekiyorum suggests you’re sowing seeds or very small seedlings.
How do I express “I am planting flowers” if I mean multiple flowers?
Add the plural suffix -ler to çiçek: çiçekler. Since they’re still indefinite, you don’t need the accusative suffix.
Example: Ben bahçeye çiçekler ekiyorum. – “I am planting flowers.”
If you meant specific flowers, you’d say çiçekleri ekiyorum (with the accusative -leri).
How would I ask “What are you planting in the garden?” in Turkish?
Use ne for “what” and adjust the verb ending for second person singular:
Bahçeye ne ekiyorsun? – literally “To the garden what are you planting?”