Learn Hardcore Turkish: Proje yöneticisine ilave kaynak talebinde bulundum. - I requested additional resources from the project manager.

The suffix -e is the dative case marker in Turkish, meaning “to” or “for.” So proje yöneticisine literally means to the project manager, showing who the request is directed at.

Why doesn’t ilave kaynak have its own case ending in the sentence?

In ilave kaynak talebinde bulundum, ilave kaynak modifies the noun talebi (“request”). The main verb is bulundum, and the object is the entire noun phrase ilave kaynak talebi in the locative case (talebinde). Since ilave kaynak is part of that noun phrase, it doesn’t take a separate case suffix here. If you rephrased it with talep etmek, you could mark ilave kaynak with the accusative:
Proje yöneticisine ilave kaynağı talep ettim.

What’s the difference between talep etmek and talebinde bulunmak?

Both mean “to request,” but talep etmek is a direct verb (“to request something”), while talebinde bulunmak is a more formal, idiomatic construction. Literally it’s:
talep (request) + -i (3rd-person possessive) + -nde (locative) + bulunmak (to be present)
together conveying “to make a request.”

Why does talebinde end with the locative suffix -nde?

In the fixed phrase talebinde bulunmak, -nde is the locative case, meaning “in” or “within.” Attaching it to talebi (“his/her request”) gives talebinde (“in the request”), and combining that with bulunmak yields the idiomatic “to make a request.”

What is the function of the suffix -i in talebinde?

The -i is the 3rd-person singular possessive suffix on talep, producing talebi (“his/her/its request”). In talebinde bulunmak you always use this 3rd-person possessive, even if the requester is yourself—it’s part of the idiom.

Why is ilave used instead of ek, and are they interchangeable?

Both ilave and ek mean “additional” or “extra.” ilave is borrowed from Arabic and feels more formal; ek is native Turkish and more colloquial. In a business or formal context like this one, ilave kaynak (“additional resource”) is preferred.

Can I rephrase the sentence more simply?

Yes. A simpler but less formal version is:
Proje yöneticisinden ek kaynak talep ettim.
Here -den (“from”) marks the person you ask, ek kaynak is “extra resource(s),” and talep ettim simply means “I requested.”

Could I drop ilave kaynak and just say Proje yöneticisine talepte bulundum?

Absolutely. talepte bulundum means “I made a request.” So Proje yöneticisine talepte bulundum translates as “I made a request to the project manager,” leaving out what you requested.