Ben haritayı duvara yapıştırıyorum.

I am sticking the map on the wall.

Breakdown of Ben haritayı duvara yapıştırıyorum.

• ben: I
• duvar: the wall
• harita: the map
• -a: to
• yapıştırmak: to stick

Questions & Answers about Ben haritayı duvara yapıştırıyorum.

Why do we add the suffix -ı to harita, making haritayı, instead of leaving it as harita?

In Turkish, a direct object that is definite or specific takes the accusative case. The accusative suffix for back, unrounded vowels (like the a in harita) is -ı. Because harita ends in a vowel, we insert a buffer consonant y before the suffix.
• harita + y + ı → haritayı

What is the -a in duvara, and why is it used here?

The suffix -a marks the dative case in Turkish, which often indicates direction toward something. Here, you’re pasting the map onto/to the wall, so duvara means “to the wall.”

Can you break down the form yapıştırıyorum into its parts? What does each part mean?

Certainly. yapıştırıyorum =
• yapıştır-: verb stem meaning “to paste” or “to stick”
• -ıyor: progressive tense marker (“–ing”)
• -um: 1st person singular suffix (“I”)
Put together, “I am pasting/sticking ….”

Why is the pronoun Ben used here if the verb already tells us “I”?

Turkish verbs carry person/number information in their suffixes, so Ben (“I”) is optional. You include it mainly for:
• emphasis: “I myself am the one doing it.”
• contrast: “I’m doing it (but someone else isn’t).”
Otherwise you can simply say Haritayı duvara yapıştırıyorum.

Why does the verb come at the end of the sentence?

The basic word order of Turkish is Subject–Object–Verb (SOV). In your sentence:
• Subject: Ben
• Object: haritayı
• Indirect object/directional: duvara
• Verb: yapıştırıyorum

How do vowel harmony and buffer letters work in haritayı?

1. Vowel harmony: Turkish suffix vowels must harmonize with the last vowel of the stem. harita ends in a (a back, unrounded vowel), so the accusative suffix is -ı (back, unrounded).
2. Buffer letter: Two vowels can’t sit side by side, so we insert y to join them. Thus harita + y + ı = haritayı.

Could we use yapıştırırım (simple present/aorist) instead of yapıştırıyorum (progressive)? What would change?

Yes, but the meaning shifts:
• yapıştırıyorum = “I am pasting right now” (action in progress)
• yapıştırırım = “I paste, I will paste” in a general or habitual sense (“whenever I need a map, I stick it on the wall”).
For a single ongoing action, use the -iyor progressive form.