Questions & Answers about Ben üniversiteye başvuruyorum.
Why is ben used at the beginning when başvuruyorum already shows “I am applying”?
In Turkish the verb ending -um on başvuruyorum already marks first person singular, so ben is optional. You include ben only for emphasis or clarity. Otherwise you can simply say Üniversiteye başvuruyorum.
What does the suffix -ye in üniversiteye mean?
The suffix -ye is the dative case marker meaning “to” or “towards.” Since üniversite (university) ends in the vowel e (a front unrounded vowel), vowel harmony requires the dative vowel to be e, and we attach -ye (“y” for buffer + “e” for case).
Why is there a y before the e in üniversiteye?
Turkish avoids vowel‐to‐vowel junctions when suffixing. If a noun ends in a vowel and the suffix also starts with a vowel, an epenthetic consonant y is inserted. So üniversite + -e becomes üniversite + y + e = üniversiteye.
How is başvuruyorum formed from the infinitive başvurmak?