Yolda arkadaşımı gördüm.

I saw my friend on the way.

Breakdown of Yolda arkadaşımı gördüm.

• benim: my
• arkadaş: the friend
• görmek: to see
• yolda: on the way

Questions & Answers about Yolda arkadaşımı gördüm.

Why isn’t there an explicit subject like Ben at the beginning?

Turkish is a “pro-drop” language: subject pronouns are often omitted because the verb ending already tells you who is doing the action. In gördüm, the -m marks first-person singular (“I”). If you really want to stress “I,” you can say Ben yolda arkadaşımı gördüm, but in everyday speech Ben is usually dropped.

What does the suffix -da in yolda indicate?

The -da here is the locative case marker, meaning “in,” “on,” or “at.”
• yol (road) + -da → yolda = “on/along the road.”
Vowel harmony applies: o is a back vowel, so the locative ending is -da (not -de).

Why does arkadaşımı have two suffixes and what do they mean?

Break it down:

1. arkadaş = “friend”
2. -ım = first-person singular possessive → arkadaşım = “my friend”
3. -ı = accusative case marker for a definite/direct object → arkadaşımı = “my friend” (as a specific person I saw)

So arkadaşımı literally combines the possessor suffix (-ım) with the object-marker (-ı).

Why is the past‐tense suffix in gördüm -dü instead of -di?

Turkish tense/aspect markers follow vowel harmony. The root gör contains the front rounded vowel ö, so the past suffix takes the matching form -dü (front rounded), not -di. Then you add -m for “I.”
gör + dü + m → görü­düm → gördüm

Can I change the word order in this sentence and still be correct?

Yes. Turkish is fairly flexible, though the default is Adverbial–Object–Verb (AOV):
• Yolda arkadaşımı gördüm
You can front the object or location for emphasis:
• Arkadaşımı yolda gördüm (emphasizes arkadaşımı)
• Arkadaşımı gördüm yolda (less common, feels poetic or colloquial)
The verb generally stays at the end.

How would I say “I saw a friend on the road” if I don’t want to say “my friend” but “a friend” (indefinite)?

Use bir arkadaş for an indefinite object:
• Yolda bir arkadaş gördüm = “I saw a friend on the road.”
In casual speech you might even hear Yolda arkadaş gördüm, but bir makes the indefiniteness clearer.

What’s the difference between -da and -dan in yolda vs. yoldan?

-da (locative) means “in/on/at” → yolda = “on the road.”
-dan (ablative) means “from” → yoldan = “from the road.”
So Yoldan arkadaşımı gördüm would imply “I saw my friend coming from the road,” which shifts the nuance.