Salataya kişniş ekliyorum.

I am adding cilantro to the salad.

Breakdown of Salataya kişniş ekliyorum.

• eklemek: to add
• -ya: to
• salata: the salad
• kişniş: cilantro

Questions & Answers about Salataya kişniş ekliyorum.

Why is salata followed by -ya?

The verb eklemek (“to add”) requires the thing you’re adding to be in the dative case, which corresponds to English “to.” In Turkish the dative suffix is -(y)e / -(y)a. Salata ends in a back vowel a, so you add -ya (with buffer y because the word ends in a vowel), giving salataya (“to the salad”).

Why doesn’t kişniş have an accusative suffix?

Turkish only marks definite direct objects with the accusative suffix -(y)i / -(y)u / -(y)ü / -(y)ı. Here kişniş (“cilantro/coriander”) is indefinite (“some cilantro”), so it remains in its bare form. If you meant “the cilantro” you could say kişnişi.

How is ekliyorum constructed?

1. Start with the verb root ekle- (“to add”).
2. Attach the progressive suffix -iyor: ekle + yor → ekl + iyor → ekliyor.
3. Add the first-person singular suffix -um: ekliyorum = “I am adding.”

How do we know the subject is “I” when there’s no word for “I” in the sentence?

Turkish is a “pro-drop” language: personal pronouns are often omitted because the verb ending already tells you the subject. The -um in ekliyorum signals first-person singular, so the hidden subject is ben (“I”).

Can I use katmak instead of eklemek?

Yes, both katmak and eklemek can mean “to add.” In cooking contexts eklemek is the more common choice for adding ingredients, while katmak emphasizes mixing something into a whole. So Salataya kişniş katıyorum is also grammatically correct.

How would I say “I’m adding some cilantro” if I really want to stress “some”?

You can use biraz (“a little/some”). For example:
Salataya biraz kişniş ekliyorum.

What if I want to talk about adding cilantro to multiple salads?

Pluralize salata with -lar and then take the dative:
salatalar + a → salatalara, giving
Salatalara kişniş ekliyorum (“I am adding cilantro to the salads”).

Could I swap the order and say Kişnişi salataya ekliyorum?

Yes. Turkish word order is relatively flexible. Placing kişnişi (with the accusative if it’s definite) first shifts emphasis onto the cilantro. The original Salataya kişniş ekliyorum emphasizes the destination (“to the salad”) first.