Ekmeği üçe bölüyorum.

I am dividing the bread into three.

Breakdown of Ekmeği üçe bölüyorum.

• ekmek: the bread
• üç: three
• -e: to
• bölmek: to divide

Questions & Answers about Ekmeği üçe bölüyorum.

Why does ekmek change to ekmeği here?

• ekmek is the noun “bread.”
• In Turkish, when a direct object is definite or specific (here, “the bread”), we add the accusative suffix -i (adjusted for vowel harmony).
• The last vowel of ekmek is “e” (a front unrounded vowel), so we use -i: ekmek + i → ekmeki.
• For pronunciation, the “k” between vowels softens to “ğ,” giving ekmeği.

What does üçe mean and why is it in the dative case?

• üçe comes from üç (“three”) + the dative suffix -e.
• Literally it means “to three” or “into three.”
• In contexts of splitting or dividing, the dative marks the goal or result (“into three parts”).
• So ekmeği üçe = “the bread into three (pieces).”

How is the verb bölüyorum formed? What are its parts?

bölüyorum breaks down into three pieces:

1. böl- (root meaning “to divide”)
2. -üyor (present‐continuous suffix, vowel‐harmonized: ü matches the ö in böl)
3. -um (first‐person‐singular ending “I”)
   Combine: böl + üyor → bölüyor; then add -um. A small vowel adjustment yields bölüyorum (“I am dividing”).

Why isn’t there a word for “I” (ben) in the sentence?

• Turkish is a pro‐drop language: subject pronouns (ben, sen, o, etc.) are optional if the verb ending already shows the person.
• -um on bölüyorum tells you the subject is “I,” so ben is omitted unless you want to add emphasis.

Can I say the same idea using a different phrase, like “three pieces”?

Yes. A very common alternative is:
• Ekmeği üç parçaya bölüyorum.
– üç = three
– parçaya = “into pieces” (parça + dative -ya)
This is slightly more explicit (“into three pieces”) but means exactly the same as ekmeği üçe bölüyorum.

Is the word order always Object – Adverbial – Verb in Turkish?

• The default (unmarked) Turkish order is Subject-Object-Adverbial-Verb (S-O-X-V). Here the subject is dropped, so it reads: Object (ekmeği) – Adverbial (üçe) – Verb (bölüyorum).
• Turkish is fairly flexible, so you can rearrange for emphasis, but the verb usually comes last.

How would I say “I’m dividing the bread among three people” instead?

To specify people you’d say:
• Ekmeği üç kişiye bölüyorum.
– kişi = person, kişi+ye = to/among people
This makes it clear you’re distributing the bread to three people, not just cutting it into three pieces.

If I wanted to split something into a different number of parts, how would I change üçe bölüyorum?

Replace üç with the desired number and keep the dative suffix -e/-a:
• Four pieces: dörde bölüyorum
• Five pieces: beşe bölüyorum
…etc.
Examples: elmayı dörde bölüyorum (“I’m cutting the apple into four pieces”).