Ben çikolatayla tatlı yapıyorum.

I am making a dessert with chocolate.

Breakdown of Ben çikolatayla tatlı yapıyorum.

• ben: I
• yapmak: to make
• tatlı: the dessert
• çikolatayla: with chocolate

Questions & Answers about Ben çikolatayla tatlı yapıyorum.

Why does çikolata take the suffix -yla in çikolatayla?

Turkish uses the instrumental case to mean “with” or “by means of.” The basic suffix is -le/-la, but because çikolata ends in a vowel, a buffer y is inserted. Vowel harmony then makes it -yla, so çikolata + yla = çikolatayla (“with chocolate”).

Why isn’t tatlı in the accusative case (e.g. tatlıyı)?

In Turkish you only mark a direct object with -ı/-i/-u/-ü (the accusative suffix) if it’s definite or specific. Here tatlı means “a dessert” (indefinite), so no accusative suffix is used. If you wanted to say “the dessert,” you’d use tatlıyı yapıyorum.

What is the difference between çikolatayla tatlı and çikolatalı tatlı?

çikolatayla tatlı literally means “dessert made with chocolate” (instrumental construction). çikolatalı tatlı uses the adjectival suffix -lı (“with/containing”) and means “chocolate dessert” (a dessert characterized by chocolate).

Why is the pronoun Ben included at the beginning of the sentence?

Turkish verbs are fully conjugated, so the ending -um in yapıyorum already tells you the subject is “I.” Ben is therefore optional and is used only for emphasis or clarity. You could simply say Çikolatayla tatlı yapıyorum.

Why is the verb yapıyorum in the present continuous tense instead of a simple present?

Turkish uses the present‐continuous/progressive tense to describe actions happening right now. The suffix -yor (harmonized as -ıyor here) plus the personal ending indicate “I am doing/making.” So yapıyorum = “I am making.”

How exactly is yapıyorum formed from the root yap-?

1. Root: yap- (“make/do”)
2. Add present‐continuous suffix -ıyor (vowel harmony from -yor)
3. Add first‐person singular ending -um
   Result: yap
   • ıyor
     • um = yapıyorum

Is the word order flexible? Could I say Ben tatlıyı çikolatayla yapıyorum?

Yes. Turkish is generally SOV, but you can reorder for emphasis. Ben tatlıyı çikolatayla yapıyorum places focus on the dessert with the accusative tatlıyı and still clearly means “I am making the dessert with chocolate.”