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Questions & Answers about Bu fikir bana ait.
What part of speech is ait, and what exactly does it mean here?
ait is a participial adjective meaning “belonging to” or “pertaining to.” It derives from the compound verb ait olmak (“to belong to”), but in everyday Turkish you usually drop olmak when simply saying something “belongs to” someone.
Why is bana in the dative case, and could I use a different case or a possessive suffix instead?
When you use ait, the owner must be in the dative (ending in -a/-e) because the literal sense is “it belongs to me.” Hence bana = “to me.” You can’t attach a genitive or possessive suffix to fikir in this structure—that would require a different construction (for example, fikrim = “my idea”).
Why isn’t there a copula like olmak or a suffix such as -dır in this sentence?
ait itself carries the meaning of “to belong,” so you don’t need olmak here. As for -dır (the general copula ending), it’s often omitted in spoken or neutral written Turkish when the meaning is clear. You could say Bu fikir bana aittir, but dropping -tir makes the sentence more natural and concise.
Can I say Bu fikir benim instead? What’s the difference?
Yes, Bu fikir benim is grammatically correct and means the same thing. However, it uses benim as a possessive pronoun (“mine”) instead of the ait construction. Both are common, but bana ait puts a little more emphasis on the notion of “belonging to” rather than simple possession.
How else can I express “my idea” in Turkish?
You have three main options:
1) Bu fikir benim – “This idea is mine.”
2) Bu fikir bana ait – “This idea belongs to me.”
3) Benim fikrim – “My idea.”
All convey possession, with subtle differences in emphasis and formality.
Can I move bana ait before the noun, as in bana ait fikir? Does that change the meaning?
Yes, you can say bana ait fikir (“a belonging-to-me idea”). This is more like a noun phrase—“the idea that belongs to me.” In a full sentence you’d usually add a copula or article: Bana ait fikir bu (“The idea that’s mine is this one”). Word order shifts often change emphasis but not the core meaning.
How do I negate this sentence to say “This idea doesn’t belong to me”?
You simply insert değil after ait:
Bu fikir bana ait değil.
Literally: “This idea to me belonging-to is not.”
Can I use ait with other nouns the same way?
Absolutely. You can pair ait with any noun to show possession:
- Bu kitap Ali’ye ait. (“This book belongs to Ali.”)
- Evin anahtarı size ait mi? (“Does the house key belong to you?”)
- Onlara ait dosyalar (“the files belonging to them”)
Just mark the possessor in the dative and follow it with ait.