Kitapları kartona sarıp depoya yerleştirdik.

We wrapped the books in cardboard and placed them in the warehouse.

Breakdown of Kitapları kartona sarıp depoya yerleştirdik.

• kitap: the book
• yerleştirmek: to place
• -a: to
• -ıp: and
• depo: the warehouse
• sarmak: to wrap
• karton: the cardboard

Questions & Answers about Kitapları kartona sarıp depoya yerleştirdik.

What do the suffixes in kitapları tell us?

kitap = “book”
-lar = plural (books)
-ı = definite accusative (marks “the books” as a specific direct object)

Together kitapları means “the books” (plural and definite) as the object of the verb.

Why is kartona in the dative case (-a)?

In Turkish, when you wrap something into/in a container, that container noun takes the dative.
karton (cardboard) + -a → kartona = “into/on-to the cardboard.”

What is the function of the suffix -ıp in sar + ıp?

-Ip is a converb (verbal adverb) that links two verbs sharing the same subject.
sar- = “wrap” → sarıp means “having wrapped…”
It shows that once the wrapping was done, the next action (placing) followed.

Could we use sararak instead of sar + ıp? What’s the difference?

Yes. sararak depoya yerleştirdik is also correct.
• -arak is another converb, often emphasizing the manner (“by wrapping…”)
• -ıp is more neutral, simply sequencing two completed actions (“wrapped, then placed”).

Why is depoya dative instead of locative (depoda)?

-a (dative) = “to/into” expresses movement toward a place.
We placed (moved) the books into the warehouse → depoya.
depoda (locative) would mean “at/in the warehouse” without implying movement there.

Can we say kartonla sarıp instead of kartona sarıp? Is there a nuance?

Yes.
• kartonla sarıp uses the instrument suffix -la (“with cardboard”)
• kartona sarıp uses the dative to stress wrapping into/around the cardboard
Both convey “wrapped in/with cardboard,” with only a slight focus shift.

How is yerleştirdik built, and what exactly does it mean?

yerleş = “settle”

• causative -tir → yerleştir = “make settle, arrange/place”
• past -di
  • 1st pl. -k → yerleştirdik = “we placed/arranged (them).”
    It implies a systematic, orderly storing rather than just “putting” something down.

Why isn’t there an explicit subject pronoun like biz?

Turkish verbs encode person in their endings.
The final -k of yerleştirdik already means “we,” so biz is optional and usually dropped.

How does vowel harmony determine -Ip in sarıp?

The converb -Ip has four variants (-ıp, ‑ip, ‑up, ‑üp) to match the root’s last vowel:
• roots with a, ı, o, u take -ıp/-up
• roots with e, i, ö, ü take -ip/-üp
Here sar- has a, so we use sarıp (not sarip or sarup).