Bardak masanın üzerine düştü.

The glass fell onto the table.

Breakdown of Bardak masanın üzerine düştü.

• masa: the table
• bardak: the glass
• -ın: of
• düşmek: to fall
• üzerine: onto

Questions & Answers about Bardak masanın üzerine düştü.

Why is there no article before bardak?

Turkish does not use definite or indefinite articles like a or the. Nouns stand alone, and context tells you whether you mean “a glass” or “the glass.”

What case is bardak in, and why does it have no suffix?

Bardak (“glass”) is the subject of the sentence and so appears in the nominative case, which takes no suffix in Turkish.

What does the suffix -ın on masanın signify?

The -ın ending is the genitive case, marking masanın as “of the table.” Here it signals that masanın (the table) is the owner or reference point for the following postposition üzerine.

What is üzerine, and how does it work?

Üzerine is a postposition meaning “onto” or “on top of.” It combines the bound noun üzer (surface/top) with the dative suffix -ine, showing motion toward that surface. It requires its preceding noun to be in the genitive case (hence masanın üzerine).

Why not just say masaya düştü instead of masanın üzerine düştü?

• masaya (dative) means “toward the table” in a general sense and could imply falling next to or under it.
• masanın üzerine (“onto the table’s surface”) specifically stresses motion onto the tabletop. It’s more precise when you mean the glass ended up on top.

How is masanın üzerinde different from masanın üzerine?

• masanın üzerinde uses the locative suffix -de (“on”) and indicates a static location: “on the table.”
• masanın üzerine with the dative -e highlights movement onto the surface: “onto the table.”

Why is the verb düştü at the end of the sentence?

Turkish normally follows Subject–Object/Adverbial–Verb order (SOV). Here Bardak (subject) + masanın üzerine (adverbial phrase) + düştü (verb).

I thought the past tense suffix was -dı. Why is it -tü in düştü?

The past tense suffix in Turkish has two parts: a consonant (t/d) and a vowel (ı/i/u/ü):
• Consonant: chosen by voicing harmony (root-final ş is voiceless ⇒ t)
• Vowel: chosen by vowel harmony (root vowel ü ⇒ suffix vowel ü)
Together you get düş + t + ü = düştü (“it fell”).

Does the verb düşmek take a direct object?

No. Düşmek is intransitive (“to fall”), so it never takes an accusative object. The thing that falls is the subject.