Learn Hardcore Turkish: Müdür raporu bana imzalattı, sonra sekretere dosyayı tarattı. - The manager made me sign the report, then had the secretary scan the file.

They are causative forms. From the base verbs imzalamak (to sign) and taramak (to scan/comb), adding the causative suffix makes imzalatmak (to have/make someone sign) and taratmak (to have/make someone scan). The full forms here are:

imzala-t-tı = had/made (someone) sign (simple past, 3sg)
tara-t-tı = had/made (someone) scan (simple past, 3sg)

Why are bana and sekretere in the dative case?

In a causative built from a transitive verb (a verb that already takes a direct object), the “doer” of the caused action (the causee) is marked with dative. Since imzalamak and taramak both take direct objects, the people made to do them are dative: bana (to me), sekretere (to the secretary). The original objects stay as direct objects.

Why are raporu and dosyayı in the accusative?

They are definite direct objects. In Turkish, definite/specific direct objects take the -I accusative: rapor-u, dosya-yı. Without the accusative, the meaning tends toward an indefinite reading (e.g., “had a report signed” vs. “had the report signed”).

Could it be beni instead of bana?

Not here. With causatives of transitive verbs, the causee is dative: bana imzalattı. You use accusative for the causee when the base verb is intransitive, e.g., Ayşe’yi güldürdüm (I made Ayşe laugh). Here, imzalamak is transitive, so the causee is dative.

Can the word order change, and what changes if I move things around?

Yes, Turkish word order is flexible. The element immediately before the verb is typically in focus.

Müdür raporu bana imzalattı (focus on bana: to me)
Müdür bana raporu imzalattı (focus on raporu: the report) Both are grammatical; you choose based on what you want to emphasize.

Does the causative here mean “made” (by force) or “had/got” (arranged)?

It’s neutral by itself; context decides. You can add adverbs to clarify:

zorla imzalattı (made/forced to sign)
rica ederek imzalattı (got it signed by asking)
ayarlayıp tarattı (arranged to have it scanned)

Why is there a y in dosyayı but not in raporu?

When a noun ends in a vowel, Turkish inserts a buffer y before vowel-initial suffixes. dosya + ı → dosya-y-ı. rapor ends with a consonant, so no buffer is needed: rapor-u. The vowel of the accusative (-ı/-i/-u/-ü) follows vowel harmony based on the last vowel of the stem.

What’s with the double t in imzalattı and tarattı?

One t is the causative suffix, and the other is the past tense consonant. The past suffix is -(d)I, which surfaces as -tı/-ti/-tu/-tü after voiceless consonants like t, and harmonizes the vowel: t + tı → ttı.

What tense and person are these verbs?

Simple past, third person singular. -dı/-di/-du/-dü (or -tı/-ti/-tu/-tü after voiceless consonants) marks simple past; there’s no personal ending beyond that in 3sg. The subject here is Müdür (the manager).

How would the meaning change if I used imzaladı or taradı instead?

Then the manager would be doing the action himself:

imzaladı = he signed (it)
taradı = he scanned (it) The original sentence says he had others do these actions.

Can I omit the person who does the action (the causee)?

Yes. Turkish often omits the causee when it’s obvious or not important:

Raporu imzalattı (He had the report signed.)
Dosyayı tarattı (He had the file scanned.) Adding bana/sekretere specifies who carried it out.

Is there another common way to say “have someone sign”?

Yes, imza attırmak (literally “to make someone put a signature”) is very common and equals imzalatmak in meaning. Example: Müdür raporu bana imza attırdı.

Where can I put sonra, and are there alternatives?

You can place it at the start of the second clause or even sentence-initial:

Müdür raporu bana imzalattı, sonra sekretere dosyayı tarattı.
Müdür raporu bana imzalattı. Sonra sekretere dosyayı tarattı. Alternatives: daha sonra, ardından, ondan sonra.

How are causatives formed in general? Which suffix should I use?

Turkish has several causative patterns; many must be learned with the verb. Common ones include:

-t: imzala → imzalatmak, tara → taratmak, ağla → ağlatmak
-dir/-tir/-dır/-tır/-dur/-tur: gül → güldürmek, yaz → yazdırmak, aç → açtırmak
Other historical/lexical patterns: öl → öldürmek, otur → oturtmak, öğren → öğretmek Dictionaries list the causative; over time you’ll internalize which suffix fits which stem.

Is bana irregular?

Slightly. The dative of ben is bana (not bene), and the dative of sen is sana. Most nouns are regular, e.g., sekreter → sekretere.