Learn Hardcore Turkish: Sizden çadırın fermuarını kapatmanızı rica ederim. - I kindly ask you to close the tent’s zipper.

It literally means “from you” and marks the person you’re asking something of. With rica etmek (to request), the usual pattern is “Birinden bir şeyi rica etmek” = “to ask someone for something.” So Sizden … rica ederim = “I request (this) from you.” It adds clarity and politeness. You can drop it and the sentence still works, but it’s a common, polite framing.

Why is it kapatmanızı and not just the infinitive kapatmak?

Turkish typically uses a nominalized verb with a possessive ending to express “that you do X” as the object of verbs like rica etmek.

kapat-ma-nız-ı = “your closing (it)” (accusative-marked object). Using plain kapatmak or kapatmayı sounds less natural in this request pattern because it doesn’t explicitly mark who is supposed to do the action. kapatmanızı encodes “you” as the subject of the embedded action.

Can you break down kapatmanızı morphologically?

Yes: kapat-ma-nız-ı

kapat-: verb stem “close”
-ma: nominalizer (turns the verb into “closing”)
-nız: 2nd person plural/formal possessive “your”
-ı: accusative case (because this whole phrase is the object of rica etmek) Vowel harmony gives back vowels here, so it’s -ma, -nız, -ı.

What does çadırın fermuarını mean, and why is it marked like that?

It’s a standard Turkish possessive construction “X-in Y-i” = “X’s Y.”

çadır-ın: “of the tent” (genitive)
fermuar-ı-nı: “its zipper” + accusative (3sg possessive -ı with buffer -n + accusative -ı) The accusative on fermuarını is because it’s a definite direct object inside the embedded clause: “close the tent’s zipper.”

Why is çadırın in the genitive (-ın)?

Because it’s the possessor in the “X’s Y” structure. In Turkish, the possessor takes genitive (-ın/-in/-un/-ün), and the possessed noun takes a 3rd person possessive suffix (-ı/-i/-u/-ü). So “çadır-ın fermuar-ı” = “the tent’s zipper.”

Is this sentence formal? How would I say it more neutrally or informally?

Yes, it’s quite formal/polite. Alternatives:

Polite/neutral: Lütfen çadırın fermuarını kapatır mısınız?
Polite (tentative): Çadırın fermuarını kapatabilir misiniz?
Informal (to one person): Çadırın fermuarını kapatır mısın?

Can I omit Sizden?

Yes. Çadırın fermuarını kapatmanızı rica ederim is perfectly fine. The possessive on kapatmanızı already tells us the addressee is “you (plural/formal).” Including Sizden adds explicitness and a polite, formulaic tone.

Can I use rica ediyorum instead of rica ederim? Any nuance?

Both are acceptable. Rica ederim is a set polite formula (somewhat formal). Rica ediyorum can feel a bit more immediate or conversational. For extra politeness, you can say: Sizden … rica edebilir miyim? (“May I request … from you?”)

But doesn’t Rica ederim mean “You’re welcome”?

It does as a stand-alone response to “Thank you.” In your sentence, it’s part of the verb phrase “I request.” Context distinguishes them:

Stand-alone reply to thanks: Rica ederim! = “You’re welcome.”
With an object clause: … rica ederim. = “I request/ask (that you …).”

Is “Sizden çadırın fermuarını kapatmayı rica ederim” acceptable?

Grammatically possible but less idiomatic. The natural pattern when asking someone to do something is to mark the embedded subject with a possessive: kapatmanızı. Without that, kapatmayı refers to “the act of closing” without clearly tying it to “you.”

How would I say it to one person informally?

With the same structure: Senden çadırın fermuarını kapatmanı rica ederim/ediyorum.
More natural in speech: Çadırın fermuarını kapatır mısın? or Kapatabilir misin?

Why are there two accusatives, fermuarını and kapatmanızı?

Because there are two levels:

Inner clause: fermuarını is the definite object of kapat-.
Main clause: kapatmanızı (the whole embedded action) is the object of rica etmek. Each clause marks its own object with accusative.

Can I change the word order?

The request frame Sizden … rica ederim is standard; keep the requested action between them.
Inside the embedded clause, objects typically come before the verb: çadırın fermuarını kapat-.
You can say Çadırın fermuarını kapatmanızı sizden rica ederim, but it’s marked/literary. Don’t swap the possessor order; çadırın fermuarı (not “fermuarını çadırın”).

Other natural ways to ask the same thing?

Çadırın fermuarını kapatır mısınız (lütfen)?
Çadırın fermuarını kapatabilir misiniz?
Fermuarı çeker misiniz (lütfen)? (very idiomatic for zipping up)
Softener: Zahmet olmazsa, çadırın fermuarını kapatır mısınız?

Is kapamak okay instead of kapatmak? And what about fermuarı çekmek?

Kapamak is an older/less common variant of kapatmak; both are understood. Kapatmak is more standard.
For zippers, fermuarı çekmek (“pull the zipper”) is very idiomatic for “zip up,” and fermuarı açmak for “unzip.”

How do I negate this kind of request politely?

Use the negative nominalized verb:

Çadırın fermuarını açmamanızı rica ederim. = “I kindly ask you not to open the tent’s zipper.” Pattern: verb + -ma/-me
- possessive (your) + accusative.

Pronunciation tips for tricky bits?

c in rica is pronounced like English “j” in “jam”: ri-ja.
ç in çadır is “ch.”
ı is the dotless ı, a back unrounded vowel (like a relaxed “uh”). So kapatmanızı ends with -nuh-zuh, roughly.