Learn Hardcore Turkish: Doğrama tahtasını çıkar, spatulayı da ocağın yanına koy. - Take out the cutting board, and put the spatula next to the stove.

doğrama tahta-sı: a noun–noun compound meaning “cutting board.” The head noun tahta takes the 3rd-person possessive-like marker -sı as a compound marker.
Then we add the definite direct-object (accusative) ending -(n)ı: since the word already ends in a vowel (…-sı), we insert the buffer n → tahta-sı-nı. So doğrama tahtasını = “the cutting board” (as a specific, definite object).

When do I need the accusative on objects in Turkish?

Use the accusative for specific/definite direct objects.

Doğrama tahtasını çıkar. Take out the cutting board. (the specific one)
Bir doğrama tahtası çıkar. Take out a cutting board. (an unspecified one) Leaving the object bare without accusative typically implies non-specific or generic; with commands, using bir helps signal “a/an.”

Why is there an -n- in tahtasını and a -y- in spatulayı?

They’re buffer consonants used to attach vowel-initial suffixes:

After 3sg possessive (…-sı/-si/-su/-sü), case endings take a buffer n: tahta-sı-nı.
After a vowel-final noun with no possessive, accusative uses buffer y: spatula-yı.

How does vowel harmony pick the accusative vowel in spatulayı and tahtasını?

The accusative is -(y)ı, -(y)i, -(y)u, or -(y)ü depending on the last vowel of the stem/compound:

spatula ends in back unrounded a → -yı → spatulayı.
tahtası ends in back unrounded ı → -nı → tahtasını. Front vowels (e, i, ö, ü) would trigger -i/-ü accordingly.

What does the clitic da in spatulayı da mean, and why is it placed there?

The clitic da/de means “also/too.” It’s written separately and attaches to the element being contrasted or added.

Spatulayı da highlights that the spatula is an additional item (in addition to the cutting board).
It follows the focused word: you can move da to shift the focus (see below).

Could I use ve instead of da? Is there a difference?

Yes, you could say …çıkar ve spatulayı ocağın yanına koy.

ve = “and,” neutral coordination.
da/de = “also/as well,” implying addition to something already mentioned or done, and it places focus on the word it follows.

What’s the structure of ocağın yanına?

It’s a genitive–possessive compound plus the dative:

ocak (stove) + genitive -ın → ocağ-ın (k → ğ softening before a vowel)
yan (side) + 3sg possessive -ı → yan-ı (“its side” = “the side of”)
Dative -(y)a, but after a 3sg possessive you use buffer n: yan-ı-na Altogether: ocağ-ın yan-ı-na = “to the side of the stove” → “next to the stove.”

Why is it yanına (dative) and not yanında (locative)?

Because koymak (to put) implies motion toward a location, so you need the dative “to.”

ocağın yanına koy = put it next to the stove (onto/into that spot).
ocağın yanında = next to the stove (static location), e.g., “It is next to the stove.”

Why is ocak spelled ocağın here with ğ?

Consonant softening: word-final k often becomes ğ before a vowel-initial suffix.

ocak + ın → ocağın (genitive). The ğ lengthens the preceding vowel; it’s not pronounced like a hard g.

Are çıkar and koy imperatives? How would I make them polite or plural?

Yes, bare stems çıkar and koy are 2nd-person singular imperatives (informal).

Plural/polite: çıkarın, koyun.
More polite request: Doğrama tahtasını çıkarır mısın? Spatulayı da ocağın yanına koyar mısın? (Would you…?)

Can I change the word order? For example, Spatulayı ocağın yanına da koy?

Yes. Turkish is flexible with word order for focus:

Spatulayı da ocağın yanına koy. Focus on “the spatula too.”
Spatulayı ocağın yanına da koy. Focus on the destination: “also to next to the stove” (implies there’s another place you’re putting it as well).
Ocağın yanına spatulayı da koy. Focus on the destination first. Default is object(s) before the verb; the verb usually comes last.

Is da here the same as the locative suffix -da/-de?

No. The clitic da/de meaning “also/too” is:

Written separately.
Does not change to ta/te. The locative case -da/-de/-ta/-te is a suffix attached to a noun and undergoes devoicing (d→t) after voiceless consonants.

Could I say çıkart instead of çıkar? Is there a difference?

Both are widely used. Çıkar- is historically shorter; çıkart- is a variant. In most everyday contexts they’re interchangeable:

çıkar / çıkart = take out, remove. Some style guides prefer çıkar-, but you’ll hear both.

What’s the negative imperative?

Add -ma/-me to the verb stem:

Çıkarma! Don’t take it out!
Koyma! Don’t put it! You can still keep the objects: Doğrama tahtasını çıkarma, spatulayı da ocağın yanına koyma.

Why not add onu for “it”? For example, Spatulayı onu ocağın yanına koy?

Turkish doesn’t use a separate object pronoun when the noun itself is already present. Spatulayı is the direct object; adding onu would be redundant. Use onu only when the object is not otherwise stated.

Any tips on pronunciation here?

c in ocak/ocağın is like English j in jam.
ğ lengthens the previous vowel: ocağın ≈ o-jaa-ın.
ı (dotless i) is a back, unrounded vowel, like the vowel in Rosa’s final a in some accents: yanına [ya-nɯ-na].
Stress often falls near the end of phrases; natural rhythm helps more than strict stress rules in multiword commands.

Is kesme tahtası more common than doğrama tahtası?

Both are understood. Kesme tahtası and doğrama tahtası are near-synonyms for “cutting/chopping board.” Regional or personal preferences vary; you’ll hear both.