Öğretmen ödevi bugün teslim etmemi istedi.

The teacher asked me to submit the homework today.

Breakdown of Öğretmen ödevi bugün teslim etmemi istedi.

• bugün: today
• öğretmen: the teacher
• ödev: the homework
• teslim etmek: to submit
• istemek: to ask

Questions & Answers about Öğretmen ödevi bugün teslim etmemi istedi.

What does the ending in teslim etmemi express, and how is it built?

It’s a nominalized verb phrase meaning “my submitting (it).” Morphology:

• teslim et- = to submit/hand in (light verb: noun + etmek)
• -me = verbal noun suffix (“submitting”)
• -m = 1st person singular possessive (“my”)
• -i = accusative case (marks the whole clause as the object of istedi)

So teslim et-me-m-i = “(that) I submit (it).” In Turkish, “that”-clauses after verbs like “want” are usually formed this way.

Why is ödevi in the accusative (-i) instead of just ödev?

Because it’s the direct object inside the subordinate clause and it’s definite (“the homework”). In Turkish, definite direct objects take accusative:

• Definite: ödevi teslim etmek = to submit the homework
• Indefinite: ödev teslim etmek = to submit homework (some/unspecified)

Here it’s clearly “the homework,” so ödevi.

Where is the “me” in the sentence? Why isn’t there beni?

The “me” is encoded by the 1st-person possessive on the nominalized verb: etme-m (“my submitting”). You don’t use beni here because the object of “want” is the whole clause teslim etmemi, not the pronoun “me” by itself.

Can I add benim or benden? What’s the difference?

• benim (genitive) marks the subject of the subordinate clause explicitly:
  Öğretmen benim ödevi bugün teslim etmemi istedi. = The teacher wanted that I be the one to submit it (emphasis on “I”).
• benden (ablative) marks the addressee/source of the request:
  Öğretmen benden ödevi bugün teslim etmemi istedi. = The teacher asked this of me. You can use either to clarify; often neither is necessary because -m in etmemi already shows “I.”

Could I say teslim etmeyi instead of teslim etmemi?

Not for this meaning.

• teslim etmemi = “that I submit (it)” (subject of the subordinate clause = “I”)
• teslim etmeyi = “to submit (it)” with no person marked; by default it attaches to the main clause subject.
  So Öğretmen ödevi bugün teslim etmeyi istedi means “The teacher wanted to submit the homework today” (the teacher as submitter), which is not the intended meaning.

Where can I place bugün? Does it change the meaning?

Yes, scope changes with position:

• Öğretmen ödevi bugün teslim etmemi istedi. = The submission should happen today.
• Bugün öğretmen ödevi teslim etmemi istedi. = Today, the teacher made this request (no claim about when the submission should happen). To say the submission is today, keep bugün inside the subordinate phrase (near teslim etmemi).

How would I say it in the present: “The teacher wants me to submit the homework today”?

Use present progressive on the main verb:
Öğretmen ödevi bugün teslim etmemi istiyor.

How do I negate it? Difference between “didn’t want me to…” and “wanted me not to…”?

Two different negations:

• “didn’t want me to submit” (negate the main verb):
  Öğretmen ödevi bugün teslim etmemi istemedi.
• “wanted me not to submit” (negate the subordinate verb):
  Öğretmen ödevi bugün teslim etmememi istedi.
  Here you see double -me: et-me-me-mi = “my not submitting.” It’s correct and normal.

Can I omit ödevi?

Only if the object is obvious from context. teslim etmek is transitive, so normally you keep the object:
Öğretmen ödevi bugün teslim etmemi istedi.
Omitting it (…bugün teslim etmemi istedi) is conversationally possible when everyone knows we’re talking about “the homework.”

What’s the nuance of istedi vs. rica etti vs. emretti?

• istedi = wanted/asked for (neutral “request/wish”).
• rica etti = politely asked/requested (more polite).
• emretti = ordered/commanded (authoritative).

Is teslim etmek the only way to say “submit”? How is it different from vermek?

• teslim etmek = to hand in/submit/deliver to an authority or recipient (formal/expected phrasing for assignments, packages, IDs).
• vermek = to give (more general). You can say ödevi vermek, but teachers and schools commonly use ödevi teslim etmek.

Why not use ki like English “that”? Can I say Öğretmen istedi ki…?

Turkish prefers nominalized clauses: …V-mesini istedi.
You can hear …istedi ki… in colloquial or influenced styles, but standard, natural Turkish uses the nominalization: Öğretmen ödevi bugün teslim etmemi istedi.

What’s the difference between istedi and istemiş?

• istedi (-di past) = plain past; the speaker presents it as a known/observed fact.
• istemiş (-miş past) = reported/inferred past; the speaker learned it indirectly or is inferring it.
  E.g., Öğretmen ödevi bugün teslim etmemi istemiş. = “Apparently the teacher wanted me to submit it today.”

How do I change the person (me/us/you/him/her/them)?

Change the possessive on the verbal noun:

• I: teslim etmemi
• you (sg): teslim etmeni
• he/she: teslim etmesini
• we: teslim etmemizi
• you (pl): teslim etmenizi
• they: teslim etmelerini Example: Öğretmen ödevi bugün teslim etmemizi istedi. = “The teacher wanted us to submit the homework today.”

Does Öğretmen mean “the teacher” or “my teacher”? Should it be Öğretmenim?

Turkish has no articles, so Öğretmen is understood as “the teacher” from context. If you specifically mean “my teacher,” say Öğretmenim. Both are possible depending on context:

• Öğretmen ödevi… = the (contextual) teacher
• Öğretmenim ödevi… = my teacher