Uygulamada onay butonunu bulamıyorum.

I can’t find the approve button in the app.

Breakdown of Uygulamada onay butonunu bulamıyorum.

• bulmak: to find
• uygulama: the app
• onay butonu: the approve button

Questions & Answers about Uygulamada onay butonunu bulamıyorum.

What does each part of the sentence do?

• Uygulamada: “in the app” (locative case: -da/-de/-ta/-te)
• onay butonunu: “the confirm/approval button” as a specific object (compound noun + definite accusative)
• bulamıyorum: “I can’t find (right now)” (present progressive with “cannot” sense)

The neutral order is Location + Object + Verb, with the verb at the end.

Why is it uygulama-da and not uygulama-de or uygulama-ta?

It’s the locative suffix -DA with vowel and consonant harmony:

• Last vowel of uygulama is back (a), so choose back form -da (not -de).
• The preceding sound is a vowel (voiced), so use d (not t). Hence: uygulamada.

Could uygulamada also mean “in practice (as opposed to theory)”?

Yes. Uygulamada can mean “in practice.” In this sentence, context (mentioning a button) makes it clear it’s “in the app,” but the word is ambiguous without context.

Why is it onay butonunu and not just onay butonu or butonu?

• onay butonu is an indefinite compound “approval button” formed with a 3rd-person possessive on the head noun: buton-u.
• To mark a specific, definite object, you add the definite accusative -(n)I. Because the noun already has a 3rd-person possessive, you need the buffer -n-: buton-u-nu → butonunu.
• So onay butonunu = “the confirm button (as a specific thing).”
• If you said onay butonu (no accusative), it would read as “a confirm button” (non-specific).

What exactly is going on morphologically in onay butonunu?

• onay (approval) + buton (button) form an indefinite compound.
• Head noun takes 3rd-person possessive: buton + u → butonu.
• Then add definite accusative with buffer n: butonu + nu → butonunu.
• Full breakdown: onay + buton-u + (n)u → onay butonunu.

Why not say butonunu bulmuyorum? What’s the difference with bulamıyorum?

• bulmuyorum = “I am not finding / I am not looking/choosing to find” (simple negation of the action).
• bulamıyorum = “I can’t manage to find (right now)” (inability at the moment). In everyday speech, bulamıyorum is the natural way to say “I can’t find (it).”

How is the “can’t” meaning expressed in bulamıyorum?

It’s the common “cannot” pattern with present progressive:

• bul-a-ma-yor-um: root bul- (find) + an inserted -a- before the negative -ma- gives the sense of inability in the ongoing moment, + -yor (progressive) + -um (1sg). Compare: gelmiyorum (I’m not coming) vs gelemiyorum (I can’t come).

What’s the difference between bulamıyorum and bulamam?

• bulamıyorum (present progressive) = “I can’t find (right now / at the moment).”
• bulamam (aorist) = “I can’t find (in general / as a rule).” Choose based on whether the inability is situational or general.

How would I say “I can find it,” “I found it,” and “I couldn’t find it (past)”?

• “I can find it”: Bulabiliyorum (or contextually just buluyorum if it’s obvious you mean you can).
• “I found it”: Buldum.
• “I couldn’t find it”: Bulamadım.

Do I have to say ben?

No. The verb ending -um already shows 1st person singular. Ben is optional and used for emphasis: Ben … bulamıyorum.

Can I replace the object with “it”?

Yes: Uygulamada onu bulamıyorum = “I can’t find it in the app.” Here onu is the 3rd-person pronoun in accusative.

Is there flexibility in word order?

Yes, Turkish is flexible for emphasis/focus:

• Neutral: Uygulamada onay butonunu bulamıyorum.
• Focus on the object: Onay butonunu uygulamada bulamıyorum. The finite verb still tends to come last.

Is buton the best word here? What about düğme or tuş?

• buton is common in UI/tech for on-screen buttons.
• düğme often feels more physical (e.g., a shirt button) but is also used in software by some speakers.
• tuş is usually a key (keyboard/remote). For an on-screen “Confirm,” buton (or the button labeled Onayla) is safest.

Why does the accusative look like -nu and not just -u?

When a 3rd-person possessive noun takes a case ending, Turkish inserts a buffer -n-:

• Possessive: butonu
• Accusative after possessive: butonu + nu → butonunu

If the button simply doesn’t exist, how would I say that?

Use “there isn’t” instead of “can’t find”:

• Uygulamada onay butonu yok. = “There is no confirm button in the app.”

What if I mean “I can’t press the confirm button”?

Use the verb basmak with dative:

• Uygulamada onay butonuna basamıyorum. (to the button + basmak)

Any pronunciation tips for tricky letters here?

• ı in bulamıyorum is the dotless i, a back unrounded vowel (like a relaxed “uh” but not exactly English schwa).
• Final vowels in suffixes follow harmony: butonunu has back rounded u’s to match o/u in buton.