Learn Hardcore Turkish: Bekâr kardeşim evli çiftin tavsiyelerini ciddiye aldı. - My single sibling took the married couple’s advice seriously.

Bekâr: adjective meaning single/unmarried.
kardeşim: kardeş (sibling) + -im (1st person possessive) = my sibling.
evli çiftin: evli (married) + çift (couple) + -in (genitive) = of the married couple.
tavsiyelerini: tavsiye (advice/recommendation) + -ler (plural) + -i (3rd person possessive, required because of the genitive possessor) + -ni (accusative with buffer -n) = their recommendations (as a definite direct object).
ciddiye aldı: ciddi (serious) + -ye (dative, via buffer y) = ciddiye; + almak (to take) in simple past 3sg aldı = took seriously.
Word order is the usual S(ubject)-O(bject)-V(erb).

Why is bekâr written with a circumflex (â)? Can I write bekar?

The circumflex in bekâr marks a historically longer vowel and a slight palatal quality on the preceding consonant. In everyday typing many people omit it (bekar), and you’ll be understood. Dictionaries and formal writing prefer bekâr.

Does kardeşim mean my brother or my sister?

Kardeşim means my sibling and is gender-neutral. If you need to specify:

erkek kardeşim = my brother (younger or general)
kız kardeşim = my sister (younger or general)
ağabeyim/abim = my older brother
ablam = my older sister

Do I need to say benim before kardeşim?

No. The possessive suffix -im on kardeş already means my. Benim kardeşim is possible for emphasis or contrast (my sibling, not someone else’s).

Why is it evli çiftin and not just evli çift?

Because it’s the possessor in a genitive–possessive construction: evli çiftin (of the married couple) + possessed noun with a possessive suffix (tavsiyeleri). In Turkish, both sides are marked:

Possessor: genitive (-in) → çiftin
Possessed: 3rd person possessive (-i) → tavsiyeleri

Why does tavsiyelerini have so many endings?

It encodes plural, possession, and case:

tavsiye-ler-i-ni
- -ler = plural
- -i = 3rd person possessive (the couple’s)
- -ni = accusative (definite direct object; the buffer -n- is required after a possessive)

Why is the direct object in the accusative here?

Turkish marks a direct object with accusative -(y)i when it is specific/definite. evli çiftin tavsiyelerini refers to specific advice (the married couple’s advice), so the accusative is required.

Could I use singular tavsiyesini instead of plural tavsiyelerini?

Yes, but it changes the meaning:

tavsiyesini = his/her/their piece of advice (one recommendation)
tavsiyelerini = his/her/their recommendations (more than one) Note: English uncountable advice often maps to countable tavsiye in Turkish.

What exactly is ciddiye almak?

It’s a light-verb construction meaning to take seriously:

ciddi (serious) + dative -e → ciddiye
almak (to take) You can conjugate almak normally:
ciddiye alıyor (is taking seriously)
ciddiye almadı (didn’t take seriously)
ciddiye al (take seriously!)

How do I negate or form a question with this?

Negation: insert -ma- before the past ending: ciddiye almadı (didn’t take seriously).
Yes/no question: add mı/mi/mu/mü after the verb (vowel harmony): ciddiye aldı mı? (Did [he/she] take [it] seriously?)

Why is it aldı with dotless ı and -dı, not -di or -ti?

Vowel harmony: the past suffix is -DI; with the back vowel a in al-, it becomes -dı → aldı.
Consonant choice: d/t alternation depends on the preceding sound. Since l is voiced, you use d (not t).

Can I change the word order?

Yes, Turkish is flexible with order for focus:

Neutral: Bekâr kardeşim evli çiftin tavsiyelerini ciddiye aldı.
Object focus: Evli çiftin tavsiyelerini bekâr kardeşim ciddiye aldı. (It was my unmarried sibling who took them seriously.) Keep evli çiftin and tavsiyelerini together; they form one genitive–possessive noun phrase.

Can I separate ciddiye and aldı with other words?

Usually they stay adjacent, but adverbs and objects can appear before the verb:

Bekâr kardeşim tavsiyelerini pek ciddiye almadı.
Pronouns typically precede the light-verb unit: Onu ciddiye aldı. (He took him/her seriously.)

Is evli çift redundant since çift already means two people?

Çift means pair/couple, but evli çift specifies a married couple (vs. dating, engaged, business partners, etc.). So evli adds important information.

What if I say evli çifti ciddiye aldı instead?

That means he/she took the married couple seriously (i.e., the people), not their advice. The original sentence is about taking the couple’s advice seriously.

How would I say “my married sibling” in Turkish?

Evli kardeşim.
Similarly: evli ağabeyim/abim, evli ablam, evli erkek/kız kardeşim if you want age or gender.

How do I pronounce the special letters here?

ş = “sh” as in ship (e.g., kardeşim).
ç = “ch” as in chair (e.g., çift).
ı (dotless i) = a close back unrounded vowel, like the vowel in English “roses” final syllable; in aldı it’s not “i”.
â in bekâr can signal a slightly longer vowel; many speakers don’t distinguish it audibly.
Stress is usually on the final syllable of words: kar-de-şim, tav-si-ye-ler-i-ni, cid-di-ye, al-dı.

Why doesn’t the verb agree with çift (two people)? Shouldn’t it be plural?

The subject is bekâr kardeşim (singular), so the verb is singular aldı. evli çiftin tavsiyelerini is the object. Even when the possessor is conceptually plural, it doesn’t control verb agreement.

Is çift grammatically singular or plural? And does tavsiyeleri mean his/her or their?

çift is grammatically singular, though it denotes two people.
tavsiyeleri with 3rd person possessive can mean his/her or their; context disambiguates. Here, çiftin (the couple’s) makes it clear.

How would I make the subject plural: “My unmarried siblings took the married couple’s advice seriously”?

Bekâr kardeşlerim evli çiftin tavsiyelerini ciddiye aldılar.
Note the plural subject kardeşlerim and plural verb ending -dılar.

Do I need words for “a/the” in Turkish?

Turkish has no articles like “a/the.” You use:

bir to indicate indefiniteness (a/an): evli bir çiftin (of a married couple).
Accusative -(y)i to mark a specific/definite direct object: tavsiyelerini (the advice).
Context often supplies “the.”