Breakdown of Penceremin pervazına lavanta koydum.
benim
my
koymak
to put
pencere
the window
-a
to
-in
of
pervaz
the sill
lavanta
the lavender
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Questions & Answers about Penceremin pervazına lavanta koydum.
Why does it use both penceremin and pervazına? What’s this structure?
It’s the genitive–possessive construction: “the sill of my window.”
- pencerem-in = of my window (possessor in genitive)
- pervaz-ı-na = to its sill (possessed with 3sg possessive -ı, then dative -a with buffer -n) Turkish marks both sides: the possessor gets genitive (-in) and the possessed gets a possessive suffix (-ı).
Why is it pervazına and not just pervaza?
Because the possessed noun in a genitive–possessive chain must carry a possessive suffix. Here, pervazı is “its sill,” and then the dative -a is added. After a possessive suffix, Turkish uses the buffer consonant -n- before a case ending: pervazı + n + a → pervazına. Without a possessor, you’d have plain dative: pervaz + a → pervaza.
Why the dative case (-a) on the sill? Isn’t “on the sill” a location?
With verbs of putting/placing like koymak, Turkish uses the dative to mark the destination (movement onto/into). So pervazına means “onto the sill.” If you’re describing location (no movement), you use the locative: pervazda = “on the sill.”
Why is lavanta bare (no case ending)? Should it be lavantayı?
Bare lavanta is an indefinite direct object (“some lavender”). If you’re talking about specific/known lavender, use accusative: Lavantayı penceremin pervazına koydum (“I put the lavender …”).
Could I say pencere pervazına or pencere pervazıma instead?
- pencere pervazı is the compound “windowsill.” To say “onto the windowsill,” you can use pencere pervazına (no owner implied).
- To say “onto my windowsill,” you can attach 1sg possessive to the compound head: pencere pervazım-a → pencere pervazıma. Your sentence uses a full genitive–possessive chain instead: penceremin pervazına (“onto the sill of my window”).
Why not pencerem pervazına?
Because in a genitive–possessive chain the possessor must take the genitive suffix. pencerem is “my window” (nominative); it must become penceremin (“of my window”) before the possessed noun (pervazı) is stated.
Can I change the word order?
Yes, Turkish is flexible, but the default is [Place] [Object] [Verb]. Some natural variants:
- Lavanta( y)ı penceremin pervazına koydum (focus on the object, definite if with -yı)
- Penceremin pervazına koydum lavanta (colloquial focus on destination or new info at the end) The verb typically stays at the end unless for emphasis or in speech.
Do I need to say Ben?
No. The subject is encoded in koydum (“I put”). You can add Ben for emphasis or contrast: Ben penceremin pervazına lavanta koydum.
What’s the difference between using just the dative (pervazına) and saying pervazının üstüne/üzerine?
They both work with placement verbs. pervazına already implies “onto.” pervazının üstüne/üzerine adds explicit “onto the top of,” which can be more visual or emphatic.
What exactly is pervaz? Are there other words for “windowsill”?
pervaz is the trim/frame around a window (and a door: kapı pervazı). For the windowsill (the ledge), many speakers also say:
- denizlik (stone/outer sill; also used generally)
- cam kenarı, pencere önü (colloquial “window ledge/front”) Your sentence reads naturally as “onto the windowsill,” even though pervaz literally means the frame.
How are the suffix vowels chosen in pervazına and koydum?
Vowel harmony:
- Dative -a/-e matches back/front vowels. pervaz- has back vowels, so -a → pervaza / pervazına.
- Past -dı/-di/-du/-dü matches the last vowel of the stem. koy- has o, so -du: koy-du-m → koydum.
Why is it koydum and not koydım or koytun?
- Vowel harmony picks -du, not -dı, after o: koy-du-.
- The 1st person singular ending is -m, giving koydum (“I put”). koytun would be 2nd person singular colloquial in some dialects; standard 2sg is koydun.