Learn Hardcore Turkish: Bugünkü manşet herkesi şaşırttı, adam da yorum yazdı. - Today’s headline surprised everyone, and the man also wrote a comment.

Bugünkü means “today’s” and directly modifies a noun: bugünkü manşet = “today’s headline.”
Bugün is an adverb meaning “today” and doesn’t modify nouns. You can say:

Bugün, manşet herkesi şaşırttı. = “Today, the headline surprised everyone.” But to say “today’s headline,” you need bugünkü (or the genitive construction bugünün manşeti).

Why is it bugün+kü (bugünkü) and not bugün+ki?

The adjectival suffix -ki often appears as -kü after words whose last vowel is a front rounded vowel (like ü), hence dün+kü → dünkü, bugün+kü → bugünkü. With other vowels, you’ll see -ki: yarınki, akşamki, şimdiki.

What does manşet mean, and how is it different from başlık?

Manşet is “headline,” especially a prominent or front-page headline in news contexts.
Başlık is “title/headline/caption” more generally (book titles, article titles, section headings). In a news context, manşet feels more journalistic.

Why is it herkesi (with -i) instead of just herkes?

Because şaşırtmak (“to surprise [someone]”) is transitive and takes a direct object in the accusative.

herkes = “everyone” (nominative, subject)
herkesi = “everyone” (accusative, object)
Compare:
Herkes şaşırdı. = “Everyone was surprised.” (intransitive)
Manşet herkesi şaşırttı. = “The headline surprised everyone.” (transitive)

What’s the difference between şaşırdı and şaşırttı?

şaşırdı = “(someone) was surprised” (intransitive)
şaşırttı = “(someone) made (someone else) surprised” → “surprised (someone)” (causative, transitive)
The causative adds the meaning “cause to X.”

How is şaşırttı formed, and why are there two t’s?

Morphology:

şaşır- (be surprised)
- causative -t → şaşırt- (cause to be surprised)
- past -tı (3rd person singular) → şaşırttı
  The double t comes from the causative -t meeting the past -tı: …rt + tı → …rttı. Vowel harmony changes -di to -tı/-ti/-tu/-tü as needed.

What does da mean here in adam da yorum yazdı, and where does it go?

da/de (written separately) is an additive clitic meaning “also/too.” It attaches to the word it’s adding:

Adam da yorum yazdı. = “The man also wrote a comment.” (Focus: the man is also among those who wrote.) Because adam ends with a back unrounded vowel (a), you use da (not de) by vowel harmony.

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

No.

Additive da/de = “also/too,” written as a separate word: adam da.
Locative -da/-de = “in/at/on,” attached to the noun: adamda = “on/with the man.”
Spacing is the giveaway: separate for additive, attached for locative.

Can moving da change the meaning?

Yes, it changes what is being added:

Adam da yorum yazdı. → The man also wrote a comment (someone else wrote one, and he did too).
Adam yorum da yazdı. → He also wrote a comment (in addition to doing/writing something else).
Adam yorum yazdı da… (colloquial) can introduce “and what’s more…” or contrast, depending on intonation/context.

Why is there just a comma between the clauses instead of ve (“and”)?

Turkish often links closely related independent clauses with a comma. You could also use ve:

Bugünkü manşet herkesi şaşırttı ve adam da yorum yazdı. A period is also possible if you want two separate sentences.

Is adam definite (“the man”) or indefinite (“a man”) here? Why no bir?

Bare subjects like adam are typically read as definite/specific if context supports it.

Adam da yorum yazdı. → likely “The man also wrote a comment.”
For an indefinite “a man,” you’d prefer Bir adam da yorum yazdı (“A/another man also wrote a comment”).

Could I use a pronoun instead of adam?

Yes: O da yorum yazdı. = “He/She also wrote a comment.”
Use o when the referent is already clear. Adam can reintroduce or emphasize “the man/guy.”

What does yorum yazdı mean exactly? Any alternatives?

Literally “wrote a comment,” commonly used online as “posted a comment.” Alternatives:

yorum yaptı (very common)
yorum attı (colloquial)
yorum bıraktı (leave a comment)

Why isn’t manşet marked with any suffix?

It’s the subject in the nominative case, which is typically unmarked in Turkish. The direct object herkesi shows accusative marking because it’s affected by the action.

Could I instead say Bugün manşet herkesi şaşırttı?

Yes, but the meaning shifts:

Bugünkü manşet… = “Today’s headline…” (adjectival, specifying which headline)
Bugün, manşet… = “Today, the headline…” (adverbial time setting) Use bugünkü when you want to tie the noun itself to “today.”

How do I pronounce şaşırttı and manşet?

şaşırttı: sha-shur-ttuh. The double tt is a clear long [t]+[t] sequence; the final ı is the undotted vowel [ɯ], like a high back unrounded “uh.”
manşet: man-shet (with ş = English “sh”).