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Questions & Answers about Bu haber beni şaşırttı.
Why is it beni and not ben or bana?
- ben = I (subject form). Example: Ben şaşırdım = I was surprised.
- beni = me (accusative, direct object). Here, the verb is transitive and takes a direct object: Bu haber (subject) + beni (object) + şaşırttı (verb).
- bana = to me (dative). You use this with verbs that govern the dative, e.g., with intransitive şaşırmak: Bu habere şaşırdım = I was surprised at this news.
Can I say Bu haber beni şaşırdı? If not, why?
No. şaşırmak is intransitive (“to become surprised”), so it can’t take a direct object like beni. To make “surprise someone,” you need the causative verb şaşırtmak. Correct options:
- Bu haber beni şaşırttı. (This news surprised me.)
- Bu habere şaşırdım. (I was surprised at this news.)
What’s going on with the double t in şaşırttı?
It’s morphology plus sound harmony:
- Base verb: şaşır- (to be surprised)
- Causative: add -t → şaşırt- (to cause someone to be surprised, i.e., to surprise)
- Past simple suffix: -DI. Because the stem ends in a voiceless consonant (t), -DI surfaces as -tı; and because the last vowel is back unrounded (ı), vowel harmony gives tı.
- Combine: şaşırt + tı → şaşırttı. Parallel with other verbs: korkut–tu (from korkmak), unut–tu (from unutmak) also show a double t.
What’s the difference between Bu haber beni şaşırttı and Bu habere şaşırdım?
- Bu haber beni şaşırttı uses the causative: the news actively caused my surprise.
- Bu habere şaşırdım uses the intransitive: I became surprised at the news. Both are natural; the first highlights the news as the agent/trigger, the second highlights your reaction.
Is the word order fixed? Can I move beni around?
Turkish is flexible (default S–O–V). All of these are grammatical, with different emphases:
- Bu haber beni şaşırttı. neutral/default
- Beni bu haber şaşırttı. emphasizes that it was specifically this news (not something else)
- Bu haber şaşırttı beni. emphasizes the object beni (“me”) The element nearest the verb or sentence end often gets the focus.
Why is haber singular when English says “news”?
In Turkish, haber is countable:
- haber = one item/piece of news
- haberler = news items; also “the news” (as a broadcast) So Bu haber literally means “this (piece of) news.” You’d use haberler for multiple items or a program: Bu akşamki haberler beni şaşırttı.
How do I pronounce şaşırttı, especially the vowel ı?
- ş = “sh” as in “shy”
- ı (dotless i) = a central, unrounded vowel; like the vowel in the second syllable of “sofa” or “roses” in many accents
- tt spans the stem-final t and the past -tı; just hold a crisp voiceless “t” Roughly: sha-shur-ttuh (with a very short final vowel).
How do I make it negative or a yes/no question?
- Negative: Bu haber beni şaşırtmadı. (This news didn’t surprise me.)
- Yes/no question: Bu haber beni şaşırttı mı? (Did this news surprise me/you/him… depending on context?) The question particle mı/mi/mu/mü is written separately and harmonizes with vowels.
How can I express different tenses/aspects with this verb?
- Present continuous: Bu haber beni şaşırtıyor. (It is surprising me / It keeps surprising me.)
- Future: Bu haber beni şaşırtacak. (It will surprise me.)
- Present perfect nuance in English (“has surprised me”) is usually just -DI in Turkish: Beni şaşırttı also covers that meaning in context.
Can I drop the object beni?
You usually keep it if you mean “me.” Without it, the sentence is grammatical but vague/generic:
- Bu haber şaşırttı. = This news surprised [people/others/someone]. If the identity of the object is clear from context, it can be omitted; otherwise, include beni.
How do I say “me too” or “even me” here?
- Bu haber beni de şaşırttı. = This news surprised me too.
- Bu haber beni bile şaşırttı. = This news surprised even me. Note: de/da is a clitic written separately and follows vowel harmony; bile means “even.”
How do I intensify it (really/very much surprised)?
Common adverbs:
- Bu haber beni çok şaşırttı. (…really/very much surprised me.)
- Bu haber beni gerçekten şaşırttı. (…really surprised me.)
- Bu haber beni epey/oldukça şaşırttı. (…quite/pretty much surprised me.)
Are there natural alternatives to şaşırtmak?
Yes, depending on tone/register:
- Bu haber beni şoke etti. (…shocked me.) [colloquial/loan]
- Bu haber beni hayrete düşürdü. (…astonished me.) [formal]
- Bu haber beni afallattı / şaşkına çevirdi. (…stunned/baffled me.)
Could I use bu/şu/o with haber? What changes?
They’re demonstratives with distance/attention nuances:
- Bu haber = this news (near me/just mentioned)
- Şu haber = that news (a bit farther/that one over there)
- O haber = that news (farther away or previously known)