Learn Hardcore Turkish: Oğlum sıkıcı filmi kapatıp kitap okumaya başladı. - My son turned off the boring film and started reading a book.

Because the possessive is already on the noun. oğul + -(u)m → oğlum means “my son.” Adding benim is optional emphasis (benim oğlum), not required.

Could oğlum be a form of address (“My son, …”) here?

It could, but punctuation shows the difference:

Subject: Oğlum sıkıcı filmi… (no comma) = “My son …”
Vocative/address: Oğlum, sıkıcı filmi… (with comma) = “My son, …”

Why is filmi in the accusative (-i)?

Because it’s a definite direct object of kapatmak. sıkıcı filmi = “the boring movie.”
If it were indefinite (“a boring movie”), you would not mark accusative: sıkıcı bir film (no -i).

Does the adjective sıkıcı change form with case or number?

No. Turkish adjectives don’t inflect for case/number. The case marking goes on the noun:

sıkıcı film (boring movie)
sıkıcı filmi (accusative: the boring movie)

What does the -ıp in kapatıp do?

It’s a converb (linking) suffix meaning “and (then), having ….” It chains same-subject actions.

Tense/person are not marked here; they come from the final verb (başladı).
Vowel harmony: -ıp / -ip / -up / -üp (here: kapat-ıp).

Can I say kapatıp ve?

No. Use either the converb or “ve,” not both.

Converb: … filmi kapatıp kitap okumaya başladı.
Coordinated finite verbs: … filmi kapattı ve kitap okumaya başladı.

Is kapatıp in the past tense?

No. Converbs are tenseless; the clause takes its tense from the main verb: başla-dı (past). The meaning is “(He) closed it and then started ….”

Can I replace kapatıp with kapattı?

Yes: Oğlum sıkıcı filmi kapattı ve kitap okumaya başladı.
This uses two full verbs and is a bit more explicit; -ıp is more compact but means the same sequence.

Why is it okumaya başladı and not okumak başladı?

With verbs of beginning/continuing/stopping (like başlamak), Turkish uses a verbal noun in -mA plus the dative -A/E:

oku-ma-ya başlamak = “to start reading”
This is the standard pattern (also: okula/işe başlamak with nouns in dative).

Why not okumayı başladı (accusative) or plain okumak başladı?

Because başlamak selects the dative, not the accusative, when it takes a verb-noun complement.

Correct: okuma-ya başladı
Not used here: okumayı başladı, okumak başladı

Why is there no accusative on kitap in kitap okumaya başladı?

Because this means he started the activity of reading (books) in general. The object is non-specific, so no accusative.
If it’s a specific book, use accusative: kitabı okumaya başladı = “he started reading the book.”

Do I need bir before kitap?

Not necessarily.

kitap okumaya başladı = started reading (books/in general) or began reading as an activity.
bir kitap okumaya başladı = he started one particular (unspecified) book.

What’s the “y” in okumaya?

A buffer consonant. okuma ends in a vowel, the dative -a/-e also begins with a vowel, so Turkish inserts y: okuma + y + a → okumaya. The same happens with many vowel-initial suffixes.

How is oğlum pronounced? What does ğ do?

ğ (yumuşak g) lengthens or smooths the preceding vowel; it’s not a hard “g.” oğlum sounds like “o:lum” (long “o” + “lum”).

Can I drop the subject oğlum?

Yes, Turkish is pro-drop. If context makes it clear: Sıkıcı filmi kapatıp kitap okumaya başladı. = “(He) closed the boring movie and started reading a book.”

Can the word order change?

Yes, for emphasis, while keeping the main verb at the end:

Neutral: Oğlum sıkıcı filmi kapatıp kitap okumaya başladı.
Emphasizing the new activity: Oğlum kitap okumaya, sıkıcı filmi kapatıp, başladı. (spoken pause)
Fronting for focus is possible, but avoid splitting fixed chunks unnaturally.

Is filmi kapatmak natural, or should it be durdurmak?

Both are used.

filmi kapatmak = colloquial “turn/close/stop the movie (on a device).”
filmi durdurmak = “stop the movie” (more precise for playback).
For devices you also hear televizyonu kapatmak (“turn off the TV”).

What’s the difference between sıkıcı and words like sıkılmış?

sıkıcı = “boring” (the thing causes boredom): sıkıcı film.
sıkılmış = “bored” (a person’s state): Oğlum sıkılmış. = “My son is bored.”
Don’t mix them: a film is sıkıcı, a person is sıkılmış.

Can you break the sentence down morphologically?

Oğlum = oğul (son) + -(u)m (my) → “my son”
sıkıcı = sık- (to bore) + -ıcı (adjective maker) → “boring”
film-i = film + -(y)I (accusative) → “the movie”
kapat-ıp = kapat- (to close/turn off) + -Ip (converb) → “closing/and (then) closed”
kitap = book (indefinite)
oku-ma-ya = oku- (read) + -ma (verbal noun) + -yA (dative) → “to reading”
başla-dı = başla- (start) + -DI (past 3sg) → “started”