Dondurucuyu kontrol edip buz kalıplarını doldurdum.

I checked the freezer and filled the ice trays.

Breakdown of Dondurucuyu kontrol edip buz kalıplarını doldurdum.

• kontrol etmek: to check
• doldurmak: to fill
• -ip: and
• dondurucu: the freezer
• buz kalıbı: the ice tray

Questions & Answers about Dondurucuyu kontrol edip buz kalıplarını doldurdum.

What does the -ip in edip do here?

• The suffix -ip is a converb that links actions done by the same subject, usually in sequence.
• It makes the first verb non-finite and passes tense/person to the final verb. So in kontrol edip … doldurdum, both actions are in the past and done by “I,” because doldurdum carries past (-di) and 1sg (-m).

Why use edip instead of ettim or just ve?

• edip avoids repeating person/tense and makes the sentence flow as one action chain.
• You can also say: Dondurucuyu kontrol ettim ve buz kalıplarını doldurdum. It’s correct but slightly more segmented. -ip sounds more compact and natural for sequential actions with the same subject.

Why not kontrol ederek?

• -erek (e.g., ederek) usually expresses manner or simultaneity (“by/while doing”).
• edip typically marks a sequence (“did X and then Y”). Here, checking precedes filling, so edip is the better fit.
• If you say kontrol ettikten sonra, you explicitly mean “after checking,” which is also fine but more formal/explicit.

Where is the subject “I”?

• Turkish allows a null subject. The 1st-person past ending -dum in doldurdum tells us the subject is “I.”

Why is Dondurucuyu in the accusative (-yu)?

• kontrol etmek is transitive and takes a direct object. When the object is specific/definite, it gets accusative.
• dondurucu + (y)U → dondurucuyu:
  
  • 4-way harmony chooses -u (last vowel is u).
  • Buffer y is needed because the noun ends in a vowel.

Why does buz kalıplarını have an extra -n- before the accusative?

• buz kalıpları is a noun–noun compound (“ice molds/trays”), and such compounds carry a 3rd-person possessive-like linker on the head noun: kalıp + lar + ı.
• When you add a case suffix to a possessed/compound head, you insert buffer -n-:
  
  • buz + kalıp + lar + ı + n + ı → buz kalıplarını (accusative).
• So the -n- is not “random”; it’s the buffer between the compound’s possessive marker and the accusative.

Does kalıplarını mean “his/her/your ice trays” here?

• Not necessarily. In compounds like buz kalıpları, the 3rd-person possessive marker (-ı) is a grammatical linker, not real ownership.
• Contextually here it just means “the ice trays.” It could be ambiguous in isolation, but this compound reading is very common.

Could I say buz kalıpları doldurdum instead?

• Yes, that would be an indefinite direct object: “I filled ice trays (some trays).”
• buz kalıplarını doldurdum is definite: “I filled the ice trays (the specific ones we have in mind).” Both are grammatical; choose based on definiteness.

Why does kalıp become kalıpları in the plural but kalıbı in the singular?

• Consonant softening: p → b before a vowel-initial suffix.
  
  • Singular compound: buz kalıbı (p softens before vowel -ı).
  • Plural compound: buz kalıpları (no softening before -lar because -lar starts with a consonant).

What is the structure of doldurdum?

• Root: dol- (“to fill/become full”).
• Causative: doldur- (“to make fill,” i.e., “to fill something”).
• Past: -du (harmonized to -du here).
• 1st person singular: -m.
• Combined: doldurdum = “I filled.”

Is the word order here the default?

• Yes. Turkish is typically SOV. Objects come before the verb, and the -ip clause (kontrol edip) precedes the main verb (doldurdum).
• You can front items for emphasis, e.g., Buz kalıplarını, dondurucuyu kontrol edip doldurdum, but the given order is neutral and natural.

What happens if the subject changes between the two actions?

• -ip assumes the same subject. If subjects differ, use finite verbs (and often ve or a new clause):
  
  • Dondurucuyu kontrol ettim ve o buz kalıplarını doldurdu.

How is edip formed from etmek? Why not “etip”?

• With etmek, the stem-final t voices to d before vowel-initial suffixes: et- → ed-.
• Hence: ediyorum, edip, edecek, not “etiyorum/etip/etecek.” (Same pattern as gitmek → gidiyor, gidip.)

What’s the difference between dondurucu and buzluk?

• dondurucu: a freezer (standalone unit or the freezer section), more general/technical.
• buzluk: colloquial; often the freezer compartment of a fridge. In many contexts they’re interchangeable, but dondurucu sounds a bit more formal/specific.

Any pronunciation tips for the vowels?

• ı (dotless i): back, unrounded vowel [ɯ], as in kalıplarını. It’s not like English i.
• u: back, rounded [u], as in buz, dondurucu.
• Keep vowel harmony in mind; it drives suffix shapes like -u/-ı and buffer consonants y/n.