Öğretmen, bizim projeyi ne zaman bitireceğimizi sordu.

The teacher asked when we will finish the project.

Breakdown of Öğretmen, bizim projeyi ne zaman bitireceğimizi sordu.

• bizim: our
• proje: the project
• bitirmek: to finish
• öğretmen: the teacher
• ne zaman: when
• sormak: to ask

Questions & Answers about Öğretmen, bizim projeyi ne zaman bitireceğimizi sordu.

What is the literal, word‑for‑word breakdown of Öğretmen, bizim projeyi ne zaman bitireceğimizi sordu?

Here’s a close breakdown:

• Öğretmen – the teacher
• , – comma (just separates subject from the long object clause)
• bizim – our / of us (genitive of biz = we)
• projeyi – the project (accusative of proje)
• ne zaman – when
• bitireceğimiz – that we will finish (literally: our [will-finish])
  
  • bitir- – to finish (transitive, “finish something”)
  • -ecek – future tense / future participle marker
  • -imiz (→ -ğimiz after consonant change) – 1st person plural possessive “our”
• bitireceğimizi – same as above, plus -i accusative suffix
  
  • bitireceğimiz + i → bitireceğimizi (“that we will finish” as a direct object)
• sordu – asked (past tense 3rd person singular)

So structurally it’s like:
The teacher asked [our when we-will-finish-the-project].
Natural English: The teacher asked when we would finish the project.

Why is bizim used, not just biz?

In Turkish, when a verb is turned into a noun-like clause using forms such as -dik, -ecek, etc., the subject of that clause is normally put in the genitive case (the “of X” form).

• biz = we (nominative)
• bizim = our / of us (genitive)

In bizim projeyi ne zaman bitireceğimizi:

• The whole chunk “projeyi ne zaman bitireceğimiz” is a noun phrase = when we will finish the project.
• That noun-like clause has a subject: we.
• In this structure, the subject must appear in genitive: bizim.

So:

• biz projeyi ne zaman bitireceğiz? – normal finite clause question: When will we finish the project? (subject is nominative)
• bizim projeyi ne zaman bitireceğimiz – nominalized clause: when we will finish the project (subject is genitive)

Can I drop bizim and just say Öğretmen, projeyi ne zaman bitireceğimizi sordu?

Yes, that’s very natural and actually more common in context.

• The ending -imiz in bitireceğimizi already shows that the subject is “we”.
• Turkish often omits explicit pronouns when the person is clear from the verb ending.

So:

• Öğretmen, projeyi ne zaman bitireceğimizi sordu.
  is perfectly correct and normally understood as
  “The teacher asked when we would finish the project.”

Including bizim just makes the subject more explicit, but it’s not strictly necessary here.

What exactly does the form bitireceğimizi mean and how is it built?

bitireceğimizi is a complex form. Step by step:

1. bitir- – verb root: to finish (something)
2. -ecek – future marker: will finish
   
   • bitirecek – will finish
3. -imiz – 1st person plural possessive: our
   
   • bitirecek + imiz → bitireceğimiz
     (k → ğ between vowels is normal in Turkish)
   • bitireceğimiz – that we will finish / our will-finish
4. -i (→ -i with buffer -y-): accusative case marker
   
   • bitireceğimiz + i → bitireceğimizi

Function:

• As a whole, bitireceğimizi = that we will finish (it), in accusative case, because it is the object of “sordu” (asked).

So:

• Öğretmen, … bitireceğimizi sordu.
  = The teacher asked *(that) when we would finish (it).*

Why is projeyi in the accusative case (-i)?

Projeyi is the direct object of the inner verb bitirmek (“to finish something”).

Inside the noun-like clause bizim projeyi ne zaman bitireceğimizi:

• Verb idea: projeyi bitireceğiz – “we will finish the project.”
  
  • proje – project
  • projeyi – the project (accusative, definite object)

When this whole clause is nominalized, the internal object projeyi keeps its accusative marking:

• projeyi ne zaman bitireceğimiz – when we will finish the project.

So the -i on projeyi is required by normal transitive verb + definite object rules in Turkish, even though the verb has been nominalized.

Why does the English translation use “would finish” while the Turkish uses a future form (bitireceğimizi)?

Turkish -ecek in subordinate clauses often corresponds to English future-in-the-past (would …) in indirect speech.

• Direct question:
  Öğretmen sordu: “Projeyi ne zaman bitireceksiniz?”
  – The teacher asked: “When will you finish the project?”

• Indirect question:
  Öğretmen, projeyi ne zaman bitireceğimizi sordu.
  Natural English: The teacher asked when we would finish the project.

In English, when we report a past act of asking, we usually shift “will” to “would” (“backshifting”):
He asked when we *would finish, not when we **will finish*.

Turkish generally doesn’t do this kind of tense backshift in the same way. It just uses the future marker -ecek relative to the time of asking.

Why is the subject of sordu not repeated as a pronoun? Why not O sordu?

Turkish usually omits pronouns when they’re obvious from context or a previous noun.

• Öğretmen, … sordu.
  The subject of sordu is clearly öğretmen (the teacher), so adding o (“he/she”) would be redundant.
• You would use o only if you needed to contrast or emphasize:
  Öğretmen değil, o sordu. – Not the teacher, he asked.

Why is ne zaman placed in the middle of the clause, not at the beginning like in English?

Turkish word order is generally Subject – (Object) – Adverbials – Verb, and question words (like ne zaman = when) usually stay where their answer would go.

In bizim projeyi ne zaman bitireceğimizi:

• projeyi – object
• ne zaman – adverbial of time (“when”)
• bitireceğimizi – verb-based nominalized form

This corresponds to the answer:

• projeyi yarın bitireceğimizi – that we will finish the project tomorrow.

So the question word ne zaman stands where “yarın” (tomorrow) would stand.

You can move ne zaman somewhat:

• Öğretmen, ne zaman projeyi bitireceğimizi sordu. – also acceptable.

But keeping it before the verb, integrated into the clause, is normal. It doesn’t have to go first like English “When …”.

What is the role of sordu here, and does it require any special structure after it?

sordu is the simple past of sormak = to ask.

When sormak takes an indirect question as its object, that question is expressed as a nominalized clause:

• Pattern:
  [Subject-GEN] [clause in -dik/-ecek with person + (case)]
  • sordu

Examples:

• Öğretmen, bizim ne yapacağımızı sordu.
  – The teacher asked what we would do.
• Patron, raporu ne zaman teslim edeceğinizi sordu.
  – The boss asked when you (pl) would submit the report.

In our sentence, “bizim projeyi ne zaman bitireceğimizi” is exactly that kind of nominalized indirect question functioning as the direct object of sordu.

What is the difference between bitirmek and bitmek? Why is it bitireceğimizi, not biteceğimizi?

• bitmek – to end / to be finished (intransitive, no direct object)
  
  • Film bitti. – The movie ended / finished.
• bitirmek – to finish (something) (transitive, takes an object)
  
  • Filmi bitirdik. – We finished the movie.

In the sentence, we finish the project; the project is the object, so you need the transitive verb:

• projeyi bitirmek – to finish the project
• projeyi bitireceğiz – we will finish the project
• projeyi bitireceğimiz – that we will finish the project
• projeyi bitireceğimizi – same, accusative.

Using biteceğimiz would correspond to “the time when the project will end”, but here the emphasis is we finishing it, not it ending by itself.

Why is there a comma after Öğretmen? Is it required?

The comma in Öğretmen, bizim projeyi… sordu is mostly stylistic:

• It separates the relatively short subject (Öğretmen) from the long complex object clause.
• It helps readability but is not strictly required by a rigid rule.

You could also write:

• Öğretmen bizim projeyi ne zaman bitireceğimizi sordu.

Both are acceptable in normal writing. In speech, there is usually a small pause there, which the comma reflects.

Could I express this idea with diye instead of the nominalized form bitireceğimizi?

Yes, there is a more colloquial alternative using diye and a finite verb:

• Öğretmen, projeyi ne zaman bitireceğiz diye sordu.

Here:

• projeyi ne zaman bitireceğiz – a normal finite question form.
• diye – a quotative marker, roughly “saying/that”.
• This whole chunk + diye functions as what was asked.

Meaning-wise it’s very close:

• … bitireceğimizi sordu. – more formal, uses nominalization.
• … bitireceğiz diye sordu. – more colloquial, uses a quoted-like clause.

Both mean “The teacher asked when we would finish the project.”

Why is there no question particle mi in the Turkish sentence even though it’s about a question?

mi is used for yes/no questions, not for “wh-” questions (who, what, when, etc.).

• Yes/no:
  
  • Geldiniz mi? – Did you come?
• Wh-question:
  
  • Ne zaman geldiniz? – When did you come? (no mi)

In our sentence, the embedded question uses a wh-word: ne zaman (when). So there is no mi.

• Direct: Projeyi ne zaman bitireceksiniz? – When will you finish the project? (no mi)
• Indirect: Öğretmen, projeyi ne zaman bitireceğimizi sordu. – The teacher asked when we would finish the project. (still no mi)

The “question-ness” is carried by the question word (ne zaman), not by mi.