Learn Hardcore Turkish: Annem, benim artık daha sakin olduğumu söylüyor.

In this sentence benim is the genitive (possessive) form of “ben” and it pairs with the verb form olduğumu, which behaves like a noun clause.

Think of the structure as:

benim → “of me / my”
olduğum → “that I am / that I became”

Literally: benim daha sakin olduğum ≈ “the fact that I am calmer”.

So benim is marking “I” as the subject of the embedded clause (daha sakin olduğum = “(that) I am calmer”). In this kind of structure (a “that-clause” used as a noun), Turkish normally uses:

[genitive] + [DIK‑form]

Examples:

senin geldiğini biliyorum.
“I know that you are coming / came.”
(senin = you, in genitive, and geldiğini = “that you came/are coming”)

So benim is there because of this pattern, not because of possession in the usual sense.

Can I leave out benim and just say Annem artık daha sakin olduğumu söylüyor?

Yes, you can omit benim, and people often do in everyday speech:

Annem artık daha sakin olduğumu söylüyor.

This is still grammatically correct and natural. The subject “I” of the embedded clause is then understood from the ending -um in olduğumu (which means “that I am”).

So:

with benim → a bit more explicit / slightly more formal or emphatic
Annem, benim artık daha sakin olduğumu söylüyor.
without benim → very natural, slightly lighter
Annem artık daha sakin olduğumu söylüyor.

Both are fine; context and tone decide which feels better.

Why is it olduğumu and not just sakinim after daha sakin?

If you said:

Annem, benim artık daha sakinim söylüyor. ❌

that would be ungrammatical, because söylemek (“to say”) needs a thing (a clause or a noun) as its direct object.

English uses a that‑clause:

“My mother says that I am calmer now.”

Turkish usually turns that whole clause into a noun phrase using a special verb form (the -DIK construction):

benim daha sakin olduğum = “that I am calmer”

Then you put this in the accusative case (olduğumu) to mark it as the object of söylüyor.

So the structure is:

Annem, [benim artık daha sakin olduğumu] söylüyor.
“My mother says [that I am calmer now].”

Sakinim is a normal finite verb form (“I am calm”), but you cannot attach it directly after söylüyor as an object. Olduğumu is the correct embedded-clause form.

How is olduğumu built morphologically? What are the parts?

olduğumu comes from the verb olmak (“to be / to become”).

Breakdown:

ol – verb root “be / become”
-duk/-dük/-tuk/-tük / -duğu / -diği – the -DIK nominalization; here it appears as -duğu because of vowel harmony and consonant change
-m – 1st person singular subject/possessive marker (“that I …”)
-u – accusative case ending (marks this whole clause as the object of söylüyor)

So:

ol‑duğ‑u‑m‑u → olduğumu
“that I am / (have) become”

Functionally, daha sakin olduğumu = “that I am calmer” or “that I have become calmer”.

Why does olduğumu take the accusative -u ending?

Because in this sentence, the entire clause benim artık daha sakin olduğumu is the direct object of söylüyor (“says”).

In Turkish, a definite object typically takes the accusative:

Kitabı okudum. – “I read the book.” (kitab‑ı)

When you turn a whole sentence into a noun clause using the -DIK construction, that noun clause is treated like a “thing” and also gets the accusative if it’s the object:

Biliyorum. – “I know.”
Bildiğimi biliyor. – “He/she knows that I know.”
(bildiğimi = “that I know”, in accusative)

Here:

(benim) daha sakin olduğum → “that I am calmer” (noun clause)
(benim) daha sakin olduğumu söylüyor. → “(She) says that I am calmer.”
Accusative -u on olduğumu shows this whole clause is what is being “said”.

Does olduğumu mean “that I became calmer” (past) or “that I am calmer” (present)?

In context, it usually means “that I am calmer (now), compared to before”, i.e. a new state.

The -DIK form is historically related to a past marker, but in this construction it doesn’t simply mean “past”. Instead, the time reference is understood from context and from the main verb’s tense.

Here, your mother currently says that now you are calmer than before:

Annem, benim artık daha sakin olduğumu söylüyor.
“My mother says that I’m calmer now.”

If you needed to stress a completed change in the past, you’d clarify with time words or use other structures. But in most everyday contexts, olduğumu here is read as “that I have become / that I am now (calmer)”.

What exactly does artık mean in this sentence?

Artık often carries the idea of “no longer / anymore / now (as of now)”, depending on context and whether the sentence is positive or negative.

In a positive sentence like:

Annem, benim artık daha sakin olduğumu söylüyor.

artık suggests a change compared to the past:

“My mother says I’m calmer now (than before).”
“My mother says I’m finally calmer.”
“My mother says I’m now calmer (I wasn’t before).”

So here artık focuses on the new situation: previously you weren’t so calm, but now you are.

What is the role of daha before sakin?

Daha means “more” (or “-er” as in “calmer, bigger, slower”).

sakin – calm
daha sakin – calmer / more calm

So daha sakin olduğumu = “that I am calmer.”

Combined with artık, it gives:

artık daha sakin → “(now) calmer than before / now more calm”

It implies a comparison with your previous state or sometimes with other people, depending on the context. Here it’s most naturally “I used to be less calm, but now I’m calmer.”

Why is the main verb söylüyor (present continuous) rather than söyler (simple present)?

Both forms are possible, but they carry slightly different nuances.

söylüyor – present continuous / “is saying”, often used for:
- something happening around now
- or something said repeatedly / habitually, depending on context
söyler – aorist / simple present, often for:
- general truths, habits, or sometimes future

In practice:

Annem, benim artık daha sakin olduğumu söylüyor.
→ “My mother says / keeps saying / is saying that I’m calmer now.”
This feels natural for a comment she’s making these days, not just one timeless fact.
Annem, benim artık daha sakin olduğumu söyler.
→ can be used, but sounds more like a general characteristic:
“My mother (typically) says that I’m calmer now.”

Most of the time, in conversational Turkish about what someone is saying these days, söylüyor is preferred.

How would this relate to the direct speech version in Turkish?

Imagine your mother’s direct words are:

“Artık daha sakinsin.”
“You are calmer now.”

To report this indirectly, Turkish normally does:

Annem, (benim) artık daha sakin olduğumu söylüyor.
Literally: “My mother says (that) I am calmer now.”

Pattern:

Direct: Artık daha sakinsin.
- sakinsin – “you are calm(er)”
Indirect: (benim) artık daha sakin olduğumu söylüyor.
- daha sakin olduğumu – “that I am calmer”

So sakinsin (a normal verb form) turns into daha sakin olduğumu (a noun clause with -DIK). This is the standard way to convert “X says: …” into “X says that …” in Turkish.

Is the comma after Annem necessary?

No, it’s not strictly necessary. You’ll see both:

Annem, benim artık daha sakin olduğumu söylüyor.
Annem benim artık daha sakin olduğumu söylüyor.

The comma is mainly a stylistic pause, marking Annem (“my mother”) as the topic and then starting the rest of the clause. In everyday writing many people omit it.

So you can safely write it with or without the comma. The meaning doesn’t change.

Why is sakin not inflected as sakinim inside the clause?

Because the person marking (the “I” information) is already carried by olduğumu.

Inside the embedded clause, the “mini-sentence” is:

benim daha sakin olduğum
literally, “my being calmer”

Here:

sakin is just an adjective (“calm” / “calmer” with daha).
olduğum provides the verb-like part (“that I am”).

So if you said daha sakinim olduğumu, you’d be doubling the person marking and it would be incorrect.

Correct pattern is:

adjective + olduğum (or other -DIK form)

Examples:

Çalışkan olduğumu söylüyor. – “He says that I am hardworking.”
Yorgun olduğumu biliyor. – “He knows that I am tired.”

Is this sentence formal, informal, or neutral in register?

The sentence is neutral, everyday standard Turkish.

Annem – “my mother” (neutral, not slangy)
artık, daha sakin – common, neutral vocabulary
benim … olduğumu söylüyor – standard grammar used in both spoken and written language

You could say this both in a casual conversation and in relatively formal contexts without sounding out of place. It’s not slangy and not particularly formal either—it’s right in the middle.

How would the sentence change if I wanted to say “My mom said I’m calmer now” (past)?

You would normally change the main verb to past tense:

Annem, benim artık daha sakin olduğumu söyledi.
“My mother said that I’m calmer now / that I have become calmer.”

Notes:

You keep olduğumu the same; the time reference (past report) is shown by söyledi.
In English you might say “said I was calmer,” but Turkish does not need to shift the tense inside the embedded clause—olduğumu is fine for present result/state relative to the time of speaking. Context will tell whether it’s “am” or “was.”