Annem kızaran topuğuma merhem sürdü.

my

Breakdown of Annem kızaran topuğuma merhem sürdü.

• anne: the mother
• topuk: the heel
• kızaran: reddened

Questions & Answers about Annem kızaran topuğuma merhem sürdü.

What does Annem mean exactly, and why does it end in -m?

Annem means my mother.

It is built from:

• anne = mother
• -m = my

So:

• anne = mother
• annem = my mother

This -m is a possessive ending. Turkish often says my mother / my heel / my house by adding a possessive suffix directly to the noun, instead of always using a separate word like my.

---

Why is it topuğuma and not just topuk or topuğum?

Because topuğuma means to my heel.

It breaks down like this:

• topuk = heel
• topuğum = my heel
• topuğuma = to my heel

More exactly:

• topuk
  • -um → topuğum = my heel
• topuğum
  • -a → topuğuma = to my heel

The -a / -e ending is the dative case, often meaning to or onto.

So in this sentence, the ointment is being applied to the heel, which is why the dative is used.

---

Why does topuk change to topuğ- in topuğuma?