Masadaki vazonun yeri değişti.

Masadaki means the one on the table or the one that is on the table, depending on context.

It breaks down like this:

• masa = table
• -da = in/on/at
• -ki = a suffix that turns a location phrase into something like a modifier

So:

• masada = on the table
• masadaki vazo = the vase on the table

In this sentence, masadaki modifies vazonun:

• masadaki vazonun = of the vase on the table

Because Turkish is using a possessive construction:

• vazonun = of the vase
• yeri = its place / position

Together:

• vazonun yeri = the vase’s place / the position of the vase

This is a very common Turkish pattern:

• possessor + genitive
• possessed noun + possessive ending

So:

• vazo = vase
• vazonun = of the vase
• yer = place
• yeri = its place

Yeri comes from yer, which means place, spot, or position.

Here it has the 3rd person possessive ending:

• yer = place
• yeri = its place / its position

So in this sentence, yeri refers to the vase’s position.

That is why the whole sentence is naturally understood as:

• The position of the vase on the table changed.

Because Turkish marks both parts of this kind of noun phrase:

• vazonun = possessor marked with genitive
• yeri = possessed thing marked with possessive

This is different from English, where you can often mark only one side:

• the vase’s place
• the place of the vase

In Turkish, the normal pattern is:

• X-in Y-si

So here:

• vazo-nun yer-i

This double marking is very typical and important in Turkish grammar.

Değişti means changed.

It comes from:

• değişmek = to change
• değişti = changed

The ending -ti is the past tense.

So the sentence literally means something like:

• The place of the vase on the table changed.

Depending on context, English might also translate it as:

• The position of the vase on the table has changed.

Good question. The difference is:

• değişmek = to change (intransitive: something changes)
• değiştirmek = to change something (transitive: someone changes it)

So:

• Yeri değişti = Its position changed
• Birisi yerini değiştirdi = Someone changed its position / moved it

In your sentence, the focus is on the fact that the position changed, not on who caused it.

The subject is the whole noun phrase:

• Masadaki vazonun yeri

The main noun inside that subject is yeri (its place / position).

So grammatically, yeri is the thing that changed.

That is why the verb is singular:

• yeri değişti = its place changed

Because Turkish normally puts the main verb at the end of the sentence.

So the structure is:

• Masadaki vazonun yeri = subject
• değişti = verb

This is a very normal Turkish word order pattern.

English:

• The position of the vase on the table changed.

Turkish:

• Masadaki vazonun yeri değişti.

Yes, in practical terms it often implies that. If the vase’s position changed, then in normal real-life context, that usually means the vase was moved or ended up in a different spot.

But grammatically, the sentence talks about the position changing, not directly about the vase performing an action.

So it is a little more like:

• The vase’s position changed than
• The vase moved itself

Turkish does not have a definite article like English the.

So nouns can often be understood as definite from context.

Here, English naturally uses the:

• the vase on the table
• the position

But Turkish simply says:

• masadaki vazo
• vazonun yeri

Definiteness is usually understood from the structure and the situation, not from a separate word.

Yes, it can, if the noun is understood from context.

For example:

• Masadakini aldım. = I took the one on the table.
• Masadaki kırıldı. = The one on the table broke.

In your sentence, though, it is followed by a noun:

• masadaki vazo = the vase on the table

Yes, it is a natural and common way to express that something’s position/place has changed.

Turkish often uses yer in this way:

• Kitabın yeri değişti. = The book’s place changed.
• Koltuğun yeri değişti. = The armchair’s position changed.

Another common expression is:

• yer değiştirdi = changed place / moved स्थान

  For example:

• Masadaki vazo yer değiştirdi. = The vase on the table changed place / moved.

But vazonun yeri değişti is perfectly natural when the focus is specifically on its position.

Very literal, if you unpack it step by step:

• masadaki = on-the-table
• vazonun = of-the-vase
• yeri = its-place
• değişti = changed

So a very literal version would be:

• The on-the-table vase’s place changed.

That is not the most natural English sentence, but it helps show how Turkish builds the meaning. A smoother English translation is:

• The position of the vase on the table changed.
• The vase on the table changed position.