Kahve fincanını masaya koydum.

In Turkish, it is very common to put two nouns together to make a compound, much like English coffee cup, tea glass, or bus stop.

So kahve fincanı is a noun compound:

• kahve = coffee
• fincan = cup
• kahve fincanı = coffee cup

The first noun tells you what kind of cup it is, and the second noun is the main word.

A very common pattern is:

• çay bardağı = tea glass
• kahve fincanı = coffee cup
• otobüs durağı = bus stop

Not necessarily. It looks similar to possession, but here it is mainly a compound.

So:

• kahve fincanı = coffee cup
• kahvenin fincanı = the cup of the coffee

That is an important difference.

In kahve fincanı, the ending on fincan is part of the compound pattern. It does not automatically mean his/her cup.

Because two different endings are involved.

Break it down like this:

• fincan = cup
• kahve fincanı = coffee cup
  Here, the first -ı is the compound ending.
• kahve fincanını = the coffee cup, as a definite direct object
  Here, there is an extra accusative ending added.

So the full form is:

• fincan-ı-nı

The parts are:

• -ı = compound ending
• -nı = accusative ending after that compound form

So fincanını does not mean the word somehow has one giant ending. It is really two layers.

That n is a buffer consonant.

Turkish often inserts a buffer consonant when two vowels or certain suffixes would run into each other awkwardly.

Here the structure is:

• kahve fincanı
• plus the accusative
• becomes kahve fincanını

So the n helps connect the compound form to the accusative ending smoothly.

This same kind of thing happens in other Turkish forms too. It is a normal linking sound, not a separate word or a separate meaning.

Because masa is the destination of the action, and Turkish uses the dative case for that.

• masa = table
• masa-ya = to the table

With koymak (to put/place), the place something is put often takes the dative:

• masaya koymak = to put on/onto the table

The y is a buffer consonant, because masa ends in a vowel and the dative ending also begins with a vowel.

So:

• masa + a would be awkward
• Turkish uses masa + ya

Because with verbs of movement or placement, Turkish often marks the goal with the dative, even where English uses a preposition like on.

So with koymak, masaya can naturally mean placing something onto the table.

If you want to be more explicit about the surface, you can say:

• masanın üstüne koydum = I put it onto the top of the table

But masaya koydum is perfectly natural and common.

koydum can be broken down like this:

• koy- = put, place
• -du = past tense
• -m = I

So koydum means I put.

The exact form of the past tense ending changes because of vowel harmony and consonant rules, so sometimes you see:

• -dı
• -di
• -du
• -dü and sometimes -tı / -ti / -tu / -tü

Here, -du is the correct form.

It is inside the verb.

In Turkish, the personal ending on the verb often shows the subject, so you do not need a separate pronoun.

• koydum = I put
• koydun = you put
• koydu = he/she/it put

So the sentence does not need ben.

You could say:

• Ben kahve fincanını masaya koydum

But that usually adds emphasis to I. The version without ben is more neutral.

Not completely, but the given order is very natural.

Turkish usually prefers the verb at the end, and a neutral order here is:

• object + destination + verb

So:

• Kahve fincanını masaya koydum

is a normal, neutral sentence.

Because Turkish uses case endings, you can move parts around for emphasis:

• Masaya kahve fincanını koydum
  This puts more focus on masaya.

But in ordinary speech, keeping the verb final is the most typical pattern.

A clear way is:

• Bir kahve fincanı masaya koydum.

This means I put a coffee cup on the table.

Notice something important:

• kahve fincanı already ends in -ı, but that is just the compound ending
• kahve fincanını has an additional accusative ending, which makes it definite/specific as the direct object

So compare:

• bir kahve fincanı = a coffee cup
• kahve fincanını = the coffee cup, as a definite direct object

This is a very useful distinction, because learners often think every final -ı must be accusative. In this sentence, one -ı belongs to the compound, and the other one marks the definite object.