Annem ıspanağı yıkarken ben marulu doğruyorum ve üstüne dereotu ekliyorum.

In Turkish, possession is often built into the noun itself.

• anne = mother
• annem = my mother

The -m at the end is the 1st person singular possessive suffix. So instead of saying a separate word like my mother, Turkish commonly says annem.

This is especially common with family words:

• babam = my father
• kardeşim = my sibling
• teyzem = my aunt

So annem is completely normal and natural.

Yıkarken comes from the verb yıkamak = to wash.

It is formed like this:

• yıka- = verb stem
• -ken = while / when

So:

• yıkarken = while washing / when washing

In this sentence, Annem ıspanağı yıkarken... means while my mother is washing the spinach...

A very important point: -ken creates a time clause. It gives background information for the main action.

Examples:

• Yemek yaparken müzik dinliyorum. = While cooking, I listen to music.
• Eve giderken onu gördüm. = I saw him/her while going home.

Because in Turkish, the -ken form does not usually show person by itself. The subject is understood from context.

So in:

• Annem ıspanağı yıkarken...

the natural reading is:

• While my mother is washing the spinach...

The subject of yıkarken is understood to be annem, because that noun comes right before it and fits the meaning.

This is very normal in Turkish. The language often relies on context rather than repeating the subject.

There are two things happening:

1. It takes the accusative ending
2. The final k changes to ğ

1) Accusative ending

Ispanağı is the direct object of yıkamak. In Turkish, if the direct object is specific/definite, it usually takes the accusative ending.

• ıspanak = spinach
• ıspanağı = the spinach / that spinach

2) Consonant change

Some words ending in k soften before a vowel-initial suffix:

• ıspanak
  • -ı → ıspanağı

So the k becomes ğ.

You will see this a lot:

• köpek → köpeği
• çocuk → çocuğu
• yemek → yemeği

This is a very useful contrast.

• marulu has the accusative
• dereotu does not

marulu

Marulu is a specific direct object:

• marul = lettuce
• marulu = the lettuce

So marulu doğruyorum means I am chopping the lettuce.

dereotu

In üstüne dereotu ekliyorum, dereotu is unmarked. That usually suggests a non-specific or ingredient-like object:

• dereotu ekliyorum = I’m adding dill

This sounds like some dill / dill as an ingredient, not that specific dill.

If you said:

• dereotunu ekliyorum

that would sound more like:

• I am adding the dill
  meaning a specific dill that has already been identified.

So this sentence shows a common Turkish pattern:

• specific object → accusative
• non-specific/general ingredient → no accusative

Yes, Turkish could leave it out, because the verb already shows the subject.

• doğruyorum = I am chopping
• ekliyorum = I am adding

So ben is not required for basic grammar.

It is included here for contrast/emphasis:

• Annem ... ben ...
• My mother ... I ...

That contrast is very natural in Turkish. It helps separate the two people and their actions.

Without ben, the sentence would still be grammatical:

• Annem ıspanağı yıkarken marulu doğruyorum ve üstüne dereotu ekliyorum.

But ben makes the contrast clearer.

It comes from:

• doğramak = to chop, to slice

Formation:

• remove -mak → doğra-
• add -yor → present continuous
• add -um → I

So you might expect doğrayorum, but Turkish changes the final vowel of the stem before -yor. This is called vowel narrowing.

So:

• doğra-
  • -yor → doğruyor
• doğruyor
  • -um → doğruyorum

Meaning:

• doğruyorum = I am chopping

Similar examples:

• başla- → başlıyorum
• bekle- → bekliyorum
• anla- → anlıyorum

The -yor form is the Turkish present continuous. It is often used for actions that are happening right now or for a vivid description of an ongoing scene.

So:

• doğruyorum = I am chopping
• ekliyorum = I am adding

In this sentence, the speaker is describing actions happening at the same time:

• mother is washing spinach
• I am chopping lettuce
• I am adding dill

That makes -yor the natural choice.

English sometimes uses either I chop or I’m chopping depending on context, but in this kind of scene-description Turkish strongly prefers -yor.

Üstüne means something like:

• onto it
• on top of it
• over it

It comes from üst = top / upper part / surface.

In this sentence, üstüne dereotu ekliyorum means the dill is being added on top of the lettuce or salad mixture.

Structurally, it is related to:

• üstü = its top / the top of it
• üstüne = onto its top / onto it

So Turkish is expressing the idea of on top of it in one compact word.

This is a very common kind of structure in Turkish.

Examples:

• Masanın üstüne koydum. = I put it on the table.
• Pizzanın üstüne peynir ekledim. = I added cheese on top of the pizza.

Dereotu is the normal Turkish word for dill.

It is historically a compound:

• dere = stream
• ot = herb, grass
• otu = its herb

But for learners, the important thing is that dereotu functions as a single vocabulary item meaning dill.

So it is best to memorize it simply as:

• dereotu = dill

Turkish has many words like this that are compounds or old fixed combinations but are learned as one item in everyday use.

Turkish word order is often Subject–Object–Verb, and verbs usually come near the end of their clause.

So we get:

• marulu doğruyorum = lettuce-the I-am-chopping
• dereotu ekliyorum = dill I-am-adding

Also, the -ken clause comes first to set the scene:

• Annem ıspanağı yıkarken... = While my mother is washing the spinach...

Then the main clause follows:

• ben marulu doğruyorum ve üstüne dereotu ekliyorum

This ordering is very natural in Turkish:

• background/time information first
• objects before verbs
• the main action at the end of each clause

English and Turkish organize information differently, so this kind of sentence can feel backward at first, but it is completely normal Turkish.