Akşam köpek kulübesinin yanına küçük bir su kabı koyduk.

Here akşam is a time expression meaning in the evening, this evening, or sometimes tonight, depending on context.

Turkish often uses bare time words as adverbs, without adding a case ending. So forms like these are very normal:

• sabah = in the morning
• akşam = in the evening
• dün = yesterday
• bugün = today

So Akşam ... koyduk naturally means We put ... in the evening / this evening.

A useful way to parse it is step by step:

• köpek = dog
• kulübe = hut, kennel
• köpek kulübesi = doghouse / dog kennel
• köpek kulübesinin = of the doghouse
• yanı = its side / the side
• yanına = to its side

So köpek kulübesinin yanına literally means something like to the side of the doghouse, and in natural English that becomes next to the doghouse.

Because Turkish often forms noun + noun expressions with a special compound pattern.

In this pattern:

• the first noun stays plain
• the second noun takes a suffix, usually -(s)ı / -(s)i / -(s)u / -(s)ü

So:

• köpek kulübesi = doghouse
• su kabı = water bowl
• araba kapısı = car door

This suffix is not exactly the same as English possession. It is a normal part of this Turkish noun-compound structure.

kulübesinin contains more than one layer:

• kulübe = kennel
• kulübesi = doghouse / its kennel-shaped compound form
• kulübesinin = of the doghouse

The final -nin is the genitive ending of.

The extra n is a buffer consonant. Turkish often inserts n when a case ending comes after a 3rd-person possessive-type ending.

The same thing happens in:

• evi → evine = to his/her house
• arabası → arabasını = his/her car (as definite object)
• yanı → yanına = to its side

So the n does not add a separate meaning by itself; it helps the word connect grammatically.

yan means side.

Different case endings give different meanings:

• yanında = at its side, beside it
• yanına = to its side, to beside it

With a verb like koymak (to put/place), Turkish normally uses the dative form yanına, because there is movement toward a location:

• masanın yanına koydum = I put it next to the table

By contrast, yanında is more for location:

• masaın yanında duruyor = it is standing next to the table

So in this sentence, yanına is the expected choice.

Word by word:

• küçük = small
• bir = a / one
• su kabı = water bowl

So küçük bir su kabı = a small water bowl.

Here bir works like the English a/an, marking the noun as indefinite. It can also literally mean one, but in this sentence it is best understood as a.

Turkish adjectives come before the noun and do not change form, so:

• küçük köpek = small dog
• küçük bir su kabı = a small water bowl

This is another noun compound:

• su = water
• kap = container, bowl
• su kabı = water bowl / water container

The second noun takes the compound suffix -ı here.

Also, kap ends in p, and in Turkish that consonant often softens before a vowel-initial suffix:

• kap → kabı

This is a common sound change:

• kitap → kitabı
• ağaç → ağacı
• renk → rengi

So kabı is the expected form.

Because the direct object here is indefinite / non-specific.

In Turkish, a specific or definite direct object usually takes the accusative ending, but an indefinite one often does not.

Compare:

• küçük bir su kabı koyduk = we put a small water bowl
• küçük bir su kabını koyduk = we put the / that particular small water bowl

So the version in your sentence sounds like introducing a bowl as a new, non-specific item.

Also note that kabı already contains the compound ending. If you added the accusative, it would become kabını.

koyduk breaks down as:

• koy- = put, place
• -du- = past tense
• -k = we

So koyduk means we put.

Turkish usually does not need a separate subject pronoun, because the verb ending already shows the person. That is why there is no need to say biz koyduk, unless you want emphasis.

The neutral order here is very natural for Turkish:

• Akşam = time
• köpek kulübesinin yanına = place/direction
• küçük bir su kabı = object
• koyduk = verb

Turkish often puts the verb at the end, so this sentence follows a common pattern.

The order can change for emphasis, but the meaning or focus may shift. For example:

• Akşam küçük bir su kabı köpek kulübesinin yanına koyduk.
• Küçük bir su kabı akşam köpek kulübesinin yanına koyduk.

These are possible, but the original version sounds very natural and straightforward.