“Memnun oldum, ben Elif,” dedi kadın; çocuklar da memnun olduklarını söylediler.

to be

Breakdown of “Memnun oldum, ben Elif,” dedi kadın; çocuklar da memnun olduklarını söylediler.

• ben: I
• da: also
• çocuk: the child

Questions & Answers about “Memnun oldum, ben Elif,” dedi kadın; çocuklar da memnun olduklarını söylediler.

Why does Memnun oldum literally look like I became pleased?

Because that is basically how Turkish expresses this idea.

• memnun = pleased / glad
• olmak = to become / to be
• oldum = I became / I was

So Memnun oldum literally means something like I became pleased or I was pleased, but in natural use it often means:

• Nice to meet you
• Pleased to meet you

Turkish often uses olmak with adjectives in places where English might simply use to be.

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Why is it Memnun oldum and not Memnunum?

Both are possible, but they mean slightly different things.

• Memnunum = I am pleased / I’m satisfied
• Memnun oldum = I was pleased / I became pleased

In introductions, Memnun oldum is the standard fixed expression for Nice to meet you.
So in this sentence, it is not just a literal statement of emotion; it is also a social formula.

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Why is there no verb in ben Elif?