Başvuru için kimlik kartımın fotokopisini çektirdim.

I had a photocopy made of my ID card for the application.

Breakdown of Başvuru için kimlik kartımın fotokopisini çektirdim.

• benim: my
• için: for
• başvuru: the application
• kimlik kartı: the ID card

Questions & Answers about Başvuru için kimlik kartımın fotokopisini çektirdim.

What does başvuru için mean here?

İçin is a postposition that often means for or for the purpose of. So başvuru için means for the application or for use in the application.

It tells you the purpose of the action:

• başvuru = application
• için = for

So this part answers why the person had the photocopy made.

How is kimlik kartımın formed?

It breaks down like this:

• kimlik kartı = ID card
• kimlik kartım = my ID card
• kimlik kartımın = of my ID card

Turkish usually shows possession with suffixes instead of separate words like my. So instead of adding a separate word before the noun, Turkish adds an ending:

• -ım / -im / -um / -üm = my
• -ın / -in / -un / -ün = of

Here, kimlik kartımın means of my ID card.

Why is fotokopisini so long? What are the endings doing?

Fotokopisini can be understood as:

• fotokopi = photocopy
• fotokopisi = its photocopy / the photocopy of it
• fotokopisini = its photocopy, as a specific direct object

So the endings are doing two jobs:

1. -si links it to the previous noun phrase: the photocopy of my ID card
2. -ni marks it as a definite/specific object of the verb

This is very common in Turkish noun phrases.