Köpek su kabını devirdi.

A simple breakdown is:

• köpek = dog
• su kabını = the water bowl / its water bowl as the direct object
• devirdi = knocked over / tipped over

So the structure is basically:

• Subject: köpek
• Object: su kabını
• Verb: devirdi

This is a very typical Turkish word order: Subject + Object + Verb.

Because several things are happening at once.

The base noun is kap, which means container, bowl, or vessel.

In su kabı, Turkish makes a noun compound meaning water bowl or water container. In this kind of compound, the second noun usually takes a special ending:

• su = water
• kap
  • -ı → kabı

So:

• su kabı = water bowl

Then, because this noun phrase is the definite direct object of the sentence, it takes the accusative ending. After the possessive-like ending already on kabı, Turkish uses a buffer n before the accusative:

• su kabı
  • -nı → su kabını

So kabını is not one single ending with one meaning. It reflects:

1. the compound structure in su kabı
2. the accusative marking on the object

This is due to consonant softening.

Some Turkish words ending in p, t, k, ç change that final consonant when a vowel-initial suffix is added. Here:

• kap
  • -ı → kabı

So p becomes b.

This is very common in Turkish. Similar patterns include:

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

So kap becoming kabı is a normal sound/spelling change.

It looks a bit like possession, but here it is really a noun compound.

Turkish often expresses combinations like:

• coffee cup
• car door
• water bottle
• dog house

by putting two nouns together. In many of these, the second noun takes a form that looks like a 3rd-person possessive ending.

So:

• su kabı = water bowl
• literally something like its water-container

But in actual use, learners should think of it as a normal compound noun, not as true possession.

Other examples:

• araba kapısı = car door
• çay bardağı = tea glass
• köpek maması = dog food

That -nı marks the direct object as definite/specific.

Turkish often marks a specific object with the accusative case. Compare:

• Köpek su kabı devirdi = a dog knocked over a water bowl / knocked over water-bowl-type thing
• Köpek su kabını devirdi = the dog knocked over the water bowl / a specific water bowl

In this sentence, the bowl is treated as a specific object, so it takes accusative marking.

Why -nı and not just -ı? Because the noun already ends with that compound ending, so Turkish inserts a buffer n:

• su kabı
  • accusative → su kabını

Because in Turkish noun compounds, the main noun is the part that gets the grammatical endings.

Here the main noun is kabı because the phrase means a kind of bowl/container. Su simply modifies it.

So Turkish does this:

• su kabı = water bowl
• su kabını = the water bowl as object

It does not put the case ending on su.

This is similar to how English would treat water bowl as one unit, with bowl as the head word.

Devirdi comes from the verb devirmek, which means to knock over, to topple, or to tip over something.

The form devirdi is:

• verb stem: devir-
• past tense: -di
• 3rd person singular: no extra ending is needed here

So devirdi means:

• he/she/it knocked over
• or simply knocked over, depending on context

In this sentence, the subject is köpek, so the meaning is the dog knocked over it.

Because devirmek is transitive: it means that something causes another thing to tip over.

In this sentence:

• the dog does the action
• the water bowl receives the action

So devirmek is the right verb.

If the bowl fell over by itself, Turkish would more likely use a different verb such as düşmek or a passive/intransitive expression depending on context.

So the difference is roughly:

• devirmek = to knock/tip something over
• düşmek = to fall

Turkish does not have articles like English a and the.

Instead, Turkish often shows definiteness through context and grammar. In this sentence, the object is specific because it has the accusative ending:

• su kabını

That often corresponds to English the water bowl.

Meanwhile köpek can mean:

• the dog
• a dog

depending on context.

So Turkish relies less on articles and more on case marking and context.

Yes. Turkish word order is flexible, although Subject + Object + Verb is the most neutral pattern.

The basic sentence:

• Köpek su kabını devirdi.

Possible variations include:

• Su kabını köpek devirdi.
• Su kabını devirdi köpek.

These versions can sound more marked or emphatic, depending on what the speaker wants to highlight.

But for learners, Köpek su kabını devirdi is the safest neutral order.

Yes, very often.

Turkish frequently drops subjects when they are understood from context. So if everyone already knows we are talking about the dog, a speaker might simply say:

• Su kabını devirdi.

That would mean:

• It knocked over the water bowl
• or He/she knocked over the water bowl

depending on context.

In your sentence, köpek is included because the speaker wants to state the subject explicitly.

The two vowels that often trouble English speakers here are ö and ı.

• ö in köpek is like the vowel in German schön or French peur. English does not have an exact match.
• ı in kabını is the Turkish dotless ı. It is not ee and not uh exactly. It is a central, unrounded vowel somewhat like the vowel in the second syllable of sofa, but tighter and more distinct.

A rough pronunciation guide:

• köpek ≈ kuh-pek, but with rounded lips on the first vowel
• su kabını ≈ soo kah-buh-nuh, very approximate
• devirdi ≈ deh-veer-dee

These are only approximations, but they can help you get started.