Questions & Answers about Komodinin üstündeki gece lambası hâlâ açık.
Why is komodin written as komodinin here?
Because it is in the genitive case, which often corresponds to of the ... in English.
- komodin = nightstand / bedside table
- komodinin = of the nightstand
In this sentence, Turkish is building the expression:
- komodinin üstü = the top of the nightstand
- komodinin üstündeki ... = the ... that is on top of the nightstand
So -in marks komodin as the thing that the top belongs to.
What does üstündeki mean exactly?
Üstündeki is made from several pieces:
- üst = top, upper side
- üstü = its top / the top of it
- üstünde = on it / on its top
- üstündeki = the one that is on it / the one on top of it
So in this sentence:
- komodinin üstündeki gece lambası = the night lamp that is on top of the nightstand
The ending -ki turns the location phrase into something like an adjective. It lets Turkish say the lamp on the nightstand without using a separate relative pronoun like that or which.
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