Bu maddeyi sonra konuşalım.

Let’s discuss this item later.

Breakdown of Bu maddeyi sonra konuşalım.

• bu: this
• sonra: later
• konuşmak: to discuss
• madde: the item

Questions & Answers about Bu maddeyi sonra konuşalım.

Why is madde written as maddeyi here?

Because madde is the definite direct object of the verb, so it takes the accusative ending.

• base noun: madde
• accusative form: maddeyi

The -y- is a buffer consonant. Turkish often inserts y between two vowels, since madde ends in a vowel and the accusative ending also begins with a vowel.

So:

• madde = item / clause / point
• maddeyi = the item / this specific item, as the object of the verb

This is similar to how English distinguishes between a general thing and a specific thing, except Turkish marks that with a suffix.

What exactly does -yi mean?

Here -yi is the accusative case ending, marking a specific, definite object.

In this sentence, the speaker is not talking about just any item, but that particular item already known in the conversation.

A useful contrast:

• Bir madde konuşalım = Let’s discuss an item
• Bu maddeyi konuşalım = Let’s discuss this item

So the ending helps show that the noun is specific.

What does konuşalım mean grammatically?