Açıkçası, dedikoduya inanmadım.

Frankly, I did not believe the gossip.

Breakdown of Açıkçası, dedikoduya inanmadım.

• inanmak: to believe
• dedikodu: gossip
• açıkçası: frankly; honestly

Questions & Answers about Açıkçası, dedikoduya inanmadım.

What does açıkçası mean here?

Here açıkçası means frankly, honestly, or to be honest.

It is a sentence adverb: it comments on the whole statement, not just one word. So Açıkçası, dedikoduya inanmadım means something like Honestly, I didn’t believe the gossip.

In everyday Turkish, açıkçası is very common when introducing a candid opinion.

Why is it dedikoduya and not dedikoduyu?

Because the verb inanmak takes the dative case, not the accusative.

So in Turkish, you do not literally believe something with a direct object the way you often do in English. Instead, the structure is more like:

• bir şeye inanmak = to believe in / believe something
• birine inanmak = to believe someone

So:

• dedikoduya inanmak = to believe the gossip
• sana inanıyorum = I believe you

That is why dedikoduya is correct, and dedikoduyu would sound wrong with inanmak.

What exactly is the -ya ending in dedikoduya?