Böbreğimle ilgili doktora danıştım.

As a whole, böbreğimle ilgili means about my kidney, related to my kidney, or concerning my kidney.

It is built like this:

• böbrek = kidney
• böbreğim = my kidney
• böbreğimle = with my kidney
• ilgili = related/concerned

So literally, it is something like related with my kidney, but in natural English we usually say about my kidney or concerning my kidney.

In Turkish, X ile ilgili is a very common pattern meaning about X.

Examples:

• Bu konuyla ilgili bir sorum var. = I have a question about this topic.
• Sağlığımla ilgili endişelerim var. = I have concerns about my health.

That is a very common question. On its own, -le / -la often does mean with. But in the fixed expression ... ile ilgili, it does not translate literally as with in normal English.

So:

• böbreğimle ilgili = about my kidney
• işimle ilgili = about my work
• seninle ilgili = about you

This is just how Turkish forms this idea. It is best learned as a chunk:

• X ile ilgili = about / concerning / related to X

So even though -le usually has the sense of with, in this pattern the whole phrase has the meaning about.

It breaks down like this:

• böbrek = kidney
• böbreğ-im = my kidney
• böbreğim-le = with my kidney

A couple of things happen here:

1. Possessive ending

   • -im means my
   • böbrek becomes böbreğim

2. Consonant change

   • The final k in böbrek changes to ğ before a vowel-initial ending.
   • So böbrek + im becomes böbreğim, not böbrekim

3. Instrumental/comitative ending

   • -le means with
   • So böbreğim + le becomes böbreğimle

This kind of sound change is very common in Turkish:

• kulak → kulağım = my ear
• yürek → yüreğim = my heart

Because the verb danışmak takes the dative case, which usually corresponds to to in English.

So:

• doktor = doctor
• doktora = to the doctor / to a doctor

The structure is:

• birine danışmak = to consult someone
• literally: to consult to someone

So:

• doktora danıştım = I consulted a doctor / I consulted the doctor

Not:

• doktoru danıştım ❌

That would use the accusative, which is not what danışmak requires.

More examples:

• Öğretmene danıştım. = I consulted the teacher.
• Arkadaşıma danışacağım. = I will consult my friend.

Danıştım breaks down into:

• danış- = consult / ask for advice
• -tı = past tense
• -m = I

So danıştım means I consulted or I asked for advice.

This is a fully conjugated verb, so Turkish does not need the subject pronoun ben unless you want emphasis.

• Ben doktora danıştım. = I consulted the doctor. (emphatic)
• Doktora danıştım. = I consulted the doctor. (normal)

Because Turkish verbs usually show the subject in the verb ending.

In danıştım, the final -m tells you the subject is I.

So the sentence already includes the idea of I:

• danıştım = I consulted

Turkish often leaves out subject pronouns when they are obvious from the verb.

Compare:

• danıştım = I consulted
• danıştın = you consulted
• danıştı = he/she/it consulted
• danıştık = we consulted

You can add ben if you want contrast or emphasis, but it is not necessary.

It can mean either a doctor or the doctor, depending on context.

Turkish does not have articles like a and the in the same way English does. So:

• doktora danıştım can mean:
  • I consulted a doctor
  • I consulted the doctor

Context tells you which one is intended.

If you wanted to make a doctor more explicit, you could say:

• Bir doktora danıştım. = I consulted a doctor.

If both speaker and listener already know which doctor is meant, then doktora danıştım can naturally mean I consulted the doctor.

It can change. Turkish word order is flexible, although some orders sound more neutral than others.

The original sentence:

• Böbreğimle ilgili doktora danıştım.

This is natural and means something like:

• I consulted a doctor about my kidney.

You could also say:

• Doktora böbreğimle ilgili danıştım.
• Böbreğimle ilgili bir doktora danıştım.
• Böbreğimle ilgili olarak doktora danıştım.

The most neutral place for the verb is usually at the end, which is what you have here.

The part placed just before the verb often gets a bit more focus. So word order can shift depending on what you want to emphasize.

Normally, no. In this sentence, böbreğimle ilgili is understood as about my kidney, not as describing the doctor.

So:

• Böbreğimle ilgili doktora danıştım. = I consulted a doctor about my kidney.

If you wanted to say the doctor related to my kidney or the kidney specialist doctor, you would usually phrase it differently, for example with a clearer noun phrase.

Turkish speakers naturally understand X ile ilgili danışmak as to consult about X in this kind of context.

Still, if you want to make it extra clear, you could say:

• Böbreğimle ilgili olarak doktora danıştım.
• Böbreğim hakkında doktora danıştım.

These make the about meaning even more explicit.

Yes, often you can.

• Böbreğimle ilgili doktora danıştım.
• Böbreğim hakkında doktora danıştım.

Both can mean I consulted a doctor about my kidney.

There is a slight nuance:

• hakkında = about
• ile ilgili = related to / concerning / about

In many everyday situations, they are very close in meaning.
ile ilgili can sound a little more like concerning or related to, while hakkında is a direct about.

Both are natural here.

Because the speaker is talking about their own kidney, so Turkish marks that with a possessive ending.

• böbrek = kidney
• böbreğim = my kidney

English uses a separate word (my), but Turkish usually adds a suffix to the noun.

Examples:

• kol = arm

• kolum = my arm

• baş = head
• başım = my head

So if the meaning is specifically my kidney, then böbreğim is the correct form.

Not exactly.

• sormak = to ask
• danışmak = to consult / ask for advice

So danışmak usually suggests asking someone for guidance, expertise, or an opinion.

Compare:

• Doktora bir soru sordum. = I asked the doctor a question.

• Doktora danıştım. = I consulted the doctor / I asked the doctor for advice.

In your sentence, danıştım is a good choice because talking to a doctor about a health issue often means seeking professional advice, not just asking one simple question.

A rough pronunciation guide for an English speaker:

• Böbreğimle ≈ BUH-breh-eem-leh
• ilgili ≈ eel-gee-LEE
• doktora ≈ dok-to-RA
• danıştım ≈ da-NUSH-tum

A few notes:

• ö is like the vowel in German schön or French peu. English does not have an exact match.
• ğ in böbreğim is usually not pronounced like a strong consonant; it often lengthens or smooths the vowel before it.
• ı in danıştım is the Turkish undotted ı, a vowel English does not really have. It is not ee. It is more like a relaxed, central vowel.

Natural stress is usually close to:

• böbreğimle ilgili doktora danıştım

But in connected speech, rhythm matters more than perfect dictionary stress.