Verbs and the Dative Case
In English, verbs take various prepositions (like "at", "to", or "about") or no preposition at all (like "resemble"). In Turkish, a specific group of verbs always requires the dative case (-e / -a or -ye / -ya), because the action is conceptually directed toward a target.
Getting Used to and Resembling
When you adapt to a new environment or look like a family member, the noun you are adapting to or resembling is your target. It must take the dative suffix.
| I am getting used to the new environment. | Yeni çevreye alışıyorum. |
Notice how amca (uncle) takes the dative suffix to become amcasına (to his uncle):
| He resembles his uncle a lot. | O, amcasına çok benziyor. |
| I do not resemble my aunt at all. | Ben teyzeme hiç benzemiyorum. |
Expressing Emotions
In English, you might be glad "about" a situation or sad "over" a mistake. In Turkish, emotions like being glad (sevinmek) or being sad (üzülmek) are directed toward their cause. Therefore, the thing you are happy or sad about takes the dative case.
| The child was very glad about his new toy. | Çocuk yeni oyuncağına çok sevindi. |
| My uncle was very sad about this problem. | Amcam bu probleme çok üzüldü. |
Directing Focus and Behavior
Verbs that involve pointing your attention or actions at someone or something also naturally take the dative case. Two common examples are focusing (odaklanmak) and behaving (davranmak).
| You just want to focus on your own environment. | Sadece kendi çevrene odaklanmak istiyorsun. |
| I am focusing on my work now. | Şimdi işime odaklanıyorum. |
When you behave well or badly toward someone, that person is the target of your behavior:
| They behave very badly towards the cat. | Kediye çok kötü davranıyorlar. |
| Please behave well towards the guests. | Lütfen misafirlere iyi davranın. |