Breakdown of Kargo dün ulaştı mı?
dün
yesterday
kargo
package / shipping / delivery
ulaşmak
to arrive / to reach (a level/speed)
mi
question particle (mı/mi/mu/mü)
Questions & Answers about Kargo dün ulaştı mı?
Why does the past tense suffix here start with a "t" (ulaştı) instead of a "d" (ulaşdı)?
The verb root is ulaş- (to arrive). Because it ends in ş, which is a hard (voiceless) consonant, the past tense suffix changes to match it. This means the standard -dı becomes -tı. You can remember the hard consonants with the catchphrase "Fıstıkçı Şahap".
Why is the question particle mı written separately but still changes its vowel?
In Turkish, the yes/no question particle is always written as a separate word, but it still strictly follows the 4-way vowel harmony of the word right before it. Since the last vowel in ulaştı is ı, the question particle becomes mı.
How do we know who the sentence is talking about if there is no personal ending on ulaştı?
The 3rd person singular (he, she, or it) has no extra personal ending in the past tense. Because ulaştı just has the past tense suffix (-tı) and nothing else after it, we know it refers to a 3rd person subject, which in this case is Kargo (the package).
Where does the time word dün (yesterday) belong in the sentence?
Time words in Turkish usually go near the beginning of the sentence or right before the verb. Standard word order keeps the verb and its question particle (ulaştı mı) at the very end.