Breakdown of Ben de doktorum.
doktor
doctor
ben
I
de
too, also (de/da) / even if (concessive particle after conditional) / and (linking clauses)
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Questions & Answers about Ben de doktorum.
Why is de written as a separate word instead of being attached to Ben?
When de (or da) is written as a separate word, it means "too" or "also". If it were attached to the word as a suffix (Bende), it would mean "at me" or "on me" (indicating location). So, Ben de means "I also" or "Me too".
Since doktorum already means "I am a doctor", do I have to include Ben in this sentence?
Normally you can drop Ben, but here you need it because of de (too/also). You are saying "I also am a doctor", comparing yourself to someone else. The word de always follows the word it emphasizes, which in this case is the pronoun Ben.
What is the -um at the end of doktorum?
That is the personal suffix for "I". Turkish doesn't use a separate verb for "am", "is", or "are". Instead, you attach a suffix directly to the noun. doktor means "doctor", and adding -um makes it "I am a doctor".
Why does the personal suffix on doktor use a "u" (-um) instead of an "i" (-im)?