Questions & Answers about Teyzem bana bu efsaneyi anlattı.
This lesson is about the reported past tense (-mış), so why does the verb anlattı use the definite past tense (-tı)?
Even though stories and legends themselves are usually told using the -mış tense, the action happening here is the aunt telling the story directly to the speaker. Because the speaker personally experienced their aunt telling them this, they use the definite past -tı. If they were passing on hearsay like My aunt supposedly told him, then they would use anlatmış.
Why is there a -yi at the end of efsaneyi?
The -i (or -yi after a vowel) is the specific direct object (accusative) case ending. Because the sentence uses bu (this), it points to a specific legend being told. Whenever you use a demonstrative word like bu with the target of an action, you must add this ending to the noun. The y is a buffer letter because efsane ends in a vowel.
Does teyzem refer to any aunt?
Specifically, it means my maternal aunt (your mother's sister). Turkish distinguishes between sides of the family: you use teyze for your mother's sister, and hala for your father's sister. The -m at the end means my.
I see bana means to me, but since the word for I is ben, why isn't it formed as bene?