Questions & Answers about Seni gördüm ve mutlu oldum.
Why is it Seni instead of just Sen?
Seni is the direct object of the verb gördüm (I saw). In Turkish, when a specific person or thing is the direct target of an action, we add the accusative case ending. Here, the pronoun Sen (you) gets the -i ending to show exactly who was seen.
Where is the word for 'I' in this sentence?
In Turkish, you usually do not need to use the subject pronoun Ben (I). The -m at the end of both gördüm and oldum already tells us that 'I' am the one doing the action.
Both verbs are in the past tense, so why does one end in -düm and the other in -dum?
This is because of Turkish vowel harmony. The past tense suffix changes based on the last vowel of the root word. The verb root gör (see) has an ö, so its past tense ending becomes -düm. The verb root ol (become) has an o, so its past tense ending becomes -dum.
Why use oldum (I became) instead of just adding a past tense ending directly to mutlu?
Mutlu oldum specifically means 'I became happy' or 'I got happy' in that exact moment as a reaction to seeing you. If you just wanted to describe a state by saying 'I was happy', you would say mutluydum. Turkish often uses the helper verb olmak (to become/to be) with adjectives to show a sudden change in feeling or state.
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