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Questions & Answers about Soyadımı buraya yazdım.
Why is there an extra -ı at the end of soyadımı?
The base word is soyad (surname). When you add the first-person possessive suffix, it becomes soyadım (my surname). The final -ı is the accusative case suffix. You need this because "my surname" is a specific direct object receiving the action of being written.
Why do we use buraya instead of burada? Doesn't burada mean "here"?
In English, we say "I wrote it here," but in Turkish, placing words onto a paper or screen is treated as a directional action. You are writing the name to or onto a place. Therefore, you use the dative (directional) case: bura (this place) + -y- (buffer letter) + -a (to) to make buraya. Burada (at here) is static and wouldn't sound natural with this action.
Where does the word soyad come from?
It is a compound word made of two smaller words: soy (lineage, ancestry, or family) and ad (name). Put them together and you get "family name" or "surname."
Do I need to use the pronoun Ben (I) at the beginning of the sentence?