Questions & Answers about Binanın eski olduğunu biliyorum.
Why do we need the word olduğunu here if the English translation is just "that the building is old"?
Why is bina (building) in the genitive case as binanın?
In Turkish noun clauses, the subject of the inner clause ("the building") takes the genitive case (-nın). The verbal noun (olduk) then takes the matching possessive ending (-u). Grammatically, it is constructed just like a possessive compound phrase: "the building's being old".
What exactly are the suffixes attached to olduk to make olduğunu?
First, we have the verbal noun olduk. We add the 3rd person singular possessive -u (referring to binanın, which softens the k to ğ). Then we add the buffer -n- and the accusative case -u, because this entire clause is the specific direct object of the main verb biliyorum (I know).
Could I just say "Bina eski biliyorum" without using olduğunu?
No, you cannot simply stick two independent sentences together like that in Turkish. To express "I know that...", you must turn the first part into a noun clause using -dık (for present/past facts) or -ecek (for future). For adjectives like eski and nouns, you must insert olmak to hold these suffixes.
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