Learn Turkish: Sekretere lobide bir toplantı organize ettirtti. - He had the secretary get a meeting organized in the lobby.

It starts with the auxiliary verb et (to do). First, we add the causative suffix -tir, making ettir (to have someone do). Then we add the second causative suffix -t, making ettirt (to have someone get someone else to do). Finally, we add the past tense -ti, resulting in ettirtti.

What is the difference in meaning between organize ettirdi and organize ettirtti?

Using the single causative organize ettirdi means "He had the secretary organize a meeting" (the secretary does the organizing). The double causative organize ettirtti technically means he had the secretary get someone else (like a hotel staff member) to organize it. Note that native speakers sometimes use the double causative just to emphasize the act of delegation, even if the secretary is the one doing the work!

Why does sekreter take the dative case (sekretere) instead of the accusative?

The base verb organize etmek (to organize) is already transitive—it takes a direct object (bir toplantı). A key rule of the causative is that when you make a transitive verb causative, the person who is told to do the action takes the dative case (-e/-a). If the base verb were intransitive (like uyumak, to sleep), the person would take the accusative.

Why does the causative suffix attach to etmek rather than organize?