Breakdown of Annesi yanaklarını yıkamasını söyledi.
anne
mother
söylemek
to say, to sing
yıkamak
to wash
yanak
cheek
Questions & Answers about Annesi yanaklarını yıkamasını söyledi.
Why does yıkamasını have so many suffixes?
Let's break it down: yıka (wash) + -ma (verbal noun) + -sı (his) + -n- (buffer) + -ı (accusative). In Turkish, indirect commands use this possessive verbal noun structure, literally translating to "his washing".
How does the Turkish sentence express "told him to..."?
Unlike English which says "told someone to do something", Turkish treats the action as a noun and makes it the object of söylemek. So yıkamasını söyledi translates literally to "she told his washing".
Why are both yanaklarını and yıkamasını in the accusative case here?
They are direct objects of two different verbs! Yanaklarını (his cheeks) is the object of the washing action, so it takes the accusative. Yıkamasını (his washing) is the object of the main verb söyledi, so it also requires an accusative ending.
Why isn't there a word for "to him" (ona) in the Turkish sentence?
You could add ona, but it is usually omitted because it is not strictly necessary. The possessive suffix -sı on yıkamasını already tells us whose action it is, so the listener automatically knows she gave the command to him.