Dative case in Turkish

Greetings, Turkish language enthusiasts! Today, we delve into the dative case in Turkish. It is a crucial aspect of Turkish grammar.

The dative case, known as yönelme hali in Turkish, tells us to whom or to where something is directed. It’s like a helpful arrow pointing the direction of an action or movement.

Here are some key things to remember:

How to Form the Dative Case
Questions to Identify Dative nouns

Ask yourself:

  • “Neye?” (to what?)
  • “Nereye?” (to where?)
  • “Kime?” (to whom? or for whom?)

If your answer fits the sentence, you’ve likely found the dative case word.

Adding the dative suffix

Most nouns take “-e” or “-a” as the dative suffix. The choice depends on vowel harmony.

  • To form the dative case, add either “-e” or “-a” to the end of the noun.
  • The choice between “-e” and “-a” depends on the last vowel of the noun.
  • “-e” follows last vowels (i, ü, ö, ı) .
  • “-a” follows last vowels (a, ı, o, u).

For example:

  • Kitap (book) → Kitaba (to the book)
  • Arkadaş (friend) → Arkadaşa (to the friend)
  • Okul (school) → Okula (to school)
  • Ev (house) → Eve (to the house)
  • Anne (mother) → Anneye (to the mother)
  • Tatil (holiday) →  Tatile (to the holiday)
  • Sana (to you)
  • Bize (to us)
Common uses of the dative case:
  1. Indirect object: It shows the recipient of an action.
    •  Kitabı anneme verdim. (I gave the book to my mother.)
    • Öğretmen kitabı bana verdi. (The teacher gave the book to me.)
    • Ali, Elif’e bir hediye verdi. (Ali gave a gift to Elif.)
    • Emre, babasına bir mektup yazdı. (Ahmet wrote a letter to his father.)
    • Öğretmen öğrencilere ders veriyor. (The teacher is teaching the students a lesson.)
    • Arkadaşıma hediye getirdim. (I brought a gift to my friend.)
  2. Possession: It can sometimes express possession with certain verbs.
    • Çiçeği arkadaşıma aldım. (I bought flowers for my friend.)
    • Babama hediye aldım. (I bought a gift for my father.)
    • Bu kitap, Ayşe’ye ait. (This book belongs to Ayşe.)
    • Kardeşime yeni bir bilgisayar aldım. (I bought a new computer for my brother.)
    • Anneme bir çiçek yolladım. (I sent a flower to my mother.)
    • Arkadaşıma borcunu verdim. (I gave my friend his debt back.)
  3. Direction or location: It indicates where something is going or happening.
    • Okula gidiyorum. (I am going to school.)
    • Sinemaya geliyoruz. (We’re coming to the cinema.)
    • Arabayı parka park ettim. (I parked the car in the parking lot.)
    • Kitapları kütüphaneye koydum. (I put the books in the library.)
    • Markete gidiyorum. (I’m going to the market.)
    • Plaja gideceğiz. (We will go to the beach.)
Practice makes perfect
  • Ali okula gidiyor. (Ali is going to the school – okula)
  • Anneme çiçek veriyorum. (I am giving flowers to my mother – anneme)
  • Nereye gidiyorsun? (Where are you going? )
  • Çocuklara hikaye anlatıyor. (He is telling a story to the children.)
  • Ali arkadaşına hediye verdi. (Ali gave a gift to his friend.)
  • Ayşe kütüphaneye gidiyor. (Ayşe is going to the library.)
  • Ben anneme çiçek alacağım. (I will buy flowers for my mother.)

Remember, the dative case might seem challenging at first, but with consistent practice, you’ll be a pro in no time!

Bonus tip: Check out online resources and language exchange platforms to find native speakers who can help you practice your Turkish conversation skills.

You can visit the Turkish Grammar page  for grammar lessons.

For support and learning Turkish easily with colorful pages, you can buy the book for Turkish for beginners from the shop.

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