Accusative Case -i/-ı/-u/-ü

What is the Accusative?

The accusative case marks the direct object of a verb - the thing being acted upon. It's only used for DEFINITE objects.

Pattern: Noun + -(y)i/-(y)ı/-(y)u/-(y)ü (i-type harmony)

Use buffer 'y' after vowels.

Kitab-ı okudum

I read the book

kitap + ı (definite object)

Kitap okudum

I read a book

No accusative (indefinite)

Su-yu içtim

I drank the water

su + yu (vowel, so buffer y)

Definite vs Indefinite

Use accusative ONLY for definite objects:

Definite (THE book, specific) → use accusative

Indefinite (A book, any book) → NO accusative

Proper names and pronouns always take accusative.

Ali'yi gördüm

I saw Ali

Proper name → always accusative

Seni seviyorum

I love you

Pronoun → always accusative

Bir kitap aldım

I bought a book

Indefinite → no accusative

Consonant Softening

Words ending in specific voiceless consonants (ç, k, p, t) soften before accusative:

k → ğ

p → b

t → d

ç → c

Note: Other voiceless consonants (f, h, s, ş) do NOT undergo softening.

sokak → sokağı

the street (accusative)

k → ğ before -ı

kitap → kitabı

the book (accusative)

p → b before -ı

ağaç → ağacı

the tree (accusative)

ç → c before -ı

Exercises

case

Add accusative: elma (the apple)

Answer: elmayı

elma + yı (buffer y after vowel)

translation

Translate: I saw the car

Answer: Arabayı gördüm

araba + yı (definite object) + gördüm

multiple choice

Which is correct? 'I ate bread (any bread)'

Answer: Ekmek yedim

Indefinite object → no accusative