Turkish Grammar › Conjunctions
Bağlaç «dA»
The Conjunction “dA”
Level B2Conjunctions
The difference between the separately-written conjunction «da/de» and the attached locative suffix «-DA»: Ben de geldim. / Anahtarlar bende.
There are two different «da/de» in Turkish, and confusing them is one of the most common spelling mistakes.
The first is the LOCATIVE SUFFIX, written ATTACHED to the noun: «evde», «okulda», «bahçede». It expresses place, time, or state.
The second is a CONJUNCTION and is always written SEPARATELY: «Ben de geldim.» (ben de = me too), «O da biliyor.» It means "too, also, as well".
The method for telling them apart: remove «da/de» from the sentence. If the meaning is not broken, or only slightly changes, it is a CONJUNCTION, written separately. If removing it makes the sentence meaningless or loses place/time information, it is a SUFFIX, written attached.
Example: «Evde kimse yok.» → If you turn «Evde» into «Ev», the sentence breaks (suffix). «Ben de biliyorum.» → If you remove «de», «Ben biliyorum.» is still a meaningful sentence (conjunction).
The spelling rule makes this distinction very clear: the SUFFIX «-DA» follows consonant harmony and becomes «-tA» after a voiceless consonant: «kitapta», «sokakta».
The CONJUNCTION «da/de», however, NEVER becomes «ta/te»; it always stays «da/de»: «Kitap da aldım.» — not «kitapta».
So in writing, «kitapta» (suffixed, locative) and «kitabı da» (conjunction, separate) carry completely different meanings: «Kitapta yazıyor.» (it is written inside the book) should not be confused with «Kitabı da aldım.» (I bought the book too).
The conjunction «da/de» usually adds an additive or emphatic meaning like «üstelik, ayrıca, bile»: «Param yok, üstüne bir de borcum var.»
In everyday writing, especially in messaging, this distinction is often skipped; but it must strictly be kept in formal and school writing.
Examples
- Evde kimse yok.There is no one home.
- Ben de seninle geliyorum.I am coming with you too.
- Kitapta yazan her şey doğru değildir.Not everything written in the book is true.
- Kitabı da aldım, defteri de.I bought the book too, and the notebook too.
- Param yok, üstüne bir de borcum var.I have no money, and on top of that I'm in debt.