Turkish Grammar › Noun Case Suffixes
Yönelme Durumu (-(y)A)
Dative Case
Level A1Noun Case Suffixes
The dative case shows the direction or the target of a movement.
The dative shows where a movement is heading, or to whom or to what something is directed. In Turkish it is made with the ending -a or -e.
The dative ending is chosen by vowel harmony. Words with back vowels take -a, words with front vowels take -e. For example okula, parka, eve, işe.
If the word ends in a vowel, the buffer sound «y» comes before the dative ending: masa-ya, anne-ye, araba-ya.
The dative is used most often with verbs of movement. Verbs like gitmek, gelmek, dönmek, koşmak, çıkmak, girmek and taşınmak frequently take it. For example: Okula gidiyorum. Eve geliyorum. Parka koşuyoruz.
The dative does not only mark a place. It can also mark a person or a thing. For example: Öğretmene soru soruyorum. Arkadaşıma mesaj yazıyorum. Çocuğa kitap veriyorum.
Some verbs always require the dative because of their meaning. Verbs like bakmak, inanmak, yardım etmek, başlamak and katılmak take it: Televizyona bakıyorum. Sana inanıyorum. Derse başlıyoruz.
With loanwords the dative ending follows the pronunciation, not the spelling. That is why we write alkole, saate, hale, harfe.
The dative answers the questions «Nereye?» (where to), «Kime?» (to whom) and «Neye?» (to what). If those questions fit a sentence, the dative is usually being used.
Examples
- Öğretmene soru soruyorum.I am asking the teacher a question.
- Arkadaşıma mesaj yazıyorum.I am writing a message to my friend.
- Çocuk odaya giriyor.The child is entering the room.
- Sana inanmıyorum.I do not believe you.
- Markete gidiyor musun?Are you going to the shop?