The dative: -e, -a (where to? to whom?)
The dative answers Nereye? (where to?) and Kime? (to whom?). It replaces the English prepositions to and into: okula (to school), eve (home), bana (to me).
| Last sound | Vowels | Suffix | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| consonant | a, ı, o, u | -a | okula (to school), sokağa (into the street) |
| consonant | e, i, ö, ü | -e | eve (home), işe (to work) |
| vowel | a, ı, o, u | -ya | arabaya (into the car), odaya (into the room) |
| vowel | e, i, ö, ü | -ye | hastaneye (to the hospital) |
What else should you know?
- After a vowel a buffer -y- is added: *sinema-y-a*.
- Two pronouns are irregular: *ben → bana* (to me), *sen → sana* (to you).
- A final k often softens: *mutfak → mutfağa* (into the kitchen).
- Some verbs take the dative where English has a direct object: *bakmak* (look at), *yardım etmek* (help): *bana bak*, *ona yardım et*.
Examples
- Yarın okula gidiyorum.Tomorrow I'm going to school.
- Akşam eve dönüyoruz.In the evening we go back home.
- Lütfen bana yardım et.Please help me.
- Ahmet hastaneye gitti.Ahmet went to the hospital.
- Bu mektubu Ali'ye ver.Give this letter to Ali.
Common mistakes
- ✗ Beni yardım et.✓ Bana yardım et.English “help me” has a direct object; yardım etmek takes the dative: bana.
- ✗ Bene bir su ver.✓ Bana bir su ver.The dative of ben is irregular: bana, not bene.
- ✗ Arabaa bin.✓ Arabaya bin.After a vowel the dative needs a buffer -y-: arabaya.
- ✗ Akşam market gidiyorum.✓ Akşam markete gidiyorum.English “go to the shop” uses the preposition “to”; Turkish shows the direction with the dative ending: markete.
- ✗ Sokaka çıkma!✓ Sokağa çıkma!Before a vowel, the final k softens to ğ: sokak → sokağa.