Accusative

🔷 The accusative is formed by the suffix -nı, -ne, -n:

🔹-nı, -ne is joined to stems ending in a vowel or a consonant

🔹-n is joined to stems with the possessive suffixes of the 3rd person singular and plural

🔷 The accusative designates the direct object of the action. 

The direct object may be determinate or indeterminate. When determinate, the direct object takes the accusative suffix; when indeterminate, it appears in its zero form (i.e., without the accusative suffix). For example (compare):

Kitapnı uqıp çıqqan könne ük Soltan añarga xat yazarğa bulğan ide ... (Ğadel Qutuy, “Soltannıñ ber köne”) 

Soltan had intended to write him a letter on the very day when he finished reading the book ... 

Xatnı yazıp beterep, Soltan yoqlarğa yattı.

Having finished the letter, Soltan lay down to sleep.

🔷 The direct object is determinate and, consequently, takes the accusative suffix when: 

• It is pointed out as a particular object as distinct from others of the same kind (in English by the definite article “the”). It may also be preceded by a demonstrative pronoun or relational adjective:

Miñnisa min birgən almanı şunduq aşıy da başladı. (Ğomər Bəşirov, “Tuğan yağım - yəşel bişek”) 

Miñnisa immediately began to eat the apple that I had given her.

Patşa bu yegetne üzeneñ sarayında xezmət itərgə qaldıra. (Tatar xalıq əkiyətləre, “Patşa belən soldat”) 

The king kept this guy to serve in his palace.

awıldağı keşelərne isemnəre belən belü – to know the people in the village by their names

• It is determined by an ordinal number:

Bikə berençe balıqnı totqaç, Yabalaq qart üz yanına Albuğanı çaqırdı. (Nurixan Fəttax, “Sızğıra torğan uqlar”)

After she caught the first fish, the old man Yabalaq called Albuğa to his side.

• It is determined by a cardinal number, a generalizing pronoun, an indefinite pronoun, an interrogative pronoun, or by küp, but in each case determined in a specific way:

Cide diñgezne ütkəç, sigezençe diñgez başlana, ... (Tatar xalıq əkiyətləre, “Öç kügərçen”) 

After one crosses the seven seas, the eighth sea begins, …

Nindi yaxşı bülməne ərəm itep toralar bit! (Kərim Əmiri, “Peçən bazarı”) 

What a good room they are wasting! (Reference is to a specific room that could bring them income if they rented it out.)

• It is a proper name (name of a person, geographical name, etc.):

Min Zöhrəne kinoğa çaqırırğa dip kenə kergən idem. (Əmirxan Yeniki, “Yörək sere”)

I thought I’d just come in to invite Zöhrə to the movies.

❌ The accusative suffix is not attached to the direct object when:

• It is indeterminate:

Kələpüş, qalfaq, bürek şikelle nərsələr alasızmı? (Ğaliasğar Kamal, “Bezneñ şəhərneñ serləre”) 

Are you buying stuff like scullcaps, qalfaqs, caps?

• It is determined by a numeral in a general way:

Kötəm, biş minut kötəm, un minut kötəm, ... (Əmirxan Yeniki, “Yörək sere”)

I wait, I wait five minutes, I wait ten minutes, …

• By its meaning it is closely connected with the verb:

ağaç yaru – to chop wood

may yazu – to make butter, to butter

qul çabu – to applaud

Dialog

A: Səlam, Fərit! Sineñ tatar telen öyrəngəneñne işettem. Niçek bara? 

B: Səlam, Әminә! Əye, min inde anı berniçə ay öyrənəm. Şaqtıy awır, ləkin qızıq. 

A: Şəp! Bik matur söyləşəseñ. Sine tatar telen öyrənergə nərsə ilhamlandırdı? 

B: Minem əbi tatar, həm min mirasımnı yaxşıraq belergə telədem.  

A: Bu iskitkeç səbəp. Sineñ yaratqan tatar süzləreñ yəki ğibarələreñ barmı? 

B: Əlbəttə! Min "kübələk" süzeneñ yañğırawın yaratam. 

A: Çınnan da matur. Sineñ Tatarstanğa barırğa niyәteñ barmı? 

B: Əye, min kiləse yıl Tatarstanğa səyəxət itәrgә planlaştıram. Cirle xalıq belən praktika yasar öçen bik yaxşı mömkinlek bulır ide. 

A: Şəp macara bulır kebek yañgırıy, Fərit. Siña tatar tele belən uñışlar telim! 

B: Rəxmət, Әminә! 

________________ 

A: Hello, Fərit! I heard you've been learning Tatar. How's it going?

B: Hi, Әminә! Yes, I've been learning it for a few months now. It's quite challenging but also fascinating.

A: That's great to hear! You speak really well. What motivated you to learn Tatar?

B: Well, my grandmother is Tatar, and I wanted to get to know my heritage better.

A: That's a wonderful reason. Do you have any favorite Tatar words or phrases?

B: Absolutely! I love the sound of "kübələk".

A: That does sound lovely. Do you have any plans to visit Tatarstan?

B: Yes, I'm planning to visit Tatarstan next year. It would be a great opportunity to practice with locals.

A: That sounds like an exciting adventure, Fərit. I wish you the best of luck with your Tatar language journey!

B: Thank you, Әminә!