To where, at where, from where — and postpositions that stand behind
Explaining the way in Turkish means picking one of three cases and, if needed, adding a postposition. You have seen the cases one by one; here they are gathered into one knot, because on the street they come in a row. For example: “Kavşaktan sonra sağa dönün” — After the intersection turn right. A rule from the Turkish course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
Explaining the way in Turkish means picking one of three cases and, if needed, adding a postposition. You have seen the cases one by one; here they are gathered into one knot, because on the street they come in a row.
The three place cases. The to-case -e/-a answers 'to where': eve gidiyorum, sağa dönün, kursa kaydoldum. The locative -de/-da — 'at where': köşede, durakta, kaldırımda. The from-case -den/-dan — 'from where': buradan uzak mı, köprüden geçince, beşten önce. The verb itself decides which case it takes: binmek demands the to-case (otobüse bindim), inmek the locative or the from-case (durakta indim) — and this is learned together with the verb, exactly like English verbs with their prepositions.
Postpositions stand after the noun — that is the whole difference from English prepositions, which lead. Karşısında, arkasında, yanında, önünde demand the genitive before them: postanenin karşısında — across from the post office, binanın arkasında — behind the building. The tail -sı/-si on the postposition itself is the second half of the izafet, and it cannot be dropped.
Three postpositions with a case. Kadar ('as far as') takes the to-case: sokağın sonuna kadar, akşama kadar. Doğru ('toward') also the to-case: eve doğru, akşama doğru. Boyunca ('along, for the duration of') stands right after the noun with no case: sokak boyunca, yıl boyunca. And önce and sonra measure time from a point in the from-case: beşten önce, yemekten sonra — but with a span there is no case at all: bir yıl sonra — a year later, iki gün önce — two days ago.
Table
| the form | the meaning | what it demands | example |
|---|---|---|---|
| -e / -a | to where | — | durağa yürüdüm |
| -de / -da | at where | — | köşede bekliyorum |
| -den / -dan | from where | — | buradan uzak mı |
| karşısında | across from | the genitive | bankanın karşısında |
| arkasında | behind | the genitive | evin arkasında |
| kadar | as far as, until | the to-case | sonuna kadar |
| doğru | toward | the to-case | akşama doğru |
| boyunca | along, for the duration of | nothing | sokak boyunca |
By example
- Kavşaktan sonra sağa dönünAfter the intersection turn right
- Eczane postanenin karşısındaThe pharmacy is across from the post office
- Sokağın sonuna kadar yürüyünWalk to the end of the street
How the rule settles in your head
A rule is not memorized from an explanation. It is memorized from an attempt to use it and a mistake — that is why the app delivers it mixed in with words, not as a separate lesson: it resurfaces exactly where you forgot it.
Frequently asked
To where, at where, from where — and postpositions that stand behind: how does it work in Turkish?
Explaining the way in Turkish means picking one of three cases and, if needed, adding a postposition. You have seen the cases one by one; here they are gathered into one knot, because on the street they come in a row.
What does it look like in an example sentence Turkish?
“Kavşaktan sonra sağa dönün” — After the intersection turn right. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.