Where? To where? From where?

Three case endings answer the questions where?, where to? and where from?:

• -da/-de (locative, where): evde (at home), okulda (at school)
• -a/-e (dative, where to): eve (home, to the house), okula (to school)
• -dan/-den (ablative, where from): evden (from home), okuldan (from school)

After ç, f, h, k, p, s, ş, t the d becomes t: parkta, ofisten. After a vowel the dative takes a buffer y: odaya, bahçeye. In most longer words a final k or ç softens before a vowel: mutfağa, ağaca, but mutfakta, ağaçtan and one-syllable parka. Place names keep an apostrophe: Ankara'da, İstanbul'a, Ankara'dan. The verb tells you the case: kalmak and yaşamak take -da, girmek and varmak take -a, ayrılmak and inmek take -dan.