"I love everyone very much."

Translation: Herkesi çok seviyorum!

[Nigel_Red]

Please explain to me, when is herkese and when is herkesi? I am really struggling :(

[sainio]

"Herkesi" is in the accusative case, and is used when "everyone" is the direct object (as in this sentence).

"Herkese" is in the dative case, and is used when "everyone" is the indirect object: when something is being said to everyone, given to everyone, done for everyone, etc. ("I'm buying coffee for everyone." -> "Ben herkese kahve alıyorum.")

[Nigel_Red]

Çok teşekkür ederim, Caitlin :) I hope I'll do better with you explanation!

[sainio]

No problem! I hope it helps. =)

[Hojinkie]

That's weird I always though sevmek was a transitive verb.

[AlexinNotTurkey]

It is (and it is in this sentence as well)

[Hojinkie]

So shouldn't herkes receive the action of sevmek? It's on the receiving part of the sentence so it should be in the dative case, right?

[sainio]

It's receiving the action as a direct object, though. Herkes is the thing you love, so it's the direct recipient of your action, and takes the accusative case.

The dative case would be for an indirect object: not the direct recipient of the action, but the person (or thing) for whom you perform the action.

For instance, if I buy coffee for everyone, buying is the action. The coffee is the direct object: it's the thing that I'm buying. Everyone is the indirect object: I'm not buying everyone (I'm buying coffee), but I'm buying FOR everyone. So in that case, "everyone" would get the dative case.

(I hope that makes sense. It's confusing.)

[Hojinkie]

That makes a lot of sense thank you.

[GastonDorren]

I can see herkesi is the accusative - but I would have expected 'herkes' to be considered indefinite, not definite. Well, I'm wrong.

[sainio]

I'd've expected the same, but my understanding is that "herkes" is always definite, because it's a defined set that includes everybody. (We view "everybody" as kind of nebulous in English, but Turkish doesn't seem to treat it that way.)

[ldv1970]

I can add that "sevmek" seems to always take definite objects.

[GastonDorren]

Exactly! And thanks.

[HeliaShahm]

he/she is drunk ;)

[argin7]

That's impossible!!!!

[Deniz097]

Would it be: ben or benim Herkesi çok seviyorum?

[sainio]

"I" is the subject, here, so "ben herkesi çok seviyorum."

[annieke_b]

can i use fazla in this sentence?

[AlexinNotTurkey]

Nope! çok fazla is normally only used with nouns.

[Karen208942]

Why seviyorum if it is not participle like "am loving"?