"geçişli" v.s. "geçişsiz" verbs
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In Turkish, there are two kinds of verbs:

1) Those that can be used with an object, or can refer an object directly (geçişli fiil/verb))
2) And, those, that cannot be used with an object or directly refer to it. (geçişsiz fiil/verb))

In the example that you provided above, "baslamak" (to begin) is a "geçişsiz" verb, so it cannot go together with an object.
It does not directly map to English. But I developed a simple test for it..

geçişli verb test:
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Assume that the verb that you are working on is V (e.g., to swim)
1. Construct a phrase by combining the verb with the English word tomato:
V + tomato (e.g.,swim tomato)
2. Check the meaning to see if such an action expressed by the phrase is ever possible to happen (now or in the future..)

3. If you can say yes, then the verb is geçişli, otherwise it is geçişsiz.


Examples:
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1. to begin (basla-mak)

construct the phrase: begin tomato
check if it is a possible action: No, as it does not make sense or is not possible now and in the future
decision: geçişsiz.

2. to take

construct phrase: take tomato
check if it is a possible action: yes
decision: geçişli

3. to swim

construct phrase: swim tomato
check if it is a possible action: no
decision: geçişsiz

4. to cut

construct phrase: cut tomato
check if it is a possible action: yes
decision: geçişli

5. to watch

construct phrase: watch tomato
check if it is a possible action: yes
decision: geçişli


Part 2: Using verbs as objects in a sentence
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1. First, you need to convert the verb to a noun by adding either -me or -ma suffix accordign to vowel harmony.

example: kos-mak (verb) --> kos-ma (noun)
kes-mek (verb) --> kes-me (noun)

2. Then you need to further convert the noun form to object by adding either -ye/-ya or yi/yı.
kos-ma-(yı?ya)

Now, let's go over the example posted in the first message of this thread and try to understand when to use -ye/-ya and when to use yi/yı.

Let's firstly tag the sentence with parts of speech tags (POS):

(Ben) kosmayi(obj) basladim(verb).

In this sentence, we are trying to use the verb "kos-mak" as an object rather than in its original form which is verb.
How you do this depends on the type of the verb of the sentence. The verb of the sentence is not the one that we are trying to make an object out of it, but the one tagged as verb in the sentence (basla-mak in our example)

a) Making objects from verbs if the verb of the sentence is geçişsiz:

object form = verb(in base form) + ye/ya
(to decide whether you should use -ye or -ya is determined according to vowel harmony.)

example: kos-ma-(yi?ya) basladim.
1. Tag the sentence with POS: kosma(obj) basladim(verb)
2. Run the test for geçişli/geçişsiz on the verb of the sentence (basla-mak)-->geçişsiz
3. Since it is geçişsiz add the suffix -ya rather than -yi --> kos-ma-ya
that is: kosmaya basladim.

b) Making objects from verbs if the verb of the sentence is geçişli:

object form = verb(in base form) + yi/yı
(to decide whether you should use -ye or -ya is determined according to vowel harmony.)

example: kos-ma-(yi?ya) sevdim.
1. Tag the sentence with POS: kosma(obj) sevdim(verb)
2. Run the test for geçişli/geçişsiz on the verb of the sentence (sev-mek)-->geçişli
3. Since it is geçişsiz add the suffix -yı rather than -ya --> kos-ma-yı
that is: kosmayi sevdim.

Part 3: Use of the suffix -ma/me to put a verb into negative verb.
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Another use of suffix -ma/me is to make the meaning of a verb negative.
It is usually used for imperative sentences:

Example: kosma! (do not run)
okuma! (do not read)
gitme! (do nor go)

> How to differentiate between different use of the suffix -me/ma
1. Tag the sentence using POS.
2. If the verb that you are studying is tagged as verb in the sentence, then -me/ma is used to give negative meaning..
Otherwise, the suffix converts the verb into an object.

Finally, I am done. The procedures/tests that I have given above are completely thought and written ad hoc, so they may not apply for complicated cases, but they should work for "beginner" level sentences.
Hope this helps.

ali

Ali this must have taken you a long time to write ,but thank you very much.It is explained very well and has been really helpful.

ditto, thank you very much Ali much appriciated

just checking ive got this right, are these correct then?
(sorry there are no turkish letters)

i began to swim = yuzmeye basladim
i want to go = gitmeyi istiyorum
i like to eat = yemeyi seviyorum

however in a learn turkish book i read it said - he began to do the washing up = yikamayi basladi? i dont understand how this can work!

ok thank you very much for your help

sorry I made a tiny mistake and have just realised it. But I modified it.

I don´t think how to use mek mak was actually ever addressed... Correct me if I am wrong, but my tutor told me that you can only use mek mak in a sentence if you use istemek as the acting verb. Is that correct, or can you use sevmek and/or beğenmek as well?