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Questions & Answers about Müdür dün istifa etti.
Why is istifa etti two words instead of one verb?
Because istifa etmek is a very common type of Turkish compound verb.
- istifa is a noun meaning resignation
- etmek is an auxiliary verb meaning to do / to make
Together, istifa etmek means to resign.
So:
- istifa etmek = to resign
- istifa etti = resigned
Turkish often forms verbs this way with a noun + etmek, especially with words borrowed from Arabic, Persian, or French.
Examples:
- yardım etmek = to help
- telefon etmek = to phone
- kontrol etmek = to check
What exactly does etti mean here?
Etti is the simple past, 3rd person singular form of etmek.
Breakdown:
- verb stem: et-
- past tense ending: -ti
- 3rd person singular: no extra ending here
So etti means did in form, but in this compound it gives the meaning resigned.
Why -ti and not -di? Because Turkish past-tense endings change according to sound harmony and voicing:
- after a voiceless consonant like t, the past ending appears as -tı / -ti / -tu / -tü
- here: et- → etti
Why is there no word for the before müdür?