Anahtar deliği kum saatinin arkasındaydı.

The keyhole was behind the hourglass.

Breakdown of Anahtar deliği kum saatinin arkasındaydı.

• arka: behind
• kum saati: an hourglass
• anahtar deliği: a keyhole

Questions & Answers about Anahtar deliği kum saatinin arkasındaydı.

Why is anahtar deliği written as two words instead of one?

Because in Turkish, many noun+noun combinations are written as two separate words, even when English would use one word.

anahtar deliği is a standard Turkish noun compound:

• anahtar = key
• deliği = its hole / hole-of

So the structure is basically key-hole. Turkish often forms this kind of meaning with a compound where the second noun takes a special ending.

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Why does delik become deliği?

The base word is delik = hole. In the compound anahtar deliği, the second noun takes the 3rd person possessive/compound suffix -(s)ı / -(s)i / -(s)u / -(s)ü.

So:

• delik
  • -i → deliği

Also, final k often softens to ğ before a vowel in Turkish, which is why you get deliği, not deliki.

So this is not a random spelling change; it is a normal sound change plus a normal compound ending.

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What exactly is happening in kum saatinin?