Sen kendine dikkat edersen daha hızlı ilerlersin, yoksa yanlış kararlar alabilirsin.

If you pay attention to yourself, you will progress faster; otherwise, you might make bad decisions.

Breakdown of Sen kendine dikkat edersen daha hızlı ilerlersin, yoksa yanlış kararlar alabilirsin.

• sen: you
• daha: more
• hızlı: fast
• karar: the decision
• yoksa: otherwise
• dikkat etmek: to pay attention
• kendi: yourself
• ilerlemek: to progress
• yanlış: wrong

Questions & Answers about Sen kendine dikkat edersen daha hızlı ilerlersin, yoksa yanlış kararlar alabilirsin.

What does kendine mean in this sentence, and why is it used here?

Kendine comes from kendi (meaning self) combined with the dative suffix -e, which indicates direction or benefit. In this context, it translates to "to yourself", emphasizing that you should pay attention or take care of yourself.

How is the conditional structure dikkat edersen formed?

The phrase dikkat edersen is derived from dikkat etmek (meaning "to pay attention"). The suffix -ersen is an aorist conditional ending applied to the verb stem. This construction means "if you pay attention" and is commonly used in Turkish to set up a condition that leads to a consequence.

What does ilerlersin mean, and why is it conjugated that way?

İlerlersin comes from the verb ilerlemek (meaning "to progress" or "to move forward"). It is conjugated in the second person singular using the aorist form, which often expresses general truths or future outcomes in conditional sentences. Thus, ilerlersin effectively means "you will progress" or "you progress" in a general, future-oriented sense.

What is the function of yoksa in this sentence?

Yoksa means "otherwise" or "if not". It introduces an alternative outcome by contrasting what happens if you take care of yourself with what might happen if you do not. In this sentence, it highlights the negative possibility of making wrong decisions if the condition isn’t met.

How does the modal construction alabilirsin work in this context?

Alabilirsin is formed from alabilmek, which means "to be able to take/receive" or in this case, "to make" (as in "to make decisions"). The modal suffix -ebil expresses possibility, and with the second person singular ending -irsin, it translates as "you might" or "you may". This conveys that without taking care of yourself, you run the risk of making wrong decisions.

Why isn’t an explicit future tense marker used in this sentence despite referring to future outcomes?

In Turkish, conditional sentences often use the aorist tense in both the conditional clause and the result clause to express general or future truths. The aorist form implies that the outcome will occur if the condition is met, so an explicit future tense marker isn’t necessary.