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Questions & Answers about Dişim ağrıyor.
What does dişim mean in this sentence?
Dişim is composed of the noun diş meaning “tooth” and the possessive suffix -im, which indicates “my.” Together, it literally means “my tooth.”
How is possession shown in Turkish, as seen in dişim?
Turkish expresses possession by attaching a suffix directly to the noun. In this case, the suffix -im is added to diş (tooth) to indicate that the tooth belongs to the speaker, resulting in “my tooth.”
What is the grammatical form of ağrıyor and why is it used here?
Ağrıyor is the third person singular present tense (often seen as a present continuous form) of the verb ağrımak (to hurt). It fits with the subject dişim (my tooth) by indicating that the tooth is currently hurting.
How does the structure of the Turkish sentence Dişim ağrıyor differ from typical English expressions of pain?
In Turkish, pain is directly attributed to the body part—Dişim ağrıyor literally means “My tooth hurts.” In English, we are more likely to say “I have a toothache,” which focuses on the person’s experience of pain rather than stating that a particular body part is doing the hurting.
Can this sentence be modified to refer to multiple teeth hurting, and if so, how?
Yes, if you want to refer to more than one tooth, you would use the plural form and the corresponding possessive suffix. For example, dişlerim ağrıyor means “My teeth hurt.”