Breakdown of Biz sinemaya gitmeden önce toplanmak istiyoruz.
gitmek
to go
istemek
to want
biz
we
sinema
the cinema
önce
before
-ya
to
toplanmak
to gather
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Questions & Answers about Biz sinemaya gitmeden önce toplanmak istiyoruz.
Why does the phrase gitmeden önce use a negative form even though it means “before going”?
In Turkish, the structure verb stem + -meden/-madan önce is an idiomatic way to say “before doing” something. Although the negative suffix appears to imply negation, it does not mean "without going" in this context. Instead, it simply marks the temporal clause “before going.”
What function does sinemaya serve in the sentence?
Sinemaya is the dative form of sinema (cinema). In Turkish, the dative case (marked by the suffix -ya or -e) indicates direction or destination. Here, it shows that the action of going is directed “to the cinema.”
Why is toplanmak in the infinitive form following istiyoruz?
In Turkish, verbs like istemek (to want) are typically followed by another verb in the infinitive form, which is created by adding -mak/-mek to the verb stem. Therefore, toplanmak (“to gather”) functions as the complement to istiyoruz (“we want”).
How is the sentence structured grammatically in Turkish?
The sentence follows the common Turkish Subject-Object-Verb (SOV) order. Biz (we) is the subject, sinemaya indicates the destination, gitmeden önce is a temporal subordinate clause explaining when the gathering will occur (i.e., before going), and toplanmak istiyoruz is the main verb phrase showing what the subject wants to do.
Why is the temporal clause gitmeden önce placed between sinemaya and toplanmak istiyoruz?
Placing gitmeden önce right after the destination sinemaya helps to establish the sequence of events. It clearly indicates that the gathering (toplanmak) is meant to happen before the group goes to the cinema. This ordering is typical in Turkish to set the time frame for subsequent actions.