Breakdown of Gazoz yerine limonata tercih etmek sağlıklı olabilir.
olmak
to be
sağlıklı
healthy
yerine
instead of
tercih etmek
to prefer
limonata
the lemonade
gazoz
the soda
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Questions & Answers about Gazoz yerine limonata tercih etmek sağlıklı olabilir.
What does yerine mean in this sentence, and why is gazoz not marked with a case ending?
Yerine is a postposition meaning instead of or in place of. It follows the noun denoting what is being replaced. In gazoz yerine limonata, gazoz appears in its bare (nominative) form. You could optionally say gazozun yerine limonata (using the genitive), but in A yerine B constructions the first noun often remains uninflected.
Why is the verb tercih etmek in its infinitive form here instead of being conjugated?
Because Gazoz yerine limonata tercih etmek is a nominalized infinitive clause functioning as the subject of the main verb olabilir. In such clauses, tercih etmek stays in its dictionary form and doesn’t take person or tense endings.
Why is limonata not marked with an accusative case ending?
Within an infinitive clause, direct objects are frequently left unmarked when the meaning is clear. If you wanted to be explicit, you could say limonatayı tercih etmek, but omitting the accusative is common.
What is the subject of olabilir in this sentence?
The subject is the entire infinitive phrase Gazoz yerine limonata tercih etmek. So the literal structure is “Choosing lemonade instead of soda can be healthy.”
Why is the adjective sağlıklı followed by olabilir instead of standing alone?
To express that something might be a certain way, Turkish uses an adjective plus olmak in the potential mood. Thus sağlıklı olabilir means “it could be healthy.” A definite statement would use sağlıklıdır or sağlıklı olur.
How would you say “I prefer lemonade to soda” in Turkish?
You would specify the person and conjugate the verb: Gazoz yerine limonatayı tercih ediyorum. Here limonatayı takes the accusative case (direct object) and tercih ediyorum is first-person-singular present tense.
Can you swap the order to Limonata yerine gazoz tercih etmek sağlıklı olabilir?
Grammatically it’s possible, but swapping the nouns reverses the meaning: Limonata yerine gazoz tercih etmek means “choosing soda instead of lemonade.” The original order Gazoz yerine limonata specifically indicates “instead of soda, lemonade.”