Ben valizi taşımakta zorlanıyorum.

I’m having difficulty carrying the suitcase.

Breakdown of Ben valizi taşımakta zorlanıyorum.

• ben: I
• taşımak: to carry
• -ta: in
• valiz: the suitcase
• zorlanmak: to have difficulty

Questions & Answers about Ben valizi taşımakta zorlanıyorum.

What role does -makta serve in taşımakta, and why isn’t a finite form like taşıyorum used?

The suffix -makta is the locative case of the infinitive taşımak, producing a verbal noun meaning “in carrying.” The verb zorlanmak (“to have difficulty”) requires its action to be expressed as a noun in the locative case (“in doing something”). A finite form like taşıyorum (“I am carrying”) cannot follow zorlanmak directly.

What’s the difference between the nominalizers -makta (locative) and -maktan (ablative) when used with zorlanmak?

Both -makta and -maktan turn a verb into a noun, but they carry slightly different nuances:

• -makta (“in doing”) focuses on the action as an ongoing process:
  • Valizi taşımakta zorlanıyorum → “I’m having difficulty in carrying the suitcase.”
• -maktan (“from doing”) emphasizes the action as the source or cause of difficulty:
  • Valizi taşımaktan zorlanıyorum → “I’m having difficulty because of carrying the suitcase.”
  In practice, they’re often interchangeable, though -makta can sound a bit more formal.

Why is there an -i on valizi? Do we need the accusative case here?

Yes. Valizi uses the accusative marker -i because the suitcase is a definite, specific object in this context. Turkish marks definite direct objects with the accusative case to indicate exactly which item is affected.

What is zorlanmak, and how does it differ from zorlamak?

• Zorlanmak is an intransitive verb meaning “to experience difficulty” or “to be forced (by circumstances).”
• Zorlamak is a transitive verb meaning “to force someone or something.”
  So zorlanıyorum means “I’m having difficulty,” whereas zorlıyorum would mean “I’m forcing (someone).”

Why is Ben included at the beginning? Can it be dropped?

In Turkish, subject pronouns like Ben are optional because the verb ending -yorum already signals first-person singular. You include Ben only for emphasis or clarity. You can perfectly say:
• Valizi taşımakta zorlanıyorum.

Why does zorlanıyorum come at the end of the sentence?

Turkish follows a Subject–Object–Verb (SOV) word order. In this sentence:
• Subject: Ben
• Object: valizi
• Gerund phrase: taşımakta
• Verb: zorlanıyorum
The main verb naturally appears last.

Can we omit taşımakta and say Ben valizi zorlanıyorum?

No. Zorlanmak requires the action causing difficulty to be in a nominalized form (gerund). You must use -makta or -maktan; you cannot place the direct object immediately after zorlanmak without one of these nominalizers.