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Breakdown of Elektrik prizi bozulduğunda paniğe kapılmak yerine teknik servisi aramak akıllıcadır.
olmak
to be
yerine
instead of
servis
the service
akıllıca
wisely
teknik
technical
aramak
to call
-duğunda
when
elektrik prizi
the electrical outlet
bozulmak
to malfunction
paniğe kapılmak
to panic
Questions & Answers about Elektrik prizi bozulduğunda paniğe kapılmak yerine teknik servisi aramak akıllıcadır.
What does the suffix -duğunda in bozulduğunda mean?
The suffix -duğunda forms a temporal clause “when/once … happens.” It attaches to the past‐tense stem bozuldu. So bozulduğunda literally means “when it has broken” or “once it breaks.”
What’s the difference between bozulduğunda and bozulunca?
Both can mean “when it breaks,” but they come from different time-suffix patterns:
- bozulduğunda = bozuldu + ğunda, emphasising “at the moment after the action is completed.”
- bozulunca = bozul + unca, more generally “once/because it breaks.”
In many contexts they’re interchangeable; -dığında can feel a bit more formal or precise about completion.
How does paniğe kapılmak translate as “to panic”?
Literally, paniğe is the dative of “panic” (into panic), and kapılmak means “to be seized by/overwhelmed.” Together they form an idiom: “paniğe kapılmak” = “to get into a panic” = “to panic.”
What role does yerine play in paniğe kapılmak yerine?
yerine is a postposition meaning “instead of.” It follows a noun or nominal phrase. Here paniğe kapılmak (the act of panicking) is treated like a noun, so paniğe kapılmak yerine = “instead of panicking.”
Why are paniğe kapılmak and teknik servisi aramak in the infinitive (-mak) form?
In Turkish, the infinitive -mak/-mek can function like an English gerund (“…ing”) or noun (“the act of …”). It lets you talk about actions as things you can compare or evaluate: “to panic” vs. “calling technical service.”
Why is teknik servisi marked with the accusative -i?
Because it’s a definite, specific object (“the technical service” you have in mind). Turkish marks definite direct objects with -i/-ı/-u/-ü. So servis + -i = servisi.
What is akıllıcadır? Why not just akıllıca?
akıllıca means “wisely” (an adverb). Adding the copula -dır (3rd-person singular) makes it into a full predicate: “is wise.” Hence “teknik servisi aramak akıllıcadır” = “calling technical service is wise.”
There’s no explicit subject before akıllıcadır—what is “wise” here?
In Turkish, the infinitive phrase can serve as the subject. Here teknik servisi aramak is the logical subject (“the action of calling technical service”), and akıllıcadır predicates it (“is wise”).
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