Breakdown of Sınav sorularını görünce bazı öğrenciler paniğe kapıldı.
bazı
some
sınav
the exam
görmek
to see
öğrenci
the student
-ince
when
soru
the question
paniğe kapılmak
to panic
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Questions & Answers about Sınav sorularını görünce bazı öğrenciler paniğe kapıldı.
What do the suffixes in sınav sorularını indicate?
sınav sorularını breaks down as:
- sınav “exam”
- soru “question”
- -lar plural → sorular “questions”
- -ın 3rd-person singular possessive → “the exam’s questions”
- -ı accusative case → marks it as a definite direct object
Altogether: “the exam’s questions” as a specific, plural object.
Why is görünce used instead of a separate word for “when”?
Turkish uses the suffix -ince (or -ınca/-ünce etc. by vowel harmony) on a verb stem to form an adverbial clause meaning “when (ever) [X] does …”.
- gör- “to see” + -ünce → görünce “when (they) saw” or “upon seeing.”
Who is the subject of görünce, and why isn’t it written?
The subject of görünce is the same bazı öğrenciler (“some students”) in the main clause. In Turkish subordinate clauses marked by -ince, the subject is understood and not repeated; the form is impersonal for all persons.
Why is the verb kapıldı in singular when bazı öğrenciler is plural?
In Turkish narrative style it’s common to use the 3rd-person singular verb form with a plural subject. It doesn’t sound wrong. If you want to match number explicitly you can say kapıldılar, but kapıldı is perfectly idiomatic here.
What does paniğe kapılmak mean, and why is paniğe in the dative case?
paniğe kapılmak is an idiom meaning “to panic” (literally “to be seized by panic”). The verb kapılmak (“to be seized/captured by”) governs the dative case to show what one is seized by:
- panik “panic” + -e dative → paniğe “by/into panic.”
What role does bazı play in bazı öğrenciler?
bazı means “some.” It’s an indefinite quantifier placed directly before a plural noun. So bazı öğrenciler = “some students.”
Can the word order be changed? For example, can Sınav sorularını görünce appear elsewhere?
Yes. Turkish has flexible word order. You could say, for instance:
- Bazı öğrenciler sınav sorularını görünce paniğe kapıldılar.
- Or even Paniğe kapıldılar sınav sorularını görünce bazı öğrenciler (less usual but grammatically OK).
Could görünce be replaced with gördüklerinde to specify the subject?
Yes. gördüklerinde is formed as gör- + -dük (past participle) + -lerinde (3rd-person-plural locative/dative), meaning “when they saw.”
E.g. Sınav sorularını gördüklerinde bazı öğrenciler paniğe kapıldılar.