Breakdown of Şeker şerbetini hazırladıktan sonra su ekleyerek kıvamını ayarladım.
su
the water
eklemek
to add
hazırlamak
to prepare
sonra
after
kıvam
the consistency
ayarlamak
to adjust
şeker
the sugar
şerbet
the syrup
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Questions & Answers about Şeker şerbetini hazırladıktan sonra su ekleyerek kıvamını ayarladım.
In şeker şerbetini, why do we see two i sounds at the end? What do they each do?
“Şeker şerbeti” means “sugar syrup.” The first -i is the 3rd-person singular possessive suffix on şerbet (“its syrup”). To make that whole phrase the definite object of hazırlamak, you then add the accusative suffix -ni. Under vowel harmony and consonant sandhi the two suffixes merge into -nı/-ni, so you get şeker şerbetini.
What does hazırladıktan sonra mean, and how is it formed?
Hazırladıktan sonra means “after preparing.” You take the verb stem hazırla- (to prepare), add the perfective/adverbial form -dık (becomes -dık/-dik by vowel harmony), then -ten sonra (“after that”). Because the stem vowel is a, it surfaces as hazırladıktan sonra.
Could we use hazırlayınca or hazırlayıp sonra instead of hazırladıktan sonra?
Yes, but with slight nuance:
- Hazırlayıp sonra uses -ıp/-ip, simply listing actions (“I prepared and then…”), a bit more colloquial.
- Hazırlayınca means “when/as soon as I prepare,” often implying immediacy or simultaneity.
- Hazırladıktan sonra firmly means “after I completed preparing,” emphasizing sequence.
Why is there a y in ekleyerek? Why not just ekle-erek?
The root ekle ends in a vowel e. When you attach the suffix -erek (which also begins with a vowel), Turkish inserts a buffer consonant y to avoid two vowels clashing. So ekle + y + erek = ekleyerek.
What does the suffix -erek do in su ekleyerek kıvamını ayarladım?
The -erek form turns the verb into an adverbial participle indicating “by doing …” or “in doing ….” Here su ekleyerek means “by adding water,” expressing the means or method by which you adjusted the consistency.
Why isn’t su in the accusative case (i.e. suyu) before ekleyerek?
When you use the -erek participle to show means, the object noun typically stays in the nominative. So you say su ekleyerek (“by adding water”), not suyu ekleyerek, even though eklemek normally takes a direct object in accusative when it’s the main verb.
In kıvamını ayarladım, what do the suffixes -ını indicate?
Kıvam means “consistency.” The first part, -ı, is the 3rd-person possessive suffix—“its consistency.” The second part, -nı, is the accusative marker, marking it as the definite object of ayarlamak (“to adjust”). Combined under harmony you get kıvamını.
Could you rephrase the sentence to focus on purpose rather than method?
Yes. Instead of su ekleyerek kıvamını ayarladım (“I adjusted its consistency by adding water”), you can say:
Kıvamını ayarlamak için su ekledim.
Here için (“in order to”) highlights the purpose: “I added water in order to adjust the consistency.”