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Questions & Answers about Duvarı örmeden önce çimentoyu su ile karıştırdım.
Why is duvarı in the accusative case?
Because duvarı is the definite direct object of the verb örmek (“to build/lay”). In Turkish, when you have a specific object, you mark it with the accusative suffix -(y)ı/-(y)i/-(y)u/-(y)ü according to vowel harmony. Here duvar + -ı = duvarı, meaning “the wall.”
What does örmeden önce mean, and how does that construction work?
The form verb stem + -meden literally means “without doing [verb]”, but when you add önce (“before”) it becomes “before doing [verb].”
- ör- = build/lay
- -me- = negative
- -den = ablative
- önce = before
So örmeden önce = “before building.” Without önce, örmeden just means “without building.”
Why is çimentoyu marked with -yu?
Çimentoyu is the definite direct object of karıştırmak (“to mix”). Turkish marks definite/direct objects with the accusative suffix -(y)u/ü/ı/i. Here çimento + -yu = çimentoyu, meaning “the cement.”
What role does su ile play here? Why use ile, and could I say suyla instead?
su ile means “with water”, indicating the instrument used for mixing.
- ile is the preposition for “with.”
- You can also attach it as a suffix: su
- -yla = suyla.
Both su ile karıştırdım and suyla karıştırdım are correct; suyla is simply the cliticized form.
- -yla = suyla.
Why is the verb karıştırdım in this specific form?
karıştırdım breaks down as:
- karıştır- (stem: “mix”)
- -d- (past tense marker)
- -ım (1st-person singular suffix)
Altogether karıştırdım = “I mixed.”
Could I reorder the sentence to Çimentoyu suyla karıştırdım, duvarı örmeden önce?
Technically yes, but it sounds less natural. Turkish commonly places adverbial clauses like örmeden önce before the main clause they modify. So Duvarı örmeden önce çimentoyu suyla karıştırdım is the most fluent word order. Moving örmeden önce to the end can feel awkward or shift emphasis.
Why is there no subject pronoun like ben in the sentence?
In Turkish you usually omit the subject pronoun because the verb ending already indicates the subject. The -ım in karıştırdım tells you “I.” You’d only add ben for emphasis: Ben çimentoyu suyla karıştırdım = “It was me who mixed the cement with water.”