Breakdown of Hobi olarak fotoğraf çekmekten zevk alıyorum.
çekmek
to take
olarak
as
fotoğraf
the photograph
-ten
from
zevk almak
to enjoy
hobi
the hobby
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Questions & Answers about Hobi olarak fotoğraf çekmekten zevk alıyorum.
What does Hobi olarak mean, and why do we need olarak here instead of just saying Hobi?
Hobi olarak literally means “as a hobby.” The word olarak turns hobi (hobby) into an adverbial phrase indicating the role or capacity in which you do something. Without olarak, you’d need a different construction (for example Hobim fotoğraf çekmek “My hobby is taking photos”). To say “I enjoy taking photos as a hobby,” you normally use hobi olarak.
Why is fotoğraf çekmek changed to fotoğraf çekmekten in this sentence?
The verb phrase çekmek (“to take”) is nominalized by the infinitive suffix -mek, giving çekmek = “taking.” To link it to zevk almak (“to enjoy”), Turkish requires the ablative case -ten/-dan, which attaches to that nominalized form. So you get çekmek + ten = çekmekten, literally “from taking” or “out of taking.”
Why isn’t there an accusative suffix on fotoğraf (i.e. why not fotoğrafı çekmekten zevk alıyorum)?
When you use the infinitive/nominalized verb çekmek as a whole phrase, its internal object (fotoğraf) usually stays in the unmarked (nominative) form. The infinitive phrase fotoğraf çekmek is treated as a single unit, and you apply the case ending to çekmek, not to fotoğraf. If you were using a finite verb, you’d say fotoğrafı çekiyorum (“I am taking the photo”) with the accusative -ı.
What is the structure zevk alıyorum, and how does zevk almak mean “to enjoy”?
Zevk is a noun meaning “pleasure,” and almak is a verb meaning “to take.” Together zevk almak literally means “to take pleasure.” In English we simply say “to enjoy.” So çekmekten zevk alıyorum = “I take pleasure from taking (photos)” = “I enjoy taking photos.”
Could I use zevk duymak instead of zevk almak?
Yes. Zevk duymak (“to feel pleasure”) is a synonym for zevk almak. So you could say Hobi olarak fotoğraf çekmekten zevk duyuyorum. In everyday speech zevk almak is more common, but both are correct.
Is the word order flexible? What if I say Fotoğraf çekmekten hobi olarak zevk alıyorum?
Turkish word order is relatively flexible, but certain phrases sound more natural in specific positions. Hobi olarak usually comes before the action you are describing, and zevk alıyorum stays at the end. Your sentence Fotoğraf çekmekten hobi olarak zevk alıyorum is understandable but awkward. The most common order is:
• Hobi olarak (capacity)
• fotoğraf çekmekten (ablative infinitive)
• zevk alıyorum (verb phrase).
What exactly does the suffix -mek do in çekmek?
The suffix -mek/-mak is the Turkish infinitive or nominalizer. It turns a verb root into a noun-like form meaning “the act of [verb].” For çek- (root meaning “pull” or “take”), adding -mek gives çekmek = “to take” (in context, “to take a photo”). You can then add case endings to that infinitive (e.g., çekmekten for ablative).