Breakdown of Tamirci kaportayı tamir ediyor.
tamir etmek
to repair
tamirci
the mechanic
kaporta
the bodywork
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Questions & Answers about Tamirci kaportayı tamir ediyor.
What does the suffix -ci in tamirci signify?
The suffix -ci (or -cı/-cu/-cü depending on vowel harmony) is an agent-forming suffix. It turns a noun or verbal noun into “someone who does that.” So tamir (“repair”) + -ci = tamirci, “repairman” or “mechanic.”
Why is kaporta followed by -yı in kaportayı?
The ending -ı is the accusative case marker for definite direct objects. Because kaporta ends in a vowel, a buffer consonant y is inserted to avoid vowel-vowel clash. Thus kaporta + y + ı = kaportayı, “the fender.”
What is the function of the buffer consonant y in kaportayı?
Turkish does not allow two vowels to come together across a suffix boundary. When a word ends in a vowel and you add a vowel-initial suffix (like -ı), you insert y as a “buffer.” That’s why kaporta + -ı becomes kaporta + y + ı.
Why is the verb written as tamir ediyor instead of a single word?
Tamir etmek is a compound verb: tamir is originally a noun meaning “repair,” and etmek (“to do/make”) turns it into a verb. In the present continuous you conjugate etmek, so you get tamir + et- + iyor → tamir ediyor.
How do you form the present continuous tense in Turkish?
You take the verb stem (for etmek, the stem is et-), add the present continuous suffix -iyor/-ıyor/-üyor/-uyor (choosing by vowel harmony), then add the personal ending. In third person singular there is no extra personal ending, so et- + iyor = ediyor (note the stem vowel changes for ease of pronunciation).
Why isn’t there a word for “the” before tamirci or kaportayı?
Turkish has no articles like the or a. Definiteness of a direct object is shown by the accusative case (-ı on kaporta), and the listener infers the mechanic from context or by adding words like belirli (“specific”) if needed, though usually it’s clear enough.
Is the subject pronoun “he/she” missing in Tamirci kaportayı tamir ediyor?
No separate pronoun is needed. In Turkish, subject pronouns (ben, sen, o, etc.) are often dropped because the verb ending shows person and number. Here tamirci is the explicit subject, and ediyor implies third person singular.
Could you make the object indefinite, like “a fender,” in Turkish?
Yes. To say “a fender,” you would drop the accusative case and add bir:
Tamirci bir kaporta tamir ediyor.
Here kaporta remains unmarked (no -yı).
How would you say “The mechanic is repairing his car’s fender”?
You need a possessive on araba and a genitive on kaporta:
Tamirci arabasının kaportasını tamir ediyor.
– araba-sı = “his/her car” (third-person singular possessor)
– kaporta-sı = “its fender,” then add accusative -nı → kaportasını
What’s the usual Turkish word order, and does this sentence follow it?
Turkish is typically Subject-Object-Verb. Here:
Subject = Tamirci
Object = kaportayı
Verb = tamir ediyor
So it perfectly follows the S-O-V pattern.