Breakdown of Ben eski fotoğrafları taramak için tarayıcıyı masaya yerleştiriyorum.
ben
I
eski
old
masa
the table
için
for
yerleştirmek
to place
fotoğraf
the photograph
-ya
to
tarayıcı
the scanner
taramak
to scan
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Questions & Answers about Ben eski fotoğrafları taramak için tarayıcıyı masaya yerleştiriyorum.
How do we form eski fotoğrafları with both a plural and an accusative ending?
Turkish adds suffixes in stages. Start with fotoğraf (“photograph”):
- Plural marker -lar → fotoğraflar (“photographs”)
- Accusative marker -(ı) (because you’re scanning specific photos) → fotoğrafları
Vowel harmony turns a + ı into ı, so you get fotoğraf-lar-ı = “the photographs” as a definite direct object.
Why does tarayıcı take -yı in tarayıcıyı?
In Turkish, definite direct objects take the accusative suffix. Tarayıcı (“scanner”) is a specific object here, so we add -yı (the form of -ı after a vowel), yielding tarayıcı-yı = “the scanner” as the object.
How is tarayıcı derived from the verb taramak?
Turkish often forms instrument nouns by adding -cı/-ci/-cu/-cü to a verb stem.
- taramak = “to scan”
- Drop -mak, attach -ıcı (vowel-harmonized) → tarayıcı, “scanner” (the device that scans).
What does the -mak için construction do in taramak için?
-mak turns the verb into its infinitive (“to scan”). Adding için (“for, because of”) gives purpose.
- taramak için = “in order to scan.”
So eski fotoğrafları taramak için means “in order to scan the old photographs.”
Why is masaya used instead of masada?
Turkish has different locational cases:
- -da/-de (locative) = “at/on” a place → masada = “on the table” (static)
- -ya/-ye (dative) = “to/onto” a place → masaya = “onto the table” (movement or placement)
Since you’re placing the scanner onto the table, you use the dative masaya.
Why include Ben when Turkish often drops the subject pronoun?
Verb endings already show person and number. You can say Eski fotoğrafları taramak için tarayıcıyı masaya yerleştiriyorum without Ben. Speakers add Ben (“I”) for emphasis or clarity, e.g. to contrast with someone else or to stress “I am the one doing this.”
What does yerleştiriyorum mean exactly?
Yerleştirmek means “to place,” “to put in position,” or “to arrange.” The form yerleştiriyorum is present continuous: “I am placing” or “I am positioning.” It implies a deliberate or careful action as opposed to simply koyuyorum (“I am putting”).
Can I say tarayıcıyı masaya koyuyorum instead?
Yes, koymak = “to put/lay,” so tarayıcıyı masaya koyuyorum is perfectly understandable. However, yerleştirmek carries a nuance of arranging or setting something neatly in its proper spot, whereas koymak is more general.