Breakdown of Zinciri yağladıktan sonra bisiklet sorunsuz çalışmaya başladı.
bisiklet
the bicycle
sonra
after
zincir
the chain
yağlamak
to lubricate
sorunsuz
smoothly
çalışmaya başlamak
to begin to work
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Questions & Answers about Zinciri yağladıktan sonra bisiklet sorunsuz çalışmaya başladı.
What does the suffix -dıktan sonra mean in zinciri yağladıktan sonra?
-dıktan sonra is a verbal adverbial suffix meaning “after doing [the verb]”. Here, yağlamak (to oil) becomes yağladıktan sonra, so the whole phrase means “after oiling”.
Why does zincir take the -i ending in zinciri yağladıktan sonra?
The -i is the accusative case ending used when the direct object is definite or specific. Since you’re talking about the chain (a specific one), Turkish requires zinciri rather than just zincir.
Why is there no case ending on bisiklet?
Bisiklet is the subject of the main clause. Subjects in Turkish remain in the nominative (i.e. no ending) unless they need emphasis or topicalization, so bisiklet (bicycle) stays unmarked.
What does sorunsuz mean and how is it formed?
Sorun means “problem”. Adding the suffix -suz (meaning “without”) creates sorunsuz, literally “without problems”, i.e. “smoothly” or “trouble-free.”
What part of speech is çalışmaya in sorunsuz çalışmaya başladı?
Çalışmaya is the dative form of the verbal noun çalışmak (to work/run). In Turkish, when you say “-maya başlamak”, you combine the dative infinitive (çalış-ma-ya) plus başlamak to express “to start doing something.”
Why is it çalışmaya başladı and not simply çalıştı?
Çalışmaya başladı literally means “began to work.” It emphasizes the moment the bike started functioning. If you said çalıştı, it would just mean “it worked,” without indicating that it began working.
Could you replace zinciri yağladıktan sonra with zinciri yağlayınca? What’s the difference?
Yes, you could say zinciri yağlayınca bisiklet…. Both -ınca/-ince and -dıktan sonra express “when/after doing something.”
• -ınca is a more neutral temporal converb, often translated “when/once.”
• -dıktan sonra explicitly means “after,” stressing the sequence of events.
What’s a literal, word-for-word gloss of the whole sentence?
zinciri yağ-la-dık-tan sonra bisiklet sorunsuz çalış-ma-ya başla-dı
chain-ACC oil-PAST-ADV after bicycle-NOM problem-less work-DAT start-PAST
→ “After oiling the chain, the bicycle began to work without problems.”