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Questions & Answers about Düğme kopmuş; düğmeyi diker misin?
What does the suffix in kopmuş express?
It’s the evidential/experiential past (-miş). It signals the speaker inferred or just discovered the situation (e.g., by seeing the loose button). It can also soften the tone: “It looks like the button came off.”
When would I use koptu instead of kopmuş?
Use koptu (-di past) when you witnessed it or you’re stating a straightforward past fact. Use kopmuş when you found it out later, heard it from someone, or want a milder tone.
Why is it düğmeyi (accusative) and not just düğme?
Because the object is specific/definite—the same button just mentioned. In Turkish, definite direct objects take accusative -(y)i:
- Definite: Düğmeyi diker misin? “Will you sew the button?”
- Indefinite: Bir düğme diker misin? “Will you sew a button (any button)?”
- Bare noun: Düğme diker misin? sounds habitual/general (“Do you sew buttons?”), not a request about this one.
What is the “y” doing in düğmeyi?
It’s a buffer consonant to avoid a vowel clash: düğme + i → düğmeyi. The accusative after a vowel is -(y)i/-ı/-u/-ü (vowel harmony), using y as a buffer.
What exactly does diker misin mean—“can you” or “will you”?
It’s the aorist used for a polite request: effectively “Would you sew (it)?” In English this often maps to “Can you…?” but it’s about willingness/favor, not ability.
- Request (very common): Düğmeyi diker misin?
- Ability: Düğmeyi dikebilir misin?
- More polite/formal: … diker misiniz?
- Add “please”: Lütfen düğmeyi diker misiniz?
Why the aorist diker instead of dikiyor musun?
The aorist is the default for requests/offers. Dikiyor musun? asks about an ongoing action (“Are you sewing?”), not a request to do it.
How does the question particle work here, and why misin (not mısın)?
- The yes/no particle mi/mı/mu/mü follows vowel harmony and cliticizes to the focused predicate. After the front vowel in diker, it’s mi.
- In yes/no questions the personal ending attaches to mi: diker mi-sin? A statement would be Dikersin; the question becomes diker misin?
Can I omit the object or use a pronoun?
Yes, if context is clear:
- Omit: Diker misin? (“Will you sew [it]?”)
- Pronoun: Onu diker misin? (“Will you sew it?”) Keeping düğmeyi makes it explicit/topical.
Is the word order fixed? What about Diker misin düğmeyi or Düğmeyi mi dikersin?
Neutral is object before verb: Düğmeyi diker misin?
- Diker misin düğmeyi? is colloquial but less standard.
- Düğmeyi mi dikersin? puts mi on the object for contrast: “Is it the button that you’ll sew (as opposed to something else)?”
What does the semicolon do? Could I use a period or comma?
It links two closely related independent clauses (situation + request). You could also write:
- Düğme kopmuş. Düğmeyi diker misin?
- Or informally: Düğme kopmuş, düğmeyi diker misin?
How do I pronounce düğme and kopmuş?
- düğme: ü is like French u; ğ lengthens the preceding vowel (not a hard g). Roughly “dyuumeh,” two syllables: düğ-me.
- kopmuş: “kop-moosh,” with ş like English “sh.” Harmony gives -muş (back vowel) after o.
What’s the difference between kopmak and koparmak?
- kopmak (intransitive): come off/break off by itself. Düğme kopmuş.
- koparmak (transitive): break/tear something off. Düğmeyi koparmış. (“[Someone] broke the button off.”)
Could I say Düğme düşmüş?
Only if you literally mean the button has fallen to the ground. To express detachment from the fabric, kopmuş is the idiomatic verb.
How do I say “Shall I sew it?” and where can I put “please”?
- Offer: Dikeyim mi? / Düğmeyi dikeyim mi?
- “Please” can go in several places:
- Lütfen düğmeyi diker misin(iz)?
- Düğmeyi diker misin(iz), lütfen?
- Düğmeyi lütfen diker misin(iz)? (slightly more insistent)
Is it written as one word (dikermisin)?
No. Write the particle separately: diker misin? The personal ending attaches to mi, but there’s a space before it.