Questions & Answers about Bana bu kadar çay yetiyor.
What exactly does yetiyor mean here, and how is it formed?
It’s the present continuous of the verb yetmek “to be enough, to suffice.”
- Stem: yet-
- Suffix: -(i)yor (present continuous)
- Person/number: 3rd singular (because the subject is “this much tea”)
So yetiyor = “is (currently) enough / suffices.”
Why is it bana (dative “to me/for me”) and not something like benim için (“for me”)?
Certain Turkish verbs that express needs, sufficiency, suitability, or effect take the experiencer in the dative. Yetmek is one of them.
- Bana bu kadar çay yetiyor = “This amount of tea suffices for me (meets my need).”
You can say Benim için bu kadar çay yeter, but that leans toward “As far as I’m concerned / In my book this much tea is enough,” i.e., an opinion/judgment. Bana is the idiomatic choice with yetmek to mark the person for whom it is enough.
Why isn’t çay in the accusative (why not çayı)?
Because çay is the subject, and yetmek is intransitive (it doesn’t take a direct object). Accusative marks definite direct objects of transitive verbs, so it’s not used here.
Note: çayı could appear in a different sentence as “his/her tea” (possessed form), e.g., Onun çayı yetiyor = “His/Her tea is enough.” That’s not accusative in that case, but possession.
Can I say Bu kadar çay bana yeter instead? What’s the difference between yeter and ?