Breakdown of Patatesleri doğrar mısın? Soğanı da ince ince kesmeni istiyorum.
ben
I
sen
you
istemek
to want
da
also
Questions & Answers about Patatesleri doğrar mısın? Soğanı da ince ince kesmeni istiyorum.
Why does it use the aorist doğrar mısın instead of the present continuous doğruyor musun?
In Turkish, the aorist + question particle (V‑r mi?) is a common, polite way to make a request. Doğrar mısın? therefore functions like “Would/Could you chop…?” The present continuous question (doğruyor musun?) asks about an action happening right now (“Are you chopping…?”) and is not a request. Alternatives for requests include doğrayabilir misin? (“can you chop?”) and the more formal/plural doğrar mısınız?
Why is it patatesleri and not patatesler or just patates?
- patatesleri = patates + ler + i (plural + definite accusative): “the potatoes” as a specific set; it’s the direct object of the verb and is marked as definite.
- patatesler (no -i) would be the subject or a generic plural but not a definite object.
- patates (no plural, no -i) would mean “some potato(s)” in an indefinite sense.
Turkish marks definiteness on direct objects with -ı/-i/-u/-ü; if the object is indefinite, you omit the accusative.
What does da in Soğanı da do, and how is it written?
da/de is the clitic meaning “also/too.” It attaches to the word it emphasizes and is written separately: soğanı da = “the onion too.” It obeys vowel harmony (da after back vowels, de after front vowels) and, unlike the locative suffix -da/-de, it never becomes and is never written with an apostrophe.