Breakdown of Bedenini bilmeden tişört almak zor; denedikten sonra karar vermek kolay.
olmak
to be
almak
to buy
bilmek
to know
denemek
to try
Questions & Answers about Bedenini bilmeden tişört almak zor; denedikten sonra karar vermek kolay.
What exactly does bedenini mean here, and why does it have that ending?
It means your size (or one’s size) as the object of bilmek. Morphology: beden + -in (your) + -i (accusative) → bedenini. Because it’s a specific, possessed thing, it takes the accusative as the object of bilmek. Note that the form bedenini can also mean his/her size (beden + -i (his/her) + -ni (accusative)) — Turkish leaves it to context. In general statements like this, it’s read as the generic you/one’s.
Why is tişört bare (no -i as in tişörtü)?
Indefinite direct objects in Turkish are unmarked: tişört almak = to buy a T-shirt/ T-shirts (in general). tişörtü almak would mean to buy the T-shirt (a specific one).
Why use almak instead of satın almak?
In shopping contexts, almak already means to buy. satın almak is more formal or emphatic (to purchase). Both are correct here; almak is the natural everyday choice.
What does bilmeden mean and how is it formed?