Questions & Answers about Sen dışarıdayken köpeği ben gezdiririm.
In dışarıdayken, what does -yken mean and how is it formed?
-ken/-yken means “while/when (being).” It attaches to nouns, adjectives, and adverbs to form time clauses. Because dışarıda ends in a vowel, you insert the buffer y: dışarıda + yken → dışarıdayken. If the word ends in a consonant, you use -ken directly (e.g., çocukken “when (I was) a child”).
Why is it dışarıda (with -da) and not just dışarı?
-da/-de is the locative suffix expressing a state or location. Dışarıda = “outside (at a location).” Since the meaning is “while you are outside,” the locative is required to describe the state of being. Bare dışarı is directional/“out(wards)” in many uses and doesn’t express the static state as neatly here.
Is dışarıda iken also correct, or must it be fused to dışarıdayken?
Both are correct. İken is the full form; in everyday language it usually fuses: dışarıda iken → dışarıdayken. The fused form is more common and slightly more colloquial.
Why are both sen and ben stated? Doesn’t the verb already show the person?