Breakdown of Benim seni ne kadar takdir ettiğimi bilmiyor olabilirsin.
Questions & Answers about Benim seni ne kadar takdir ettiğimi bilmiyor olabilirsin.
In this sentence, benim is in the genitive case and works as the subject of the embedded clause benim seni ne kadar takdir ettiğimi.
Turkish often uses this pattern for “that-clauses”:
- Benim geldiğimi biliyorsun.
You know (that) I am coming.
Structure:
- benim = my / of me (genitive)
- geldiğimi = that I came / that I am coming (a verb turned into a noun-like form)
So:
- benim seni ne kadar takdir ettiğimi ≈ how much I appreciate you
Literally: the my appreciating-you-how-much thing
ben would be the bare subject of a finite verb (ben geliyorum, ben biliyorum), but here the verb etmek is turned into a nominal form (ettiğimi), so its subject needs to be in genitive: benim.
You can leave it out; the sentence is still grammatical and very natural:
- Seni ne kadar takdir ettiğimi bilmiyor olabilirsin.
In Turkish, the genitive subject of such clauses (the benim) is often omitted when it is clear from context who the subject is. The -im on ettiğimi already shows the subject is “I”.
So:
- With benim: slightly clearer, a bit more explicit.
- Without benim: more common in everyday speech, a bit more flowing.
Both are correct.
Seni is the accusative form of sen, and here it is the direct object of takdir etmek.
- sen = you (subject form / nominative)
- seni = you (object form / accusative)
The verb takdir etmek (to appreciate / to admire) is transitive, so it takes a direct object:
- Seni takdir ediyorum. – I appreciate you.
In the embedded clause:
- benim seni ne kadar takdir ettiğimi
→ seni = object of takdir etmek
→ The whole clause is the object of bilmiyor olabilirsin.
Ne kadar literally means how much / how greatly. So:
- seni takdir ettiğimi → that I appreciate you
- seni ne kadar takdir ettiğimi → how much I appreciate you / how much I value you
If you remove ne kadar, the meaning becomes:
- Benim seni takdir ettiğimi bilmiyor olabilirsin.
You might not know that I appreciate you.
With ne kadar, it emphasizes the degree of appreciation, which is closer to the usual English translation of this sentence.
Takdir etmek is closest to “to appreciate”, often with a nuance of respect or admiration.
- It is usually stronger and more formal than beğenmek (to like).
- It is less emotional/romantic than sevmek (to love / like).
- In many contexts it can also mean to acknowledge / to value / to recognize someone’s effort, qualities, or achievements.
So in this sentence, takdir etmek is about valuing and respecting the person and what they do, more than simply “liking” them.
Ettiğimi is a nominalized (verbal) form, built like this:
- Base verb: et- (from etmek, the auxiliary in takdir etmek)
- Suffix -dik → here as -tiğ- because of consonant harmony/voicing:
- et + -dik → ettik → ettiğ- before a vowel
(spelled ettiğ-, pronounced with a soft ğ)
- et + -dik → ettik → ettiğ- before a vowel
- 1st person singular possessive -im → ettiğim = that I did / that I have done
- Accusative -i (because the whole thing is the object of bilmek) → ettiğimi
So:
- takdir ettiğim → that I appreciate
- takdir ettiğimi → that I appreciate (it) (marked as object)
In the full clause benim seni ne kadar takdir ettiğimi, the -im on ettiğimi links back to benim (I am the one doing the appreciating).
It is a subordinate “that-clause” functioning as the object of the main verb bilmiyor olabilirsin.
In English:
“You might not know how much I appreciate you.”
In Turkish, instead of a separate word for “that”, the verb is turned into a noun-like form:
- benim – genitive subject (my)
- seni – object inside the clause (you)
- ne kadar – “how much”
- takdir ettiğimi – that I appreciate
The whole phrase behaves like a single noun phrase:
- [Benim seni ne kadar takdir ettiğimi] bilmiyor olabilirsin.
= You may not know this fact.
In English you say: You might not know *that I appreciate you.*
In Turkish, there are two main ways to make “that-clauses”:
With ki:
- Biliyorsun ki seni takdir ediyorum.
You know that I appreciate you.
- Biliyorsun ki seni takdir ediyorum.
With a nominalized verb (as in this sentence):
- Benim seni ne kadar takdir ettiğimi biliyorsun.
In this example the -diğimi ending on etmek is the “that” function.
Using ki here would sound unnatural with this structure; you normally choose one strategy or the other, not both together.
You have some flexibility, but not everything sounds equally natural.
Very natural:
- (Benim) seni ne kadar takdir ettiğimi … ✔
- (Benim) ne kadar seni takdir ettiğimi … ✔ (a bit marked/emphatic on ne kadar)
Less natural / usually avoided:
- (Benim) takdir ettiğimi seni ne kadar … ✘
(breaking up the object and degree in a strange way)
General rule: Turkish prefers [subject/genitive] – [object] – [degree/other modifiers] – [verb], and the whole nominalized verb phrase usually stays at the end of that mini-clause. Moving things for emphasis is possible but should be done carefully.
The difference is mainly softness and tentativeness.
Bilmiyorsun.
Very direct: You don’t know. (a firm statement)Bilmiyor olabilirsin.
Literally: You might be not knowing.
Meaning: It’s possible that you don’t know.
This is softer, less confrontational, more like a guess or a polite observation.
Using -iyor (continuous) + olabilirsin combines:
- bilmiyor – a current state: you are not knowing
- olabilirsin – possibility: you may be / it is possible you are
Together: You may (very well) not know (this).
Both can translate as “you might not know”, but they feel slightly different.
Bilmeyebilirsin
- Form: bilme-ye-bil-ir-sin
- A compact, lexicalized way of saying “may not know / might not know”.
- Fairly neutral and common.
Bilmiyor olabilirsin
- Form: bilmiyor + olabilirsin
- Feels a bit more descriptive: “it might be that you are (currently) not knowing”.
- Can sound a bit more tentative, “reading” the situation rather than stating a possibility in abstract.
In this specific sentence, both are possible:
- Benim seni ne kadar takdir ettiğimi bilmeyebilirsin.
- Benim seni ne kadar takdir ettiğimi bilmiyor olabilirsin.
The second one sounds slightly more cautious and “softening” in tone, which matches the emotional content of the sentence.
Yes, that is perfectly natural:
- Ben seni çok takdir ediyorum. Bunu bilmiyor olabilirsin.
I appreciate you a lot. You might not know this.
Here:
- bunu refers back to the whole previous statement “Ben seni çok takdir ediyorum.”
- The overall meaning is basically the same, just expressed in two separate sentences instead of one embedded structure.
The original version with the embedded clause is a bit more compact and slightly more formal or “literary” in feel, but both ways are good Turkish.
The tone is:
- Emotionally warm (because of seni ne kadar takdir ettiğimi – expressing appreciation)
- Soft / cautious (because of bilmiyor olabilirsin – not accusing the other person)
- Neutral to slightly formal vocabulary (since takdir etmek is a bit more formal than everyday beğenmek or sevmek)
You could use this sentence:
- In a heartfelt message to a friend, partner, or family member.
- In a relatively polite conversation, even in semi-professional contexts, to show respect or gratitude.
It is sincere and appreciative, but does not sound rude or overly casual.