Breakdown of Şurup bitince eczaneye uğramadan olmaz.
olmak
to be
eczane
the pharmacy
-ince
when
-madan
without
Questions & Answers about Şurup bitince eczaneye uğramadan olmaz.
What does bitince mean, and how is it formed?
Bitince comes from the verb bitmek (to finish, to run out, to be used up) plus the suffix -ince / -ınca, which often means when or once.
So:
- bitmek = to finish / run out
- bitince = when it finishes / when it runs out
In this sentence, Şurup bitince means when the syrup runs out.
This suffix is very common in Turkish:
- gelince = when he/she comes
- gidince = when he/she goes
- yapınca = when he/she does it
So the first part of the sentence is a time clause.
Why is it şurup bitince and not something like şurubu bitince?
Because here şurup is the thing that is finishing or running out, so it acts like the subject of bitmek.
Compare:
- Şurup bitince = when the syrup runs out
- Şurubu bitirince = when someone finishes the syrup
This is a very important Turkish distinction:
- bitmek = to finish / be finished / run out
- intransitive
- bitirmek = to finish something
- transitive
So:
- Şurup bitince = the syrup itself runs out
- Şurubu bitirince = someone uses it up / finishes it
Why is it eczaneye and not eczanede or eczane?