Breakdown of Dikkat et, çayı üstüne dökme.
çay
the tea
dikkat etmek
to be careful
dökmek
to spill
üstüne
on yourself
Questions & Answers about Dikkat et, çayı üstüne dökme.
What does Dikkat et literally mean, and why is it two words?
Dikkat et is a very common Turkish expression meaning Be careful or Pay attention.
Literally, it is made of:
- dikkat = attention, care
- et = do / make (the singular imperative of etmek)
So word-for-word, it is something like do attention, but in natural English that becomes pay attention or be careful.
Turkish often uses etmek with nouns to make verb-like expressions, and dikkat etmek is one of the most common examples.
Why is et used here? Is it a command?
Yes. Et is the singular imperative form of etmek.
That means the speaker is telling one person to do something:
- dikkat et = pay attention / be careful
If you were speaking to more than one person, or using a more polite form, you would say:
- dikkat edin
So in this sentence, et is definitely a command.
Why is it çayı and not just çay?