Questions & Answers about Satıcı kiraz ve erik satar.
Why are kiraz and erik singular in the Turkish sentence but translated as plural in English?
When talking about things in a general, indefinite sense (like selling cherries as a category of fruit), Turkish leaves the noun in its singular form and places it right before the verb. If you said kirazlar, it would sound like you are talking about specific groups or varieties of cherries.
How is the word satıcı formed?
It comes from the verb satmak (to sell). The suffix -ıcı (which follows four-way vowel harmony as -ıcı, -ici, -ucu, or -ücü) is added to a verb stem to indicate the person or thing doing the action. It acts just like the "-er" ending in the English word "seller".
Why does the sentence use satar instead of satıyor?
Satıyor is the present continuous tense (is selling right now). Satar uses the aorist tense, also known as the simple present or geniş zaman (broad time). It is used here because selling fruit is the seller's profession or general habit, rather than an action only happening at this very moment.
Why does the verb satmak take -ar for the aorist tense instead of -ır?