Breakdown of Çocuklar da tenis oynayabilirler.
çocuk
child
oynamak
to play
de
too, also (da after a back vowel) / even if (concessive particle after conditional) / and (linking clauses)
tenis
tennis
Questions & Answers about Çocuklar da tenis oynayabilirler.
How do we build the word oynayabilirler to mean 'they can play'?
The 'can' meaning comes from the ability suffix -abil. The verb root is oyna (play). Because oyna ends in a vowel, we add the buffer letter -y- before adding -abil. After that, it gets the simple present tense marker -ir and the plural ending -ler. So, oyna-y-abil-ir-ler translates to 'they can play'.
Why is da written as a separate word here?
When da or de is written separately from the word before it, it means 'too' or 'also'. If it were attached to the word as a suffix (like çocuklarda), it would change the meaning to 'at the children' or 'on the children'.
Does da follow vowel harmony even though it is a separate word?
Yes, it does. As a separate word meaning 'too' or 'also', it has two forms: da and de. You choose between them based on the last vowel of the word right before it. Since çocuklar ends with the thick vowel 'a', we use da. If the word were öğrenciler (students), we would use de.
Why do both çocuklar and oynayabilirler have plural endings? Is that double plural required?
It is actually optional in Turkish. When the subject is human and is already clearly plural (like çocuklar), the verb does not strictly need the plural ending. You could simply say Çocuklar da tenis oynayabilir and it would be perfectly correct. Adding -ler to the verb just adds a bit of emphasis or flows nicely.
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