Breakdown of Ben babamın eski topacını kırmışım.
ben
I
baba
father
eski
old
kırmak
to break
topaç
spinning top
Questions & Answers about Ben babamın eski topacını kırmışım.
Why use kırmışım instead of kırdım if I am the one who broke it?
The suffix -mış is the evidential past tense. While it is mostly used for things you heard from others, using it with the first person -ım means you did something without realizing it at the time, or you forgot and just noticed the result. Here, it translates nicely to apparently I broke or it turns out I broke.
Why does the word topaç (spinning top) change to topacı in this sentence?
This is an example of consonant mutation. When you add a suffix starting with a vowel to a Turkish word ending in p, ç, t, or k, that last letter usually softens. Here, the ç in topaç softens to a c when adding the possessive suffix -ı.
Why are there extra letters at the end of topacını?
The word has two suffixes! First, the possessive -ı links it to babamın (my father's). Then, because this specific spinning top is the direct object of the verb kırmak (to break), it needs the accusative suffix -ı. The n in the middle is a buffer letter used whenever a noun already has a possessive suffix and gets another vowel suffix on top.
How does the phrase babamın eski topacı fit together?
This uses the genitive-possessive structure to show ownership. babam (my father) takes the genitive suffix -ın to become my father's. The owned item gets a possessive suffix, making it topacı. The adjective eski (old) just slips in right before the noun it describes.
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