Breakdown of Ben civcivleri sayıyordum, sen de tavukları sayıyordun.
ben
I
sen
you
tavuk
chicken
de
too, also (da after a back vowel) / even if (concessive particle after conditional) / and (linking clauses)
saymak
to count
civciv
chick
Questions & Answers about Ben civcivleri sayıyordum, sen de tavukları sayıyordun.
Why is there a -du- inside sayıyordum and sayıyordun?
This is the past continuous tense, which means "was doing" or "were doing". It combines the continuous ending -ıyor (doing) with the past tense ending -du (was) and the personal endings -m (I) or -n (you). So, say (count) + ıyor + du + m means "I was counting".
Why do civcivleri and tavukları end in an -i or -ı?
That is the accusative case, which marks a specific direct object. Because the sentence says "the chicks" and "the chickens" rather than just "chicks" and "chickens" in general, you add the specific object marker to the plural words: civcivler + i and tavuklar + ı.
Does sen de mean "you too" in this sentence?
While de often means "too" or "also", here it is used to contrast two connected actions, meaning something closer to "and" or "while". The sentence pairs "I was doing this, AND you were doing that" (ben... sen de...). It makes the transition between the two phrases feel natural and connected.
Do we need to include Ben and sen since the verbs already show who is counting?
Strictly speaking, no. Sayıyordum and sayıyordun already show who the subject is. However, using Ben and sen here adds emphasis to the contrast: "I was counting the chicks, and YOU were counting the chickens."
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