Breakdown of Onlar otelde kahvaltı yapmıyor.
onlar
they
otel
hotel
yapmak
to do / to make
kahvaltı
breakfast
kahvaltı yapmak
to have breakfast (the everyday form)
Questions & Answers about Onlar otelde kahvaltı yapmıyor.
How do we form the negative present continuous in yapmıyor?
The verb root is yap (to do/make). To make it negative in the present continuous tense, we add the negative suffix -mı followed by the tense suffix -yor. Because the verb root yap has the vowel 'a', 4-way vowel harmony tells us to use -mı. Together, yap-mı-yor means 'is not doing' or 'is not making'.
Why is the verb yapmıyor used here instead of a word for 'having' or 'eating'?
In English, you 'have' or 'eat' breakfast, but in Turkish, the standard phrase is kahvaltı yapmak, which literally means 'to do/make breakfast'. Whether they are preparing it or just eating it, you always use the verb yapmak with breakfast.
Since the subject is onlar (they), shouldn't the verb be yapmıyorlar?
It can be! However, when the plural subject onlar is explicitly spoken or written in the sentence, adding the plural suffix -lar to the verb is optional. Turkish speakers often drop it to sound more natural and avoid repeating the plural meaning.
What suffix is attached to otel to mean 'at the hotel'?
It uses the locative case, which translates to 'in', 'on', or 'at'. The suffix is either -de or -da. Because the last vowel in otel is a front vowel ('e'), vowel harmony rules require us to use -de, creating otelde.
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