Breakdown of Satıcıdan taze domates istiyoruz.
istemek
to want / to require / to call for
taze
fresh
domates
tomato
satıcı
seller / shopkeeper
Questions & Answers about Satıcıdan taze domates istiyoruz.
How does the -dan suffix work in satıcıdan?
The word satıcı means 'seller'. The -dan suffix means 'from' (the ablative case). Because the last vowel in satıcı is a back vowel (ı), we use -dan instead of -den to follow the 2-way vowel harmony rules.
Why is domates singular in Turkish but plural ('tomatoes') in the English translation?
In Turkish, when you ask for a general amount of something rather than specific, countable items, you usually use the singular form. Taze domates means 'fresh tomatoes' in a general sense. If you said taze domatesler, it would sound like you are pointing out distinct, separate types of tomatoes.
I learned that the object of a verb gets an accusative suffix. Why isn't it domatesi here?
We only use the accusative suffix for specific objects, which usually translates to 'the' in English. Since we want 'fresh tomatoes' generally, and not 'the fresh tomatoes', the noun stays in its raw dictionary form. Notice that general objects like this almost always sit right next to the verb!
The verb 'to want' is istemek. Why is it istiyoruz instead of just adding -yor to the stem?
The stem of istemek is iste-. When adding the present continuous suffix -yor to a verb ending in a or e, that final vowel changes or 'narrows'. Here, the e in iste- changes to an i, giving us istiyor. Finally, the -uz at the end means 'we'.
Learn Satıcıdan taze domates istiyoruz and more in Turkish
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free