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Questions & Answers about O kimi özlüyor?
Why do we use kimi instead of just kim here?
The verb özlemek (to miss) requires a specific direct object because you are missing a specific person. To show this, we take the question word kim (who) and add the accusative case suffix -i, making it kimi (whom).
Why is the verb özlüyor and not özleyor?
The dictionary form of the verb is özlemek (to miss). When we add the present continuous suffix -yor to a verb ending in a vowel like e, that vowel narrows. Because of the ö in the root, the e changes to ü, giving us özlüyor.
Could O kimi özlüyor? also mean 'Whom is she missing?'
Yes! The Turkish pronoun o is gender-neutral and can mean he, she, or it. You would rely on the context of the conversation to know who is missing someone.
Why does kimi come before the verb instead of at the beginning of the sentence?
In standard Turkish, the question word usually goes right before the verb. So O kimi özlüyor? is the most natural word order, unlike in English where the question word comes first.