Questions & Answers about Neyi okuyorsunuz?
Why does this sentence use neyi instead of just ne?
Ne means "what" in general, but neyi is the specific direct object form. You use neyi when you are asking about a specific, known object. Here, the speaker isn't just asking "What kind of thing do you read?" but rather "What is that specific thing you are reading right now?"
How exactly is neyi built from the word ne?
It starts with the base question word ne (what). Because we want to make it a specific direct object, we need to add the accusative case suffix, which here is -i. Since ne ends in a vowel, we add the buffer letter -y- between them to make it easy to pronounce: ne + y + i = neyi.
What are the parts of the verb okuyorsunuz?
It comes from the verb okumak (to read). The stem is oku-. We add the present continuous tense suffix -yor (meaning "are doing right now"), making okuyor. Finally, we add the personal suffix -sunuz for "you", giving us okuyorsunuz.
Since the ending is -sunuz, who exactly is being asked?
The suffix -sunuz is the formal or plural "you". It is used when speaking to multiple people or when speaking politely to a single person. If you were asking a single friend, you would use the informal singular ending -sun and ask: Neyi okuyorsun?
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