Breakdown of Hangi model telefon istiyorsun?
telefon
phone
istemek
to want / to require / to call for
hangi
which
model
model / style
Questions & Answers about Hangi model telefon istiyorsun?
Where exactly does hangi go in a Turkish sentence?
Just like "which" in English, hangi goes directly before the noun or noun phrase you are asking about. Here, it is placed right in front of model telefon to mean "which model phone".
Why is the verb istiyorsun and not "isteyorsun"?
The dictionary form is istemek (to want), leaving the root iste-. When adding the present continuous ending -iyor to a verb ending in -e or -a, that final vowel narrows (changes to i, ı, u, or ü). So, iste- becomes isti-, and adding the "you" ending -sun gives us istiyorsun.
Could I change the order and say "Hangi telefon model istiyorsun?"
No, because describing words must come before the noun in Turkish. Here, hangi model (which model) acts together to describe what kind of telefon (phone) you want.
Why doesn't telefon have a specific direct object ending (like telefonu)?
Because you are asking about a general category ("what type of phone in the world do you want?"), not choosing from a specific, known set of phones sitting on a table in front of you. When asking about a general type of something, we leave the noun in its plain form.
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