Breakdown of Neden evlenmek istemiyorsun?
istemek
to want / to require / to call for
neden
why
evlenmek
to marry
Questions & Answers about Neden evlenmek istemiyorsun?
How does the grammar for "want to get married" work in this sentence?
To say you want to do an action, you use the dictionary form of the main verb (ending in -mak or -mek) followed by the verb istemek (to want). Here, evlenmek (to get married) keeps its -mek ending, and we only conjugate the second verb, istemek, to match "you don't want" (istemiyorsun).
The negative suffix is usually -me or -ma. Why is it -mi in istemiyorsun?
This is due to a rule called vowel narrowing. When a verb (or a negative suffix like -me) ends in a wide vowel like e or a and is followed by the -yor suffix, that wide vowel narrows into i, ı, u, or ü. Here, the original isteme-yor-sun narrows to istemiyorsun.
Why is the present continuous tense (-yor) used for "want" here, instead of a simple present tense?
In English, we usually say "I want" rather than "I am wanting." In Turkish, however, it is standard to use the present continuous tense (-yor) for verbs expressing current feelings, desires, or states of mind, like istemek (to want) and sevmek (to love).
Can I put the question word neden (why) somewhere else in the sentence?
Yes! While putting neden at the beginning is a very standard and neutral way to ask, Turkish word order is flexible. You could also put it right before the verb (Evlenmek neden istemiyorsun?) to strongly emphasize the "why".
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