Questions & Answers about Telefonu kim duymadı?
How is the negative past tense formed in duymadı?
It breaks down into duy (hear) + ma (negative suffix) + dı (past tense). The negative suffix is -ma because of 2-way vowel harmony with the thick vowel in duy. Then, the past tense suffix is -dı to match the 'a' in ma.
Why is it telefonu instead of just telefon?
The -u is the accusative case suffix. We use it because the phone is a specific, known object being acted upon. It shows we mean the specific phone rather than just any phone.
Why is the question word kim in the middle of the sentence?
In Turkish, the most important information usually goes right before the verb. By putting kim (who) right before duymadı, the speaker puts the focus entirely on finding out the identity of the person.
Does duymadı need a personal suffix since we are asking about who did it?
No, because the question word kim (who) is treated as a third-person singular subject, just like he, she, or it (o). In the past tense, the third-person singular doesn't take an extra personal suffix after the -dı marker.
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