Breakdown of O kız saçını kendisi mi tarıyor?
o
that / he / she / it
kız
girl
saç
hair
mi
question particle (mı/mi/mu/mü)
kendi
self
taramak
to comb
Questions & Answers about O kız saçını kendisi mi tarıyor?
Why is the word for "herself" kendisi and not just kendi?
In Turkish, the reflexive pronoun kendi (self) almost always takes a possessive suffix to show whose self it is. Since we are talking about "that girl" (3rd person singular), we add the 3rd person possessive suffix -si to make kendisi (herself). If you were saying "myself", it would be kendim.
What are the suffixes on saçını (her hair)?
The root word is saç (hair). First, we add the 3rd person possessive suffix -ı to mean "her hair" (saçı). Because it is the direct object of the verb tarıyor (combs), it needs the accusative case ending. We add a buffer letter -n- followed by the accusative suffix -ı, giving us saçını.
Why is the question particle mi placed in the middle of the sentence instead of at the end?
In Turkish, placing the question particle (mi, mı, mu, mü) right after a word emphasizes that specific word. By putting mi after kendisi, the question strongly focuses on who is doing the action: "Is she doing it herself (or is someone else doing it)?" If it were at the end (...tarıyor mu?), it would just be a standard question asking if the action of combing is happening.
The English translation says "combs", so why does the Turkish sentence use the present continuous tense (tarıyor)?
The Turkish present continuous tense suffix -ıyor is very versatile. While it translates to actions happening right now ("is combing"), it is also widely used in everyday Turkish for general habits and routines, similar to the English simple present tense ("combs").
Learn O kız saçını kendisi mi tarıyor and more in Turkish
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free