Breakdown of Onlar birbirlerine saygı duyuyor ama sürekli tartışıyorlar.
onlar
they
ama
but
birbiri
each other / one another
saygı duymak
to respect
sürekli
constantly / continuously
tartışmak
to discuss / to argue
Questions & Answers about Onlar birbirlerine saygı duyuyor ama sürekli tartışıyorlar.
How does birbirlerine get its meaning?
The root is birbiri (each other). Since the subject is onlar (they), we add the plural possessive suffix -leri to match them, making birbirleri. Finally, we add the buffer letter -n- and the dative case suffix -e (to). It builds up as: each other + their + to.
Why does the sentence use the dative case in birbirlerine instead of birbirlerini?
The verb saygı duymak (to respect) always takes the dative case (-e or -a). In English you respect someone, but in Turkish you feel respect TO someone. That is why the dative suffix -e is required here.
Does duyuyor usually mean hears? Why is it used here?
Yes, duymak is most commonly used for hearing, but it also means to feel an emotion or sensation. Saygı means respect, so the set phrase saygı duymak literally translates as feeling respect.
Why is there no plural suffix on duyuyor, but there is one on tartışıyorlar?
When a human plural subject like onlar (they) is already stated, adding -lar or -ler to the verb is optional. In sentences with multiple verbs, it is very common to leave the first verb singular (duyuyor) and only put the plural suffix on the final verb (tartışıyorlar) to avoid repetition.
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