Breakdown of Hem okumayı hem de yazmayı geliştirmek istiyorum.
okumak
to read
yazmak
to write
istemek
to want / to require / to call for
de
too, also (de/da) / even if (concessive particle after conditional) / and (linking clauses)
hem
both / and (used in pairs as both... and...)
geliştirmek
to improve
Questions & Answers about Hem okumayı hem de yazmayı geliştirmek istiyorum.
Why use okumayı and yazmayı instead of the full infinitives okumak and yazmak?
okuma and yazma are verbal nouns made with the short -mA suffix. They turn the verbs into conceptual nouns: the act of reading and the act of writing. Because they are the specific things you want to improve, they need an accusative case suffix. You cannot attach the accusative case to a full -mAk infinitive.
What exactly is the -yı suffix on okumayı and yazmayı?
It is the accusative case suffix (-ı) attached with a buffer letter y. The verb geliştirmek (to improve) acts on a direct object. Since you are pointing to specific skills you are improving, these verbal nouns must take the accusative case to show they are receiving the action.
Why does geliştirmek keep the full -mAk ending while the other verbs do not?
The verb istemek (to want) links directly to the full -mAk dictionary form of a verb when the person wanting and the person doing the action are the same. Just like in English where you say 'I want to improve', Turkish uses geliştirmek istiyorum.
How does the hem ... hem de structure work here?
hem ... hem de is a common pattern that means 'both ... and'. The word de translates to 'also' or 'too', and adding it to the second part of the phrase is very common for emphasis. It groups the two verbal nouns together as equal targets for improvement.
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