Breakdown of Yüksek yerlere tırmanmayı tercih ediyorum.
yer
place / space / room (unoccupied space, capacity)
yüksek
high
tırmanmak
to climb
tercih etmek
to prefer
Questions & Answers about Yüksek yerlere tırmanmayı tercih ediyorum.
Why does tırmanmayı have the -yı ending?
This is the focus of the current lesson! We start with the verb root tırman- (climb) and add -ma to make it the verbal noun climbing. Since this action is the specific direct object of the verb tercih etmek (to prefer), it needs the accusative case suffix -ı. The -y- is just a buffer letter to separate the two vowels.
Why is it yerlere (to places) instead of just yerler?
The verb tırmanmak (to climb) requires the dative case (-(y)a / -(y)e) for the destination you are climbing onto or towards. So, yer (place) + -ler (plural) + -e (dative) becomes yerlere (to places).
If the verb for prefer is tercih etmek, why is it spelled ediyorum with a d?
This is an example of consonant mutation. When the helper verb et- is followed by a suffix starting with a vowel, like the present continuous -iyor, the hard t softens to a d so it is easier to say.
What happens if I change the word order to: Tırmanmayı yüksek yerlere tercih ediyorum?
It drastically changes the meaning! The verb tercih etmek takes the accusative case for the thing you prefer, and the dative case for the thing you are passing over. If you separate the words like that, yüksek yerlere connects to the main verb rather than to climbing. The sentence would suddenly mean: I prefer climbing over high places.