Breakdown of Güneşlenmeyi ve piknik yapmayı seviyor musun?
ve
and
yapmak
to do / to make
sevmek
to love, to like
mi
question particle (mı/mi/mu/mü)
güneşlenmek
to sunbathe
piknik
picnic
Questions & Answers about Güneşlenmeyi ve piknik yapmayı seviyor musun?
Why do we add -meyi and -mayı to the end of the actions?
When you talk about liking or disliking an action, that action is the direct object of the verb. We turn the verb into a noun by adding -me or -ma (similar to adding "-ing" in English), then add the accusative case suffix -i or -ı because the verb sevmek (to like) requires it. The y is a buffer letter to keep the two vowels apart. So, güneşlenme becomes güneşlenmeyi, and yapma becomes yapmayı.
How is the long word güneşlenmeyi built?
It starts with the noun güneş (sun). The suffix -len turns it into the verb güneşlenmek (to sunbathe). Then we add -me to make it a verbal noun meaning "sunbathing", the buffer letter -y-, and finally -i for the accusative case.
Why is it piknik yapmayı instead of using a word for "having"?
In Turkish, you do not "have" a picnic; you "do" or "make" it. That is why we use the verb yapmak (to do/make). When we change it into a verbal noun that acts as a direct object, it becomes yapmayı.
Since the activities are joined by ve (and), do both actions need the accusative ending?
Yes! Because both "sunbathing" and "having a picnic" are things that you like, they are both direct objects of seviyor musun. In Turkish, you generally must apply the required case endings to every noun in a list, not just the final one at the very end.
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