Breakdown of Öğrenciler yeni projeyi anlamaya çabalıyor.
öğrenci
student
yeni
new
anlamak
to understand
proje
project
çabalamak
to strive
Questions & Answers about Öğrenciler yeni projeyi anlamaya çabalıyor.
Why is there a -ya ending on anlamaya?
This is the lesson's main focus! The verb çabalamak (to strive or try hard) requires the dative case (-e or -a) for the action you are striving to do. We take the verb stem anla- (understand), add the verbal noun ending -ma, a buffer -y-, and the dative ending -a to get anlamaya.
Why does proje have the -(y)i ending in projeyi?
The -(y)i is the accusative case suffix, used for specific direct objects (translating to 'the new project'). Even though the main verb of the sentence is çabalıyor, the project is the direct object of the verbal noun anlamak (to understand). So, 'to understand the new project' becomes yeni projeyi anlamaya.
Why is it çabalıyor and not çabalayor?
This is because of vowel narrowing. The dictionary form of the verb is çabalamak (to strive). When we add the present continuous suffix -yor to a verb ending in -a or -e, that vowel narrows to -ı, -i, -u, or -ü. Here, the -a in çabala- narrows to -ı, making it çabalıyor.
Could I use çalışıyor instead of çabalıyor here?
Yes, you could say anlamaya çalışıyor. Both mean 'trying to understand' and both use the dative case. However, çabalamak implies a bit more struggle, effort, or striving than the standard çalışmak (which normally means 'to work' or 'to try').
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