Breakdown of Okyanuslar kıtaları birbirine bağlar.
birbiri
each other / one another
okyanus
ocean
kıta
continent
bağlamak
to connect / to tie / to fasten
Questions & Answers about Okyanuslar kıtaları birbirine bağlar.
How is the verb bağlar formed, and why does it only take an -r?
The verb root is bağla- (from bağlamak, to connect or tie). Because this lesson focuses on roots ending in a vowel, you can see that the root ends in a. To form the aorist (simple present) tense for vowel-ending roots, we simply add -r, making it bağlar.
Why use the aorist tense (bağlar) here instead of the present continuous (bağlıyor)?
The aorist tense is used for general truths, typical behaviors, and scientific facts. Since oceans connecting continents is a timeless geographic fact rather than a temporary action happening right at this exact moment, we use the aorist.
Why is it kıtaları and not just kıtalar?
The word is kıta (continent) + lar (plural) + ı (accusative case). We use the accusative case because the continents are the direct object receiving the action of being connected. In Turkish, when stating general facts about an entire category of things as a direct object, the accusative is usually required.
How does the word birbirine break down, and why does it have an -e at the end?
It comes from the pronoun birbiri (each other). We add the buffer letter -n- followed by the dative case suffix -e (to), forming birbirine (to each other). The verb bağlamak (to connect) requires the dative case for the destination—the thing you are connecting something to.