Breakdown of Hiçbir şüpheliyi unutmayız.
unutmak
to forget
hiçbir
no / not any (determiner)
şüpheli
suspect
Questions & Answers about Hiçbir şüpheliyi unutmayız.
How do we break down the word unutmayız?
It comes from the verb unutmak (to forget). In the aorist (simple present) tense, the negative "we" form is irregular. Instead of adding a tense marker like usual, you just add -mayız or -meyiz directly to the verb stem. Here, unut- (forget) plus -mayız (we do not) gives us unutmayız.
Hiçbir usually means "no" or "none", so why does the translation say "any"?
Turkish uses double negatives. The word hiçbir requires a negative verb to complete its meaning. Because unutmayız is already negative ("we do not forget"), hiçbir translates smoothly to "any" in English to avoid the clunky phrase "we do not forget no suspect."
Why does şüpheli have the -yi ending on it?
The word şüpheli (suspect) is the direct object of the verb unutmak (to forget). When you use hiçbir with a direct object, Turkish grammar treats that object as specific, so it requires the accusative case ending. Since şüpheli ends in a vowel, it gets the buffer letter y followed by the accusative suffix -i, making it şüpheliyi.
How is the word şüpheli formed?
It comes from the noun şüphe, which means "doubt" or "suspicion". By adding the very common suffix -li (meaning "with" or "having"), it becomes şüpheli, which literally means "having suspicion" but is used as a noun here to mean "a suspect".
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