Questions & Answers about İnekler kötü ot yemez.
Since inekler (cows) is plural, why isn't the verb yemezler?
In Turkish, when a plural subject is not human (like animals, objects, or ideas), the verb normally takes the singular form. Since cows are animals, we use the singular yemez instead of the plural yemezler.
How do we build the negative verb yemez?
It combines the verb root ye- (to eat) and the 3rd-person singular aorist negative suffix -mez. For the 2nd and 3rd persons in the aorist negative, we do not use the positive time suffixes like -r or -er. Instead, we just attach -maz or -mez directly to the root.
Why use the aorist negative yemez here instead of the present continuous yemiyor?
We use the aorist tense for general facts, habits, and things that are always true. Since this sentence states a general fact about cows, yemez is the right choice. If we used yemiyor, it would mean the cows are refusing to eat bad grass right at this very moment.
Why isn't ot (grass) marked with an accusative ending, like otu?
The accusative case is only used for specific, definite direct objects (like when you are talking about one specific patch of grass). Because this sentence is about bad grass in general, it acts as an indefinite object and stays in its bare dictionary form.
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