Breakdown of Bu tohum soğuk havada yetişmez.
bu
this
soğuk
cold
hava
weather
yetişmek
to grow (plants, crops)
Questions & Answers about Bu tohum soğuk havada yetişmez.
Why does this sentence use yetişmez instead of the continuous yetişmiyor?
We use the aorist tense here because it states a general scientific fact about the seed, rather than an action happening right now. To form the negative 'it does not' for general facts, we add -maz or -mez to the verb root. Since yetiş- has a front vowel, it takes -mez.
If I wanted to say 'You do not grow in cold weather' using the aorist, how would yetişmez change?
For the 'you' (singular) form of the negative aorist, you add the personal ending -sin directly to the negative suffix -mez. The verb would become yetişmezsin.
I have seen yetişmek used for 'catching a train'. Does it also mean 'to grow'?
Yes! Yetişmek is a versatile verb. While it often means 'to catch' or 'to make it on time' for transport, when used with plants, crops, or people, it means 'to grow' or 'to be raised'.
Why is the locative suffix -da attached to hava?
The suffix -da means 'in', 'on', or 'at'. Just like in English where we say 'in cold weather', Turkish attaches -da to hava (weather) to describe the condition or environment where the seed cannot grow.