Breakdown of Bu toprağa tohum atmazsın.
bu
this
atmak
to throw / to tie (a knot) / to lay (a foundation) / to put (a signature)
toprak
soil
tohum
seed
Questions & Answers about Bu toprağa tohum atmazsın.
How do we build the word atmazsın?
This is the negative aorist (simple present) tense, which you use to talk about general habits or facts. We take the verb root at- (to throw), add the negative suffix -maz (which is used for he/she/it and you), and finally add the personal ending -sın for "you". Together it makes atmazsın (you do not throw).
Why is there a ğ in toprağa? Doesn't the word for "soil" end with a "k"?
Yes, the dictionary word is toprak. But when we add a suffix that starts with a vowel, the hard k softens into a ğ (this is sometimes called the consonant mutation or ketchap rule). Here, we are adding the direction suffix -a (to/into), so toprak plus -a becomes toprağa.
Why does toprağa get the direction suffix -a (to/into) here?
In Turkish, the verb atmak (to throw) needs the direction suffix (dative case) to show where something is being thrown. Since you are throwing seeds into this soil, toprak takes the -a ending.
The translation says "seeds", so why is it just tohum and not tohumlar?
When talking about things in a general, non-specific way, Turkish often leaves off the plural suffix. Since the sentence is about the general act of throwing "seed" (as a category) rather than specific, individual seeds, the singular tohum sounds much more natural.
Learn Bu toprağa tohum atmazsın and more in Turkish
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free