Breakdown of Bu şişman kediyi tartar mısınız?
bu
this
kedi
cat
şişman
fat
mi
question particle (mı/mi/mu/mü)
Questions & Answers about Bu şişman kediyi tartar mısınız?
How does tartar mısınız turn into a polite request here?
It uses the aorist tense, which is often used for polite requests in Turkish. The verb root tart (weigh) takes the aorist ending -ar, and adding the formal/plural question particle mısınız translates to 'Would you weigh...?' or 'Will you weigh...?'.
Why is there a -yi at the end of kediyi?
That is the accusative case ending, which marks a specific direct object. Because you are pointing out 'this' specific cat (bu kedi), it needs the -i ending. The -y- is just a buffer letter to separate the two vowels.
Why does the verb stem tart- take -ar instead of -ır for the aorist tense?
For most one-syllable verb stems, the aorist ending is -ar or -er depending on vowel harmony. Since tart- is one syllable and has an 'a', it takes -ar to become tartar.
Can I say tartar mısın instead?
Yes! tartar mısınız is the formal or plural form. If you are asking a friend to weigh the cat, you would use the informal singular tartar mısın.