Breakdown of O kadın kör, bu engeli göremez.
bu
this
o
that / he / she / it
kadın
woman
görmek
to see
kör
blind
engel
obstacle
Questions & Answers about O kadın kör, bu engeli göremez.
How is the "cannot" meaning built into göremez?
The verb root is gör- (to see). To make it "cannot," we insert the inability vowel -e- (or -a- depending on vowel harmony) right before the negative aorist ending. A simple negative "she does not see" is görmez. Adding the -e- makes it göremez (she cannot see).
Why use the aorist tense (göremez) instead of the present continuous (göremiyor)?
The aorist tense is used for general facts and permanent states. Because the woman is blind, her inability to see the obstacle is a permanent fact, not just a temporary situation happening right now. Therefore, the general göremez is a more natural fit here than the continuous göremiyor.
Why is it engeli instead of just engel?
engel means "obstacle." Because it has the word bu (this) in front of it, it acts as a specific direct object receiving the action of the verb. In Turkish, specific direct objects must take the accusative case suffix, which is -i in this word.
Where is the word for "is" in the phrase O kadın kör?
In Turkish, you often don't need a visible word or suffix for "is" when talking about the third person (he/she/it). Placing the subject (O kadın) and the adjective (kör) side by side is enough. While you could add the formal "to be" suffix -dür to make it kördür, it is usually dropped in everyday conversation.
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