Word
Memur vatandaşın kimliğini görebilir mi?
Meaning
Can the officer see the citizen's ID?
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Breakdown of Memur vatandaşın kimliğini görebilir mi?
görmek
to see
mi
question particle (mı/mi/mu/mü)
memur
officer
kimlik
ID card
Questions & Answers about Memur vatandaşın kimliğini görebilir mi?
How exactly does görebilir mi translate to "can see?"
It combines the verb root gör (see) with the ability suffix -ebil. To make it a functioning verb, we add the aorist tense marker -ir, creating görebilir (is able to see). Finally, the separate question particle mi turns it into "Can they see?".
What is the -ın doing at the end of vatandaşın?
It is the genitive case ending, which works just like the English apostrophe-s ('s). It links "the citizen" (vatandaş) to the ID (kimlik) to form the phrase "the citizen's ID" (vatandaşın kimliği).
The word for ID is kimlik. Why does it change to kimliğ- here?
This is consonant mutation. When a Turkish word ends in -k and you add a suffix starting with a vowel (like the possessive -i making it "their ID"), the harsh -k softens to a soft g (-ğ).
Why are there two -i endings in kimliğini?
The first -i is the possessive suffix showing it belongs to the citizen (kimliği = their ID). The second -i is the accusative case marker, which is required because the ID is the specific direct object being seen. The -n- in the middle is just a buffer letter we always use when adding a case marker to a 3rd-person possessive suffix.