Breakdown of Sınırı arabayla geçebilir miyiz?
araba
car
ile
with / by / and (linking nouns)
geçmek
to pass / to cross / to shift (into a gear)
mi
question particle (mı/mi/mu/mü)
Questions & Answers about Sınırı arabayla geçebilir miyiz?
How is geçebilir miyiz built to mean "can we cross?"
It starts with the verb root geç (to cross or pass). We add -ebil (the suffix for ability or possibility) and -ir (the simple present tense marker). Then we use the separate question particle mi, a buffer letter -y-, and the "we" personal ending -iz. Broken down: geç-ebil-ir mi-y-iz.
Why is it sınırı and not just sınır?
Sınır means "border". The -ı is the accusative case suffix, which is used to mark a specific direct object. Because you are talking about crossing the border (a specific, known border), it needs this ending.
How does arabayla mean "with a car" or "by car"?
It is made of the noun araba (car) and the suffix -la, which means "with" or "by means of" (a shortened form of the word ile). Because araba ends in a vowel, we must add the buffer letter -y- before the suffix, resulting in arabayla.
Could we change the word order and ask Arabayla sınırı geçebilir miyiz?