Word
Sınırda bekleyebilir misiniz?
Meaning
Can you wait at the border?
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Breakdown of Sınırda bekleyebilir misiniz?
beklemek
to wait
mi
question particle (mı/mi/mu/mü)
sınır
border
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Questions & Answers about Sınırda bekleyebilir misiniz?
How is the 'can' part formed in bekleyebilir misiniz?
It uses the ability suffix -ebil. To make a 'can you?' request, Turkish takes the verb root bekle, adds the ability suffix -ebil, and follows it with the aorist (general) tense suffix -ir. The question particle mi and the 'you' ending -siniz are then added as a separate word.
Why is there a -y- before -ebilir?
The verb root bekle (wait) ends in a vowel, and the ability suffix -ebil starts with a vowel. Turkish uses the buffer letter -y- to prevent two vowels from clashing, making it bekleyebilir instead of 'bekleebilir'.
Why do we need the -ir suffix here?
When asking 'can you...?' questions, Turkish uses the aorist tense. The formula is always Verb + -(y)ebil + Aorist suffix (-ir / -ar / -er) + mi + personal ending. The -ir here shows it is a polite possibility.
Why is misiniz separate from the verb?