Breakdown of Gümrük memuru bavulu açabilir mi?
açmak
to open
bavul
suitcase
mi
question particle (mı/mi/mu/mü)
memur
officer
Questions & Answers about Gümrük memuru bavulu açabilir mi?
How is açabilir mi formed to mean "can he/she open"?
It uses the possibility suffix. We take the verb root aç- (to open), add the ability vowel -a-, and then the general present tense form of bilmek, which is -bilir. Finally, the question particle mi is written as a separate word. Because the subject is a "he/she" (third-person singular), we don't need any extra personal suffixes on mi.
Why does memur (officer) have a -u at the end in Gümrük memuru?
In Turkish, when you put two nouns together to make a new concept (like a compound noun), the second noun gets a possessive suffix. Gümrük means "customs" and memur means "officer". The -u on memuru links them together to essentially mean "officer of customs".
Why is it bavulu instead of just bavul?
The extra -u is the accusative case suffix. It marks the direct object of the sentence, which is the thing being acted upon. Because we are talking about a specific suitcase ("the suitcase"), we must use this suffix. If it were just bavul, it would mean the officer is opening "a suitcase" in general.
Why do both memuru and bavulu end with the exact same -u suffix?