Breakdown of Güvenlik bizi burada arayabilir mi?
biz
we
burada
here
aramak
to look for, to call
mi
question particle (mı/mi/mu/mü)
güvenlik
security
Questions & Answers about Güvenlik bizi burada arayabilir mi?
How do we break down the ending on arayabilir mi?
The root is ara (from aramak, to search). Since it ends in a vowel, we add the buffer -y-, then the ability marker -a, and -bilir (can). Finally, the question particle mi is written as a separate word to make it a question.
I thought aramak meant 'to call' or 'to look for'. Can it also mean 'to search'?
Yes! While you will often see aramak used for calling someone on the phone or looking for lost keys, it is also the standard verb for a physical search, such as a security check or police pat-down. The word güvenlik (security) tells us which meaning is intended here.
Why is the word for 'us' written as bizi and not just biz?
Biz means 'we', but here it is the direct object of the verb (the people being searched). To show this, we add the accusative case ending -i, turning biz into bizi (us).
Since 'security' usually involves more than one guard, shouldn't the verb be arayabilirler mi?
In Turkish, collective groups or institutions like güvenlik (security), polis (police), or aile (family) usually take the singular third-person verb form. So we use arayabilir instead of the plural arayabilirler.
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