Breakdown of Memur yasak eşyayı alabilir mi?
almak
to take, to buy
mi
question particle (mı/mi/mu/mü)
eşya
belonging / item / stuff (goods, objects)
memur
officer
Questions & Answers about Memur yasak eşyayı alabilir mi?
How is "alabilir mi" formed to mean "can take"?
The verb root is al (to take). To express ability or permission, we add the possibility suffix -abil and the present tense suffix -ir, making alabilir. Finally, the separate question particle mi turns it into a question.
Why isn't there a personal ending on the question word "mi"?
The subject of this sentence is Memur (the officer), which is third-person singular (he/she). In Turkish, the third-person singular doesn't take a personal suffix on the question particle, so it stays as just mi. If you were asking "Can you take?", it would be alabilir misin? instead.
Why is there a "-yı" at the end of "eşyayı"?
eşya means item or belongings. Because it is the specific thing being taken, it acts as the direct object and needs the accusative case. Since eşya ends in a vowel, we must use the buffer letter -y- before adding the accusative suffix -ı.
Does "almak" mean "to take" or "to buy" in this sentence?
The verb almak is used for both taking and buying. While you might often see it translated as "to buy" in shopping lessons, the context here of an officer (memur) and a forbidden item (yasak) tells us that "to take" or "to confiscate" is the intended meaning.