Learn Turkish: Sekreter daktiloda her tuşa sert basıyordu. - The secretary was pressing every key hard on the typewriter.

Sekreter daktiloda her tuşa sert basıyordu.

The secretary was pressing every key hard on the typewriter.

Breakdown of Sekreter daktiloda her tuşa sert basıyordu.

Questions & Answers about Sekreter daktiloda her tuşa sert basıyordu.

How does the ending on basıyordu make it mean "was pressing"?

It combines two suffixes you already know! The root is bas (press). First we add the present continuous suffix -ıyor (is pressing), and then the past tense suffix -du. Together, -ıyordu creates the past continuous tense to show an ongoing action in the past: "was pressing".

Why is there an -a on the end of tuşa (key)?

In English, you press a key, but in Turkish, the verb basmak (to press) requires the dative case, which shows directing an action "to" or "towards" something. Because of this rule, you add the dative suffix -a to tuş (key) to get tuşa.

Does sert mean "hard" as an adjective or an adverb here?

It acts as an adverb here because it describes how the secretary was pressing the keys. In Turkish, you can often use a regular adjective directly as an adverb to describe a verb without changing its form or adding any special endings.

Why is "on the typewriter" translated as daktiloda?

The suffix -da is the locative case, which stands for "in," "on," or "at." When talking about working on a machine, instrument, or computer, Turkish naturally uses this location suffix attached directly to the word daktilo (typewriter).