Breakdown of Eski zamanlarda insanlar klima ile ısınmıyordu.
insan
person
zaman
time
eski
old
ile
with / by / and (linking nouns)
klima
air conditioner
ısınmak
to warm up
Questions & Answers about Eski zamanlarda insanlar klima ile ısınmıyordu.
How does the verb ısınmıyordu break down to mean "used not to get warm"?
It starts with the verb root ısın (to get warm). Next is the negative suffix, which becomes -mı here. Then we add -yor for the continuous tense, and finally the past tense suffix -du ("was"). Together, -mıyordu creates the past continuous negative: "was not getting warm" or "used not to get warm".
Normally the negative suffix is -me or -ma. Why is it -mı in ısınmıyordu?
When you add the continuous suffix -yor to a negative verb, the -a or -e of the negative suffix always narrows to ı, i, u, or ü. Because the last vowel in the root ısın is an undotted ı, the negative suffix -ma changes to -mı to match it.
The subject is plural (insanlar). Why is the verb ısınmıyordu singular instead of ısınmıyorlardı?
In Turkish, when a human subject is explicitly stated in the plural (like insanlar), it is very common and grammatically correct to leave the verb in the singular form. Adding the plural suffix -lar to the end of the verb is optional here.
How does the word zamanlarda translate to "in the old days"?
It is built from zaman (time) + the plural suffix -lar (times) + the locative case suffix -da (in/at). So eski zamanlarda literally translates to "in old times", which is the most natural way to express "in the old days" in Turkish.
Why is ile used after klima?
İle means "with" or "by means of". Here, it shows the instrument or method people used to get warm: "by means of an air conditioner". You might also see this attached directly to the previous word as a suffix, becoming klimayla.
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