Breakdown of Biz odayı mum ile aydınlatmıyorduk, sadece oturuyorduk.
biz
we
oda
room
oturmak
to sit
ile
with / by / and (linking nouns)
sadece
only, just
mum
candle
aydınlatmak
to illuminate
Questions & Answers about Biz odayı mum ile aydınlatmıyorduk, sadece oturuyorduk.
How is the negative past continuous built in aydınlatmıyorduk?
It combines the verb stem aydınlat (to light) with the negative suffix -mı, the continuous suffix -yor, the past tense suffix -du, and the personal ending -k for we. Notice that the negative suffix for this verb would normally be -ma, but the -yor suffix always narrows the vowel before it, turning -ma into -mı.
Why does oda (room) have the -yı ending here?
Because it is the specific direct object of the verb. Oda ends in a vowel, so it takes the buffer letter y, followed by the accusative case ending -ı to make odayı (the room). If it were just oda, it would mean lighting a room in general, not the specific room we are talking about.
Could I combine mum and ile into one word?
Yes, you will often see ile attached directly to the previous word. Because mum ends in a consonant, it would become mumla (with a candle). Both mum ile and mumla are perfectly correct, but the combined form is much more common in spoken Turkish.
Do we need the -k ending on oturuyorduk if the sentence already starts with biz?
Yes, the verb must always have the matching personal ending, which is -k for we in the past tense. The pronoun biz is actually optional and could be dropped entirely without changing the meaning; it is just used here to set the context or add a little emphasis.
Learn Biz odayı mum ile aydınlatmıyorduk, sadece oturuyorduk and more in Turkish
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free