Breakdown of Ben karanlıkta makineyi kendim tamir etmiyordum, kibrit ve mum arıyordum.
ben
I
ve
and
aramak
to look for, to call
karanlık
dark
kendi
self
tamir etmek
to repair
makine
machine
mum
candle
kibrit
match
Questions & Answers about Ben karanlıkta makineyi kendim tamir etmiyordum, kibrit ve mum arıyordum.
How do we form the negative past continuous in tamir etmiyordum?
The verb is tamir etmek (to repair) and the root is tamir et-. The negative suffix is usually -me, but when we add the continuous suffix -yor, the e narrows to i. Then we add the past tense -du and the "I" ending -m. Altogether: tamir et- + -mi- + -yor + -du + -m.
The verb for "looking for" is aramak. Why does it change to arıyordum instead of arayordum?
This happens for the exact same reason the negative suffix changes in the previous word! When any verb root ends in a or e, that vowel "narrows" before the -yor suffix. Here, the a in ara- narrows to ı, giving us arı- + -yor + -du + -m.
Why does makineyi have an ending, but kibrit and mum do not?
This shows the difference between specific and non-specific objects. Makineyi has the accusative ending -yi because it refers to the specific machine you are repairing. Kibrit and mum do not have this ending because you are not looking for the match and the candle; you are just looking for a match and a candle in general.
Why is it karanlıkta with a -ta instead of the usual -da for "in"?
This is a quick refresher on consonant harmony. The word karanlık (darkness) ends in k, which is a hard (voiceless) consonant. To match it, the d in the locative suffix -da hardens into a t, making it -ta.
How does kendim mean "myself"?
The word kendi means "self" or "own". To say "myself", we add the first-person possessive ending -m. Using kendim here emphasizes that you were the one who was supposed to be doing the repairing.
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