Breakdown of Yoga yapmadan önce mavi minderimi alıyorum.
yapmak
to do / to make
almak
to take, to buy
mavi
blue
önce
before / first / firstly
Questions & Answers about Yoga yapmadan önce mavi minderimi alıyorum.
Why does 'before doing' translate to yapmadan önce?
The structure for 'before doing [something]' is the verb root (yap-) plus the suffix -madan (or -meden), followed by the word önce. Note that by itself, yapmadan usually means 'without doing', but pairing it with önce creates the 'before doing' meaning.
Why is there an extra -i at the end of minderimi?
The root word is minder (mat/cushion). First we add -im to make it 'my mat' (minderim). The final -i is the accusative case suffix. We need this because 'my blue mat' is the specific object receiving the action of the verb alıyorum (I take).
The translation says 'I take', but alıyorum is the present continuous tense ('I am taking'). Why?
In Turkish, the present continuous tense (using the -ıyor suffix) is frequently used to describe routines and habits. While English prefers the simple present for habits ('I take'), Turkish commonly uses the continuous form for this purpose.
How do we know who is doing the yoga in yapmadan önce?
The -madan önce phrase doesn't take personal endings to show who is doing the action. We know it means 'before I do yoga' because the main verb at the end of the sentence (alıyorum) tells us that 'I' am the subject.