Breakdown of Kavşağa gelirken otobüsü sollamak tehlikeli olabilir.
otobüs
bus
gelmek
to come
olmak
to be
tehlikeli
dangerous
Questions & Answers about Kavşağa gelirken otobüsü sollamak tehlikeli olabilir.
How is gelirken formed here to mean 'while approaching'?
It combines the verb root gel- (to come) with the aorist tense suffix -ir and the conjunction -ken (while). So gelirken literally means 'while coming'. When used with the dative case in kavşağa (to the intersection), the phrase 'while coming to the intersection' translates nicely to 'while approaching the intersection'. Note that -ken is an exception and never changes for vowel harmony.
Why does the dictionary word kavşak (intersection) become kavşağa in this sentence?
We need the dative case suffix -a because the action of coming is directed towards the intersection. When we add a vowel suffix to a word ending in k, the k usually softens into a ğ (soft g). Therefore, kavşak plus -a becomes kavşağa.
Why is it otobüsü with an -ü at the end instead of just otobüs?
The suffix -ü is the accusative case, which marks a specific direct object. While the English translation says 'overtaking a bus', the Turkish sentence frames it as overtaking 'the specific bus in front of you'. If you used the bare word otobüs, the phrase otobüs sollamak would mean the general, abstract concept of 'bus-overtaking'.
Where does the word sollamak (to overtake) come from?