Breakdown of Kötü şans istemezse merdiveni kullanmaz.
kötü
bad
istemek
to want / to require / to call for
kullanmak
to use
merdiven
ladder / stairs
şans
luck
Questions & Answers about Kötü şans istemezse merdiveni kullanmaz.
How does istemezse mean 'if he does not want'?
It combines the verb root iste (want) with the negative aorist ending -mez (does not) and the conditional suffix -se (if). Together, istemezse means 'if he/she does not want' as a general rule or habit.
Why is there a -se on istemezse but not on kullanmaz?
The suffix -se is the conditional ending meaning 'if'. It is only attached to the condition part of the sentence ('if he doesn't want'). The main action, 'he does not use' (kullanmaz), just takes the regular negative aorist ending -maz without the 'if' suffix.
Why is it merdiveni instead of just merdiven?
The -i at the end of merdiveni is the specific accusative case suffix. It tells us that he is avoiding a specific object ('the ladder'). If the sentence was talking about ladders in general, it would just be merdiven kullanmaz.
Where is the word for 'he' in this sentence?
In Turkish, subject pronouns like o (he/she/it) are usually dropped if the context is clear. We know the subject is 'he' (or she) because the 3rd person singular verbs (istemezse and kullanmaz) do not have any extra 'I', 'you', or 'we' endings attached to them.
Learn Kötü şans istemezse merdiveni kullanmaz 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