Breakdown of Sakinleşene kadar bebeğe ninni söyleyeyim mi?
bebek
baby
söylemek
to say, to sing
mi
question particle (also mı/mu/mü)
kadar
as ... as; until, up to
Questions & Answers about Sakinleşene kadar bebeğe ninni söyleyeyim mi?
How do we get "until he calms down" from sakinleşene kadar?
To say "until doing something", you take the verb stem, add the suffix -(y)ana or -(y)ene depending on vowel harmony, and follow it with kadar. Here, the verb is sakinleşmek (to calm down). We drop the -mek, add -ene to match the front vowels, and get sakinleşene kadar.
Where does the verb sakinleşmek come from?
Why does bebek (baby) change to bebeğe?
This is a quick refresher on consonant mutation. When you add a suffix starting with a vowel to a word ending in k (like the direction suffix -e to say "to the baby"), the k softens into a soft g (ğ). This makes it easier to pronounce.
What verb form is söyleyeyim?
This is a form used for suggestions or asking "shall I?". The verb stem is söyle (to sing or say). We add the buffer -y- to separate the vowels, and the first-person singular suffix -eyim. When paired with the question particle mi, it translates to "shall I sing?".