Breakdown of Onu oyalamak için bezini şarkı söyleyerek değiştiriyorum.
o
that / he / she / it
şarkı
song
söylemek
to say, to sing
için
for
değiştirmek
to change
bez
diaper
oyalamak
to distract / to entertain
Questions & Answers about Onu oyalamak için bezini şarkı söyleyerek değiştiriyorum.
Since this lesson is about -(y)AnA kadar, could I use şarkı söyleyene kadar here instead?
That would completely change the meaning! The lesson's focus, -(y)AnA kadar, means "until doing". If you said şarkı söyleyene kadar değiştiriyorum, it would mean "I am changing his diaper until I sing a song." Here, the speaker uses the suffix -(y)ArAk to show two actions happening at the same time: changing the diaper while singing.
How does söyleyerek translate to "while singing"?
The suffix -(y)ArAk or -(y)ErEk attaches to a verb stem to show how an action is performed, translating to "by doing" or "while doing". Here, söylemek (to sing/say) drops the infinitive -mek, takes the buffer -y-, and adds -erek to become söyleyerek. It describes the manner in which the diaper is being changed.
Why is the word for diaper bezini instead of just bez or bezi?
The root is bez (diaper/cloth). First, we add the 3rd person possessive suffix -i to make bezi (his diaper). Because this specific diaper is the direct object of the verb değiştiriyorum (I am changing), we must add the accusative case suffix -i. The letter -n- acts as a buffer between the possessive and the accusative suffixes, resulting in bezini.
Doesn't için usually mean "for"? Why is it translated as "to distract"?
Yes, için generally means "for" when used with a noun. However, when you place için directly after an infinitive verb (the dictionary form ending in -mak or -mek, like oyalamak), the structure translates to "in order to" or simply "to" do that action. So, oyalamak için means "in order to distract".
Why does onu take the accusative case here?
Onu (him/her) is the specific direct object being distracted. Even though oyalamak (to distract) is in its infinitive form and part of an için phrase, it still functions as a verb inside that clause and requires its direct object to take the accusative case.
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