Breakdown of Gözyaşları durana kadar onu oyuncaklarla oyalıyoruz.
o
that / he / she / it
durmak
to stop, to stand
oyuncak
toy
ile
with / by / and (linking nouns)
kadar
as ... as; until, up to
gözyaşı
tear
oyalamak
to distract / to entertain
Questions & Answers about Gözyaşları durana kadar onu oyuncaklarla oyalıyoruz.
How does "durana kadar" translate to "until [they] stop"?
This uses the lesson's grammar pattern for "until doing something": Verb + -(y)ana kadar (or -(y)ene kadar). We take the root of durmak (to stop) and add -ana kadar to get durana kadar. Note that even though the subject, "tears", is plural, the verb structure here doesn't need a plural marker.
What is the dictionary form of "oyalıyoruz" and what happened to its spelling?
The dictionary form is oyalamak (to distract, occupy, or stall). When you add the present continuous suffix -yor, a special spelling rule applies: if a verb root ends in -a or -e, that vowel narrows to ı, i, u, or ü. Here, the -a at the end of oyala- changes to -ı, making it oyalı- + -yor + -uz (we).
How is the word "gözyaşları" constructed here to mean "his tears"?
It is a compound noun. It combines göz (eye) and yaş (wetness/tear). The standard word for "tear" is gözyaşı. To make it plural, we add -lar, becoming gözyaşları. Conveniently, the -ı at the end acts as both the compound connector and the 3rd-person possessive suffix, so it means "his tears" (or "her tears") without needing any extra letters.
Why does the sentence use "onu" instead of "ona"?
Onu is the pronoun o (he/him/it) in the accusative case (acting as the direct object). We use the accusative here because the person is the direct target being distracted by the verb oyalamak. If the verb required a "to" or directional meaning, we would use the dative ona, but oyalamak takes a direct object.
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