Breakdown of Çocuklar, lütfen bahçede saklanın!
çocuk
child
bahçe
garden
lütfen
please
saklanmak
to hide oneself
Questions & Answers about Çocuklar, lütfen bahçede saklanın!
How does the reflexive suffix change the meaning of the verb here?
The base verb is saklamak, which means "to hide (something or someone else)". By adding the reflexive -n, it becomes saklanmak, which means "to hide (oneself)". In English, we just use the word "hide" for both, but Turkish makes a clear distinction!
Why does the verb end with -ın instead of just saklan?
Because the speaker is talking to multiple children (Çocuklar). The -ın suffix is the imperative (command) ending for siz (you, plural or formal). If you were telling just one child to hide, you would drop the suffix and simply say saklan!
How do we know to use -ın instead of -in for the plural command?
It follows 4-way vowel harmony. The last vowel in the verb stem saklan- is a, which dictates an undotted ı for the suffix, making it -ın. If the verb had an e or i, like in giyin- (to dress oneself), the command would be giyinin!
Why is "in the garden" translated with -de (bahçede) here?