Breakdown of Yaşlı adam sepetteki antika heykeli satıyordu.
adam
man
yaşlı
old (people)
sepet
basket
satmak
to sell
antika
antique
heykel
statue
Questions & Answers about Yaşlı adam sepetteki antika heykeli satıyordu.
Why is there a -ki at the end of sepetteki?
The suffix -ki turns a location into an adjective. sepet means basket, and sepette means in the basket. Adding -ki creates sepetteki, which acts as an adjective describing the statue. It literally translates to the in-the-basket antique statue.
Why does the locative suffix in sepetteki start with a t instead of a d?
This is due to consonant assimilation. Since sepet ends in a hard, voiceless consonant (t), the standard locative suffix -de changes to -te to match it. The -ki suffix then attaches directly to that.
Why is it heykeli instead of just heykel?
The -i at the end of heykeli is the specific direct object (accusative) suffix. Because the old man is selling a specific statue (the one in the basket), we must add this suffix to show it is the specific target of the verb satıyordu.
How do the suffixes on satıyordu work to mean "was selling"?
This word combines two time-related suffixes. To the verb root sat- (sell), we first add the present continuous suffix -ıyor (is selling). Then we add the past tense suffix -du to push it into the past. Together, -ıyordu creates the past continuous tense: was selling.
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