Breakdown of Avcı yarayı kapatıyor, yoksa vahşi hayvanlar saldıracak.
hayvan
animal
kapatmak
to turn off / to close
yoksa
otherwise / or else
vahşi
wild / savage
Questions & Answers about Avcı yarayı kapatıyor, yoksa vahşi hayvanlar saldıracak.
I learned that yoksa means 'if there is not'. How does it mean 'otherwise' here?
You are right! It comes from yok (non-existent) and the conditional suffix -sa (if). But it is also used as a fixed connecting word meaning 'otherwise' or 'or else'. Here, it connects a required action (Avcı yarayı kapatıyor) to the bad consequence that will happen if the action isn't done (vahşi hayvanlar saldıracak).
Why is the word for wound yarayı instead of just yara?
Because the hunter is covering a specific wound ('the' wound), it is the definite direct object of the verb kapatıyor. To show this, we add the accusative case suffix -ı. Since yara ends in a vowel, we need the buffer letter -y-, making it yarayı.
Doesn't kapatıyor usually mean 'closing'? Why is it translated as 'covering' here?
Yes, the dictionary meaning of kapatmak is 'to close', like closing a door or a box. In Turkish, you 'close' an open wound (yarayı kapatmak) which translates naturally to 'covering', 'stitching', or 'bandaging' in English.
Since hayvanlar (animals) is plural, why isn't the verb pluralized as saldıracaklar?