Questions & Answers about Öğretmen derste mola verdi.
Why does the sentence use verdi (gave) instead of a word for "took"?
In Turkish, the standard phrase for "to take a break" is mola vermek, which literally means "to give a break". Turkish often uses vermek (to give) or almak (to take) in idioms where English uses the opposite!
How does derste mean "during the lesson"? Doesn't the suffix -te mean "in" or "at"?
The locative suffix -te (or -de) does mean "in" or "at". However, when attached to an event like ders (lesson), it naturally translates to "during" in English. Literally, the teacher gave a break "at the lesson".
Why is it spelled derste and not dersde?
This happens because of a rule called consonant assimilation. The word ders ends with a voiceless consonant (s). When a suffix starts with d (like the locative -de), that d hardens into a t to match. So, ders + de becomes derste.
Why isn't there a word for "a" before mola? Could I say "bir mola verdi"?
You could say bir mola verdi, but it isn't necessary. In Turkish, it is very common to drop bir (a/an) when an object is non-specific or part of a common set phrase like mola vermek.
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