Breakdown of Meyve sever, mesela elma.
elma
apple
sevmek
to love, to like
meyve
fruit
mesela
for example (everyday)
Questions & Answers about Meyve sever, mesela elma.
Why does the English translation say 'apples' when elma is singular?
In Turkish, when you talk about a general category of things, you usually keep the noun singular. Because he likes apples in general, elma is used instead of the plural elmalar. The same rule applies to meyve (fruit).
Why is the verb sever used here instead of seviyor?
The verb sever is in the aorist (simple present) tense, indicated by the -er ending. Turkish uses this tense for habits, general facts, and permanent preferences. Liking fruit is a general fact, so sever is the most natural grammatical choice, although seviyor is also acceptable in casual daily speech.
Why isn't it 'meyveyi sever' with the specific object (accusative) ending?
If you were talking about a specific piece of fruit (like 'He likes the fruit on the table'), you would add the -yi ending to make it meyveyi. Because the sentence is about fruit as an unspecified, general concept, the word stays in its plain dictionary form.
Can I use another word instead of mesela?
Yes! mesela is a very common everyday word meaning 'for example.' You can also use the word örneğin, which means the exact same thing and is perfectly interchangeable here.
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