Breakdown of Masadaki iş imkânsız görünüyor, oysa sadece biraz uzun.
masa
table
uzun
long / tall
iş
work
biraz
a little
sadece
only, just
görünmek
to appear, to seem
oysa
whereas / but in fact
imkânsız
impossible
Questions & Answers about Masadaki iş imkânsız görünüyor, oysa sadece biraz uzun.
Why use oysa here instead of ama (but)?
While both can be translated as "but", oysa specifically highlights a strong contrast between an expectation or appearance and the actual reality. Here, it contrasts the false appearance of the work being impossible with the reality that it is just long. It translates perfectly to "whereas" or "when in fact".
How does the word masadaki work? Can I just say masada iş?
You need the -ki suffix here. Masada simply means "on the table" as a location for an action. Adding -ki turns it into an adjective that describes the noun iş (work). So masadaki iş specifically means "the work that is on the table".
What is the difference between görünüyor and görüyor?
Görüyor means "is seeing", from the root verb görmek (to see). By adding the passive/reflexive suffix -ün, it becomes görünmek, which changes the meaning to "to be seen" or "to appear/seem". So imkânsız görünüyor means "it seems impossible".
Why is there no verb at the end of the sentence after uzun?
In everyday Turkish, the present tense "is" is often implied for third-person subjects. Uzun literally means "long", but as the final word of this clause, it acts as the full predicate meaning "it is long". You could add the "to be" suffix to make it uzundur for a slightly more formal tone, but leaving it bare is very common.
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