Breakdown of Yorganın lekeleri böyle mi temizlenir?
temizlemek
to clean
mi
question particle (mı/mi/mu/mü)
böyle
like this
yorgan
quilt
Questions & Answers about Yorganın lekeleri böyle mi temizlenir?
How is the passive voice formed in temizlenir?
The root verb is temizle- (to clean). Because it ends in a vowel, it takes the passive suffix -n instead of the usual -il or -in. After that, the aorist tense suffix -ir is added to make it generally true: is cleaned.
Why is the question particle mi placed after böyle and not at the end of the sentence?
In Turkish, the question particle focuses on the word right before it. By putting mi after böyle, the speaker is specifically asking 'Is it like this that they are cleaned?' emphasizing the method.
Since lekeleri is the subject of the passive verb, why does it end with an -i? Doesn't that mean it's a direct object?
The -i here is actually a possessive suffix, not the accusative (direct object) case marker! It pairs with the genitive suffix on yorganın to form the phrase yorganın lekeleri (the stains of the quilt). Subjects of passive verbs don't take the accusative case.
Why does this sentence use the aorist tense (temizlenir) instead of the present continuous (temizleniyor)?
The aorist tense is used here because the speaker is asking about a general procedure or the 'correct way' things are done, rather than asking about an action that is currently happening right this second.