Breakdown of Kirli perdelerin yerine bütün örtüler yıkanıyor.
yıkamak
to wash
kirli
dirty
perde
curtain
yerine
instead of
bütün
all, whole
örtü
cover / tablecloth
Questions & Answers about Kirli perdelerin yerine bütün örtüler yıkanıyor.
How is the passive voice formed in yıkanıyor?
The root verb is yıka- (to wash). Because it ends in a vowel, the passive suffix -In loses its vowel and just becomes -n, giving us the passive stem yıkan- (to be washed). Then we add the present continuous suffix -ıyor, making yıkanıyor (is/are being washed).
Doesn't yıkanmak usually mean 'to wash oneself' (like taking a shower)?
Yes! Yıkanmak is often used reflexively to mean 'to wash oneself' or 'to bathe.' However, depending on the context, it also acts as the standard passive form of 'to wash' for inanimate objects, as it does here with örtüler (covers).
Why is it perdelerin yerine and not just perdeler yerine?
The phrase for 'instead of [something]' is usually formed using the genitive case on the noun plus yerine (literally 'to its place'). So, 'instead of the curtains' becomes perdelerin (the curtains') yerine (to their place).
Could I use hepsi instead of bütün here to mean 'all'?
You could, but the grammar would change. Bütün acts as an adjective directly modifying the noun, like 'all the covers' (bütün örtüler). If you use hepsi, you need a possessive construction: örtülerin hepsi (literally 'the all of the covers').
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