Breakdown of Bu roman herkes tarafından okundu.
bu
this
okumak
to read
roman
novel
herkes
everyone
tarafından
by (agent in passive voice)
Questions & Answers about Bu roman herkes tarafından okundu.
Why use tarafından here instead of the -cE suffix (like herkesçe)?
Both are correct and mean "by everyone." However, tarafından is the standard, go-to word for expressing the agent (the doer) in a passive sentence. The suffix -cE (as in herkesçe) is slightly more formal or literary, while tarafından works perfectly in all everyday contexts.
Doesn't tarafından literally mean something about "sides"?
Yes! It comes from the noun taraf (side). With the possessive and ablative suffixes attached, tarafından literally translates to "from the side of." In modern Turkish, you don't need to overthink this literal meaning; it has simply become the standard grammatical tool to say "by [someone]" in passive sentences.
How is the passive verb okundu built?
We start with the verb root oku- (to read). Because it ends in a vowel, it takes the passive suffix -n, becoming okun- (to be read). Finally, we add the definite past tense suffix -du, making okundu (was read).
Why doesn't bu roman take the accusative case (like bu romanı) if it's the thing being read?
In an active sentence, the novel is the direct object and receives the accusative case (e.g., Herkes bu romanı okudu - Everyone read this novel). But in a passive sentence, the receiver of the action gets promoted to the grammatical subject. Subjects always stay in the bare, dictionary form, so it remains bu roman.
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