Breakdown of Pahalı avukatlar ile rakipler korkutulurdu.
pahalı
expensive
avukat
lawyer
ile
with / by / and (linking nouns)
rakip
opponent
Questions & Answers about Pahalı avukatlar ile rakipler korkutulurdu.
Break down the suffixes in korkutulurdu. How do we go from 'fear' to 'would be frightened'?
The verb root is kork- (to fear). First we add the causative suffix -ut to make korkut- (to make someone fear, or frighten). Next is the passive suffix -ul, creating korkutul- (to be frightened). Finally, the aorist -ur and past tense -du are added.
Why does korkutulurdu translate to 'would be' instead of just 'were' frightened?
The combination of the aorist suffix -ur (for habits) and the past tense suffix -du creates the habitual past tense. This structure is used for things that used to happen repeatedly in the past, translating to English as 'would' or 'used to'.
In a passive sentence like this, why use ile (with) instead of tarafından (by) for the lawyers?
While tarafından is typically used for the agent of a passive verb, ile treats the expensive lawyers as the tool or instrument used to do the frightening. Both make sense, but ile frames the lawyers as a weapon used by an unspoken main actor.
Could ile be attached directly to avukatlar as a suffix here?
Yes, it is very common to attach it, which would give us avukatlarla. Writing ile as a separate word means exactly the same thing but is a stylistic choice that can sound slightly more formal or deliberate.