Breakdown of Herkes staj yapıyordu, keşke ben de yeni beceriler öğrenseydim.
yeni
new
ben
I
öğrenmek
to learn
yapmak
to do / to make
herkes
everyone
de
too, also (de/da) / even if (concessive particle after conditional) / and (linking clauses)
keşke
if only / I wish
beceri
skill
staj
internship
Questions & Answers about Herkes staj yapıyordu, keşke ben de yeni beceriler öğrenseydim.
How does öğrenseydim show that this is a past regret?
It uses the formula for past regret: the conditional suffix -se followed by the past tense suffix -di. In öğrenseydim, we have öğren (learn) + -se (wish/if) + -y- (buffer letter) + -di (past) + -m (I). Together with keşke, this strictly means 'I wish I had learned' (but I didn't).
Why use yapıyordu instead of yaptı in the first part of the sentence?
yapıyordu combines the continuous suffix -ıyor with the past suffix -du. This translates perfectly to the English past continuous: 'was doing'. The speaker is setting a background scene of what was happening around them, making their regret feel more tied to that ongoing period.
Since the verb already ends in -m for 'I', why do we need the word ben?
Normally, you can drop the pronoun because the verb ending tells us who is acting. However, the speaker wants to say 'I too'. To use the 'too/also' particle (de), you need the standalone pronoun to put it next to: ben de.
Learn Herkes staj yapıyordu, keşke ben de yeni beceriler öğrenseydim and more in Turkish
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free