Breakdown of Dedektifin şüpheliyi sorguladığını biliyor musun?
bilmek
to know
mi
question particle (mı/mi/mu/mü)
dedektif
detective
şüpheli
suspect
Questions & Answers about Dedektifin şüpheliyi sorguladığını biliyor musun?
Why is the word for detective in the genitive case (dedektifin)?
In Turkish, when you turn a full sentence into an object clause (like 'that the detective is interrogating...'), the subject of that inner clause takes the genitive case. So, 'the detective' becomes dedektifin, linking up with the possessive suffix on the verb.
Can you break down the suffixes on sorguladığını?
The root is sorgula- (to interrogate). We add the clause-builder -dık (which softens to -dığ). Next is the 3rd-person possessive -ı, which pairs with the genitive dedektifin to mean 'the detective's interrogating'. Finally, we add the buffer -n- and the accusative suffix -ı, because this whole clause is the specific direct object of the main verb biliyor.
How do we know sorguladığını means 'is interrogating' and not 'interrogated'?
The -dık suffix covers both present and past statements. Out of context, sorguladığını could translate to either 'is interrogating' or 'interrogated'. You have to rely on the surrounding context to know if the interrogation is happening right now or already happened.
Why does şüpheli (suspect) take the -yi suffix?