Breakdown of Dedektif, katili tutukladığını söyledi.
söylemek
to say, to sing
dedektif
detective
katil
murderer
tutuklamak
to arrest
Questions & Answers about Dedektif, katili tutukladığını söyledi.
How does tutukladığını translate to "that he arrested"?
This is a factive complement clause. We take the verb stem tutukla- (to arrest), add the past/present participle -dık (which softens to -dığ), and then add the possessive ending -ı ("his"). Literally, it translates as "his having arrested".
Why are there two -ı suffixes at the end of tutukladığını?
The first -ı is the 3rd-person singular possessive suffix ("his"), forming tutukladığı (his arresting). The second -ı is the accusative case suffix, required because this entire action is the direct object of the main verb söyledi (stated). The -n- in the middle is a buffer letter used when adding a case suffix to a 3rd-person possessive ending.
Could tutukladığını mean that someone else arrested the murderer?
Yes! Because the 3rd-person possessive -ı simply means "his/her", this could theoretically mean "The detective stated that she (another officer) arrested the murderer." Without a clarifying pronoun like onun (his/her) or kendisinin (his own), we have to rely on context. Here, we naturally assume the detective did it.
Why does katil have the accusative suffix to become katili?
Even when a verb is turned into a noun-like clause, it still assigns cases to its objects exactly like a regular verb does. The verb tutuklamak (to arrest) requires the accusative case for a specific direct object. Since he arrested "the" murderer, katil becomes katili.
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