Breakdown of Giriş ücretinin ne kadar olduğunu soralım mı?
olmak
to be
sormak
to ask
ne kadar
how much
giriş
entrance
Questions & Answers about Giriş ücretinin ne kadar olduğunu soralım mı?
Why do we need the word olduğunu here? Can't we just say 'Giriş ücreti ne kadar soralım mı?'
In Turkish, indirect questions like 'how much it is' act as a noun clause. To build one, the verb in the question part must be turned into a noun using the -dIğI suffix. Since the direct question 'How much is the entrance fee?' doesn't have a visible verb in Turkish, we bring in olmak (to be) as a helper verb, turning it into olduğu.
Why is it ücretinin and not just ücreti?
In these -dIğI clauses, the subject of the embedded sentence takes the genitive (possessive) ending, similar to saying 'the fee's being...' in English. The base compound noun is giriş ücreti (entrance fee). We add -nin to make it 'of the entrance fee', linking it directly to olduğunu.
What are the suffixes at the end of olduğunu?
It breaks down as ol-duğ-u-n-u. ol- is the root (to be), -duğ is the clause-building suffix, and the first -u is the possessive ending matching the 'fee'. The -n- is a buffer letter, and the final -u is the accusative case marker. We need the accusative because the entire phrase 'how much the fee is' is the specific direct object of the verb sormak (to ask).
Does soralım mı literally mean 'are we asking'?