Breakdown of Sabah açık büfede kahvaltı edip etmediklerini hatırlamıyorum.
açık
open
sabah
morning
hatırlamak
to remember
kahvaltı etmek
to have breakfast
Questions & Answers about Sabah açık büfede kahvaltı edip etmediklerini hatırlamıyorum.
How does kahvaltı edip etmediklerini translate to "whether or not they had breakfast"?
It uses the indirect yes/no question pattern: positive verb + -(y)ip followed by negative verb + -dik + possessive. For kahvaltı etmek (to have breakfast), the positive part is edip and the negative part is etme- + -dik + -leri (their). Together, it structurally means "their doing and not doing breakfast".
Why does the first part of the verb phrase change to edip instead of etip?
The root of the helper verb is et-. When a suffix starting with a vowel (like -ip) is added to certain verbs ending in t, the t softens to a d for smoother pronunciation.
What is the purpose of the -ni at the very end of etmediklerini?
It is the accusative case suffix. The entire phrase "whether they had breakfast" is the specific direct object of the verb hatırlamıyorum (I don't remember). The word ends with the plural possessive -leri (their), so we add a buffer -n- and the accusative -i to connect it to the main verb.
Does açık büfe just mean a buffet that is currently open?