Breakdown of Banyoda temiz bornoz olup olmadığını hatırlamıyorum.
banyo
bathroom
olmak
to be
temiz
clean
hatırlamak
to remember
bornoz
bathrobe
Questions & Answers about Banyoda temiz bornoz olup olmadığını hatırlamıyorum.
How exactly does olup olmadığını translate to "whether or not there is"?
This applies the structure for indirect yes/no questions: verb + -(y)ıp + negative verb + -dık + possessive. Here, the root is olmak (to be / to exist). We pair olup (existing) with olmadığı (its not existing). Together, olup olmadığı literally means "its existing or not existing" — which gives us "whether or not there is."
Why do we use the verb olmak here instead of var and yok?
Var (there is) and yok (there isn't) are not verbs in Turkish. Because the indirect question structure requires adding suffixes like -(y)ıp and -dığı directly to a verb stem, we have to use the verb olmak (to be/exist) to express existence instead.
What happens if I leave out olup and just say ...temiz bornoz olmadığını hatırlamıyorum?
The meaning changes entirely! Dropping the positive olup removes the "whether or not" alternative. The sentence would become a statement of fact: "I do not remember that there isn't a clean bathrobe in the bathroom."
What is the -nı doing at the end of olmadığını?
It marks the accusative case, because the entire "whether or not" phrase is the direct object of the verb hatırlamıyorum (I do not remember). The word breaks down as ol-ma-dığ-ı (its not existing) + -n- (buffer letter) + -ı (accusative case suffix).
Learn Banyoda temiz bornoz olup olmadığını hatırlamıyorum 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