Breakdown of Büyükelçi, tartışmak yerine müzakerelere başlamamıza izin verdi.
başlamak
to begin, to start
tartışmak
to discuss / to argue
izin vermek
to allow
yerine
instead of
büyükelçi
ambassador
müzakere
negotiation
Questions & Answers about Büyükelçi, tartışmak yerine müzakerelere başlamamıza izin verdi.
How does başlamamıza break down, and why does it end in -a?
It breaks down as başla (start) + ma (short verbal noun) + mız (our) + a (to/dative). The final -a is there because the main verb izin vermek (to allow or give permission) requires the dative case for the action being permitted. Literally, the ambassador gave permission to our starting.
Why do we use the short verbal noun -mA in başlamamıza instead of the full infinitive başlamak?
We need to specify who is starting the negotiations (us or our starting). The full infinitive -mAk cannot take possessive endings. Whenever an action needs a personal owner like my doing, your doing, or our doing, we must use the short verbal noun -mA and attach a possessive ending, which here is -mız (our).
Why is tartışmak in the full infinitive form here?
The word yerine (instead of) pairs directly with the full dictionary infinitive (-mAk) when talking about an action in general, without specifying who is doing it. So instead of arguing is simply tartışmak yerine. If you wanted to specify instead of our arguing, you would use the short verbal noun: tartışmamız yerine.
Why does müzakere (negotiation) have the dative suffix -e in müzakerelere?
The verb başlamak (to start) always demands the dative case for the thing you are beginning, because in Turkish logic, you are directing your action toward that new activity. Since the word is plural (-ler), the dative suffix is added at the very end to make müzakerelere.
Learn Büyükelçi, tartışmak yerine müzakerelere başlamamıza izin verdi 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