Breakdown of Komutan, askerlerin çekilmek yerine taviz vermelerine izin verdi.
izin vermek
to allow
asker
soldier
komutan
commander
yerine
instead of
Questions & Answers about Komutan, askerlerin çekilmek yerine taviz vermelerine izin verdi.
Can you break down the word vermelerine?
This word uses the short verbal noun structure we're currently learning. It breaks down as ver (give) + -me (short verbal noun, making it like an "-ing" word) + -leri (their, referring to the soldiers) + -ne (buffer -n- and dative case -e). The dative case is required by the main verb izin vermek (to give permission / to allow). Literally, it translates to "to their giving".
Why is it askerlerin (genitive) rather than askerlere (dative)? Doesn't the commander give permission to the soldiers?
In English, we say "allow someone to do something". But in Turkish, the logic is "allow someone's doing something". Because of this, the doer of the action takes the genitive case (askerlerin = the soldiers'), and the action itself takes the possessive (vermeleri = their giving). The main verb izin verdi applies to the whole action phrase.
Why does çekilmek use the full -mek infinitive, while vermelerine uses the short -me form?