Learn Turkish: Sihirbaz, şaşkın seyirciyi hiç görmemiş gibi bakıyor. - The magician looks as if he has never seen the bewildered audience.

Sihirbaz, şaşkın seyirciyi hiç görmemiş gibi bakıyor.

The magician looks as if he has never seen the bewildered audience.

Breakdown of Sihirbaz, şaşkın seyirciyi hiç görmemiş gibi bakıyor.

Questions & Answers about Sihirbaz, şaşkın seyirciyi hiç görmemiş gibi bakıyor.

How does the structure görmemiş gibi translate to "as if he has never seen"?

This uses the pattern from this lesson: verb + -miş + gibi. To describe someone acting "as if" a completed action happened (or didn't happen), we use the reported past suffix (-mış/-miş/-muş/-müş) followed by gibi. With the negative suffix -me, görmemiş gibi literally translates to "like he hasn't seen".

Why do we use the reported past tense suffix (-miş) here instead of the definite past (-di)?

When creating an "as if" comparison for a past action, Turkish grammar strictly requires the -miş form. You cannot say görmedi gibi. In this context, -miş doesn't mean you heard it from someone else; instead, it sets up a hypothetical scenario.

Why does seyirci have the -(y)i suffix in seyirciyi?

The -(y)i is the accusative case suffix, which marks a specific direct object ("the audience"). Even though the verb görmek (to see) is transformed into an adverbial phrase (görmemiş gibi), it still governs its object just like a regular verb. Since he acts as if he hasn't seen the specific audience, seyirci takes the accusative ending.

Why does the main verb bakıyor use the present continuous tense (-ıyor) when the English translation says "looks"?