Breakdown of Mahkeme onu yargılamalıydı çünkü o suçluydu.
o
that / he / she / it
çünkü
because
suçlu
criminal
yargılamak
to try / to judge (in court)
mahkeme
court
Questions & Answers about Mahkeme onu yargılamalıydı çünkü o suçluydu.
How does yargılamalıydı express 'should have tried'?
It combines the verb yargıla (to try/judge in court) with the necessity suffix -malı (should/must) and the past tense suffix -dı. The combination -malıydı (connected by the buffer -y-) translates to 'should have done' or 'was supposed to do'. It specifically shows a past obligation that was not fulfilled.
Why do we use onu here instead of just o?
The verb yargılamak takes a definite direct object. Because the court is trying a specific person ('him'), we must add the accusative case suffix to the pronoun o. With the required buffer letter -n-, it becomes onu.
What is the breakdown of the word suçluydu?
It starts with suç (crime or guilt) and adds -lu (with/having) to make the adjective suçlu (guilty). To say he 'was' guilty, we add the past tense suffix -du. Because suçlu ends in a vowel, we must insert the buffer letter -y- before the past tense suffix, resulting in suçluydu.
Could we drop the second o and just say 'çünkü suçluydu'?
Yes, absolutely. Turkish often drops subject pronouns because the context usually makes it clear who is being discussed. Including o here just adds a little bit of emphasis, slightly highlighting that he was the one who was guilty.
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