Breakdown of Savcı şüpheliyi sorgulamalıydı.
şüpheli
suspect
sorgulamak
to interrogate / to question
savcı
prosecutor
Questions & Answers about Savcı şüpheliyi sorgulamalıydı.
How does sorgulamalıydı break down to mean "should have interrogated"?
It is built on the verb root sorgula- (to interrogate). First, we add the necessity suffix -malı (should/must). Then, to show it was an unfulfilled past obligation ("should have"), we add the past tense suffix -dı, using the buffer -y- to connect the two vowels. Together, sorgula-malı-y-dı means the prosecutor should have done it, but didn't.
Doesn't şüpheli usually mean "suspicious"?
Why does şüpheli have a -yi ending here?
The -i (which becomes -yi after a vowel) is the accusative case suffix. It is required here because "the suspect" is the specific, definite direct object receiving the action of the interrogation.
Where does the verb sorgulamak come from?
It traces all the way back to the basic verb root sor- (to ask). From there, it becomes the noun sorgu (interrogation or questioning). Finally, adding the suffix -la turns that noun back into an action verb: sorgula- (to conduct an interrogation).
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