Breakdown of Sadece maddi şeylerle yetinmek yerine manevi huzuru arıyor.
aramak
to look for, to call
ile
with / by / and (linking nouns)
şey
thing
sadece
only, just
Questions & Answers about Sadece maddi şeylerle yetinmek yerine manevi huzuru arıyor.
How does yetinmek yerine work here? Why isn't the verb conjugated?
The pattern -mAk yerine means "instead of [doing something]". The action you are choosing not to do stays in its dictionary form (the infinitive -mAk) right before the word yerine. So, yetinmek yerine simply translates to "instead of settling".
Why is it şeylerle (with things) when the English translation says "settling for things"?
In Turkish, the verb yetinmek (to be content, to settle) always takes the instrumental case (-lA / ile). So you literally say you are "content with things" (şeylerle yetinmek), rather than using a preposition like "for".
Are maddi and manevi common opposites?
Yes, they are a very common pair! Maddi means "material" or "financial", while manevi means "spiritual", "moral", or "intangible". You will often see them used together to contrast the physical world with the emotional or spiritual one.
Why does huzur have an -u at the end in huzuru arıyor?