Word
O, köpeği dövecek kadar kötü bir insan.
Meaning
He is a bad enough person to beat a dog.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Questions & Answers about O, köpeği dövecek kadar kötü bir insan.
How does dövecek kadar translate to 'enough to beat'?
The structure verb + -(y)acak kadar describes the degree or limit of something. It literally means 'to the extent that [verb] will happen.' Here, dövmek (to beat) gets the future suffix -ecek to form dövecek kadar (bad enough to beat). It tells us exactly how bad the person is.
Why is there a comma after O?
The comma prevents a confusing misreading. It separates the subject O (he) from the direct object köpeği (the dog). Without the comma, O köpeği could be read as 'that dog,' making the sentence mean 'That dog is a bad person enough to beat...'!
Why is 'dog' written in the accusative case as köpeği instead of just köpek?
The verb dövmek (to beat) takes a direct object. Adding the accusative suffix -i (which softens the k to ğ) makes it köpeği. Even though the English translation says 'a dog', Turkish uses the definite accusative here because the speaker likely has a specific dog in mind from context, or is treating the dog as a specific target of the abuse.
Why is it kötü bir insan and not bir kötü insan?