Questions & Answers about Bu kazı boşuna olabilir ve yeni bir keşif yapmayabiliriz.
Let's break down yapmayabiliriz. How does it mean "we might not make"?
It is built like this: yap (make/do) + ma (negative) + y (buffer) + abil (possibility) + ir (aorist tense) + iz (we). When the negative -ma comes before the possibility -abil, it expresses a negative possibility: "it is possible that we won't do it" (might not).
I always mix up "might not" and "cannot". How is yapmayabiliriz different from "we cannot make"?
It's all about the order! To say "cannot" (inability), the ability marker shrinks to just -a and goes before the negative: yap-a-mayız (we cannot make). In our sentence, the full negative -ma goes before the full possibility marker -abil, giving us yap-ma-y-abilir-iz (we might not make).
Why is there a -y- in yapmayabiliriz but not in olabilir?
In yapmayabiliriz, the negative suffix -ma ends in a vowel, and the possibility suffix -abil starts with one. Turkish adds the buffer consonant -y- to keep them apart. In olabilir (might be), the verb root ol ends in a consonant, so no buffer is needed.
How does the phrase work?