Gövde basınca dayandığı sürece batmayız.
As long as the hull withstands the pressure, we do not sink.
Breakdown of Gövde basınca dayandığı sürece batmayız.
dayanmak
to endure
batmak
to sink
sürece
as long as
basınç
pressure (physical)
Questions & Answers about Gövde basınca dayandığı sürece batmayız.
Does basınca mean "when it presses" here?
No, this is a very tricky coincidence! While basmak (to press) + -ınca (when) is a real structure, here it is the noun basınç (pressure) plus the dative case ending -a. The word becomes basınca because of consonant mutation, where the hard 'ç' softens to 'c' before a vowel.
Why does basınç take the dative case ending to become basınca?
The verb dayanmak (to withstand, to endure, to resist) always requires the dative case for the thing being withstood or resisted. Since the hull is withstanding "to the pressure," we add the dative suffix.
How does dayandığı sürece break down to mean "as long as it withstands"?
It uses the grammar formula you are learning: verb + -dIk + possessive suffix + sürece. We take dayan (withstand), add the participle -dık (which softens to -dığ), and attach the 3rd person singular possessive -ı (its). Literally, it translates to "for the duration of its withstanding."
Why is the 3rd person possessive (-ı) used on dayandığı if the main sentence is about "us" (batmayız)?