Breakdown of Bizim gibi, onların da projeyi desteklemesi önemli.
biz
we
onlar
they
proje
project
önemli
important
gibi
like (similar to)
de
too, also (de/da) / even if (concessive particle after conditional) / and (linking clauses)
desteklemek
to support
Questions & Answers about Bizim gibi, onların da projeyi desteklemesi önemli.
How does "onların ... desteklemesi" translate to "for them to support"?
This is an action clause acting as the subject of the sentence. It literally translates to "their supporting." To build it, you make the subject a possessor (onların) and add the short verbal noun suffix (-me) plus a possessive ending (-si) to the verb stem. The entire chunk "onların projeyi desteklemesi" becomes the subject of the word önemli (important).
Since "onların" is plural (their), why is the suffix on the verb "-si" (his/her/its) instead of "-leri" (their)?
In Turkish, when a plural pronoun like onların is explicitly stated, adding the plural possessive suffix (-leri) to the noun is optional. It is very common and natural to just use the singular possessive suffix (-si) to avoid repetition. Both onların desteklemesi and onların desteklemeleri are grammatically correct, but the shorter version is often preferred.
Why is "proje" in the accusative case (projeyi)?
Even though desteklemesi is acting as a noun (their supporting) in the main sentence, it still behaves like a verb inside its own clause. Because you are supporting a specific thing, proje takes the specific direct object (accusative) marker -yi just like it would in a regular sentence.
Why does the sentence use "bizim gibi" instead of "biz gibi" for "like us"?
The postposition gibi (like) requires personal pronouns (ben, sen, o, biz, siz, onlar) to be in the genitive case. So "like me" is benim gibi and "like us" is bizim gibi. (As a quick refresher: regular nouns and demonstrative pronouns don't need the genitive here, e.g., çocuk gibi - like a child).
What is the function of "da" in "onların da"?
The word da means "too" or "also". By placing it right after onların, the sentence emphasizes that "they, too" need to support the project, drawing a comparison back to "us" (bizim gibi). Notice how it splits the possessor (onların) from the verbal noun (desteklemesi) - this is perfectly fine and common in Turkish.
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