Breakdown of Geçmişte herkesi suçluyordu ama şimdi eleştireceğine yardım ediyor.
şimdi
now
ama
but
herkes
everyone
yardım etmek
to help
geçmiş
past
eleştirmek
to criticize
suçlamak
to blame
Questions & Answers about Geçmişte herkesi suçluyordu ama şimdi eleştireceğine yardım ediyor.
How does eleştireceğine mean "instead of criticizing"?
It uses the grammar pattern taught in this lesson. Let's break it down: eleştir (criticize) + -ecek (future participle, changing to -eceğ-) + -i (his/her 3rd person possessive) + -ne (buffer -n- plus dative -e). While it literally looks like "to his future criticizing," this exact formula (-AcAğInA) is the standard Turkish converb meaning "instead of doing [action]."
Why is the vowel different in suçluyordu compared to its dictionary form suçlamak?
This is because of a rule called vowel narrowing. The root verb is suçla- (to blame). When the continuous tense suffix -yor is attached to a verb ending in -a or -e, that final vowel narrows. Here, the -a narrows to -u to harmonize with -yor, resulting in suçluyordu rather than suçlayordu.
Why does herkes take the accusative case here (herkesi)?
The verb suçlamak (to blame) takes a direct object. Since herkes (everyone) refers to a specific group of people receiving the action of being blamed, it requires the definite accusative case suffix -i.
Why does "he used to blame" translate to a continuous tense (suçluyordu)?
The combination of the continuous -yor and the past tense -du forms the past continuous tense. In Turkish, this tense isn't just for ongoing past actions like "he was blaming," but it is also the primary way to express past habits that are no longer happening, which translates perfectly to "he used to" in English.
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