Breakdown of Geleneksel kolyeyi görünce onunkini hatırladım.
görmek
to see
hatırlamak
to remember
kolye
necklace
geleneksel
traditional
Questions & Answers about Geleneksel kolyeyi görünce onunkini hatırladım.
How exactly is "onunkini" formed?
It breaks down like this: o (he/she/it) + -nun (genitive case) + -ki (the one belonging to) + -n- (buffer letter) + -i (accusative case). First, onun (her) plus -ki creates onunki (hers). Because it is the specific thing being remembered, it needs the accusative case at the end, and we always use the buffer -n- when attaching case endings to -ki.
Why does "onunkini" need the accusative case here?
The verb hatırlamak (to remember) takes a direct object. When a direct object is specific—in this case, "her necklace"—it requires the accusative case. Just as kolye becomes kolyeyi earlier in the sentence, the pronoun onunki becomes onunkini.
How does "görünce" mean "when I saw"?
The suffix -ünce (or -ınca / -ince / -unca depending on vowel harmony) attaches directly to a verb root to mean "when" or "as soon as". Here, gör- (to see) + -ünce creates the meaning "upon seeing" or "when [someone] sees".
If "görünce" doesn't have a personal ending like "-m", how do we know it means "when I saw"?