Breakdown of İspanyolca öğrendiğim ülke İspanya'ydı.
öğrenmek
to learn
ülke
country
İspanya
Spain
İspanyolca
Spanish (language)
Questions & Answers about İspanyolca öğrendiğim ülke İspanya'ydı.
How does öğrendiğim mean 'where I learned' instead of 'what I learned'?
The -dik participle is incredibly versatile! While it often translates to 'that' or 'which' for direct objects, Turkish also uses it to modify places and times. Because it modifies ülke (country), the context naturally translates it to 'the country where I learned'.
Why is there an -im on the end of öğrendiğim?
That is the first-person singular possessive suffix ('my'). In Turkish relative clauses formed with -dik, the person doing the action is shown using a possessive ending. So, öğrendiğim ülke literally acts like 'my learned-in country'.
Why does İspanya'ydı have both an apostrophe and a -y- before the -dı?
İspanya is a proper noun, so any suffix added to it must be separated by an apostrophe. The -y- is a buffer letter. The past tense suffix -dı actually comes from an old separate word (idi). When it attaches to a word ending in a vowel like İspanya, that old 'i' turns into a -y- buffer.
I know İspanya is Spain, but what is the difference between İspanyol and İspanyolca?