Breakdown of Kursiyerlerin İspanya'ya gittiği hafta çok soğuktu.
çok
very
soğuk
cold
gitmek
to go
hafta
week
Questions & Answers about Kursiyerlerin İspanya'ya gittiği hafta çok soğuktu.
How does "gittiği hafta" mean "the week they went"?
When modifying a time word like hafta (week), Turkish uses the -dİk participle (also called the object participle). You attach a possessive suffix to the participle to show who did the action. So, gittiği hafta structurally translates to something like "the week of their going."
Why is the word for trainees written as "kursiyerlerin" with a genitive ending?
In a -dİk relative clause, the subject of the clause (the person or thing doing the action) must take the genitive (possessive) ending. Since the trainees are the ones going to Spain, kursiyerler takes the -in suffix to become kursiyerlerin.
Since "kursiyerlerin" is plural, shouldn't the participle be "gittikleri" instead of "gittiği"?
It could be, but it doesn't have to be! When a plural subject is already explicitly marked with a plural suffix (the -ler in kursiyerlerin), Turkish speakers often drop the plural marking on the matching verb or participle to avoid repetition. Both gittiği and gittikleri are perfectly correct and natural here.
Why doesn't "hafta" have a time or location suffix like "-da" (in/on)?