Breakdown of Labirent şafağa doğru çok tehlikeliymiş.
çok
very
tehlikeli
dangerous
doğru
towards
labirent
maze / labyrinth
şafak
dawn
Questions & Answers about Labirent şafağa doğru çok tehlikeliymiş.
How does doğru mean towards or around here, and why does it need the dative case?
When used as a postposition meaning towards (for physical direction) or around (for time), doğru always requires the preceding word to take the dative case. Here, the target time is şafak (dawn), so we add the dative suffix -a to get şafağa doğru (towards dawn).
Why did the k in şafak change to a ğ in şafağa?
This is an example of consonant mutation, which you have seen before. When a Turkish word ends in p, ç, t, or k and takes a suffix starting with a vowel (like the dative -a), that final consonant usually softens. Here, the k in şafak softens to ğ.
How do we get was apparently from tehlikeliymiş?
The word is built from tehlike (danger) plus the adjective-forming suffix -li, making tehlikeli (dangerous). To say was apparently, we add the hearsay past tense suffix -miş. Since tehlikeli ends in a vowel, we insert the buffer letter -y- to get tehlikeliymiş.
Could I say tehlikeliydi instead of tehlikeliymiş in this sentence?
You could, but it changes the context. Using the definite past tense -di to make tehlikeliydi means you know for a fact that the maze was dangerous, likely because you experienced it yourself. Using the hearsay past -miş means you are passing on information you heard from someone else, hence the English translation includes apparently.
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