Breakdown of Bize henüz şefkatle yaklaşmadı.
biz
we
ile
with / by / and (linking nouns)
yaklaşmak
to approach
henüz
yet / still
Questions & Answers about Bize henüz şefkatle yaklaşmadı.
Does henüz automatically make the sentence negative, or do we still need a negative verb?
You still need a negative verb! Henüz simply means "yet" or "so far." The actual negative meaning in this sentence comes from the -ma suffix in yaklaşmadı (did not approach). If you used henüz with a positive verb, it would mean "just now" or "recently."
Why is yaklaşmadı translated as "hasn't approached" instead of "didn't approach"?
Turkish often uses the definite past tense (-dı/-di) for actions that didn't happen in the past but are still relevant right now. When paired with the word henüz (yet), the English present perfect ("hasn't approached") is the most natural way to express this ongoing state.
Why does yaklaşmak (to approach) take the dative case bize instead of the accusative bizi?
In Turkish, verbs involving motion or direction towards a target almost always take the dative case (-e/-a). Because the subject is moving closer to us, we use bize rather than the direct object form bizi.
How is the word şefkatle formed?
It combines the noun şefkat (affection or compassion) with the instrumental suffix -(y)le/-(y)la (with / by means of). Together, şefkatle means "with affection" or "affectionately."