Learn Turkish: Ayıkladığım yedi sekiz mantarı yaklaşık üç dört dakika kavurdum. - I sautéed the seven or eight mushrooms that I sorted out for approximately three or four minutes.

Ayıkladığım yedi sekiz mantarı yaklaşık üç dört dakika kavurdum.

I sautéed the seven or eight mushrooms that I sorted out for approximately three or four minutes.

Breakdown of Ayıkladığım yedi sekiz mantarı yaklaşık üç dört dakika kavurdum.

Questions & Answers about Ayıkladığım yedi sekiz mantarı yaklaşık üç dört dakika kavurdum.

How do we say "seven or eight" or "three or four" in Turkish? I don't see a word for "or" here.

To express an approximate number like "seven or eight", Turkish simply puts two consecutive numbers together: yedi sekiz. You don't need to use a word for "or" (veya or ya da). The same applies to üç dört (three or four).

Is it redundant to use both yaklaşık (approximately) and üç dört (three or four) together?

While in English saying "approximately three or four" might feel a bit repetitive, in Turkish, pairing yaklaşık with sequential numbers is very common and natural. It just adds emphasis to the fact that the amount is a rough estimate.

How is the word ayıkladığım formed here?

It comes from the verb ayıklamak (to sort out, to pick through). It uses the -dık suffix, which creates a relative clause meaning "that...", followed by the first-person possessive ending -ım (my). Together, ayıkladığım mantarı translates to "the mushrooms that I sorted out".

Why does mantarı take the accusative suffix -ı? I thought numbers usually made nouns indefinite.