Breakdown of Ayıkladığım yedi sekiz mantarı yaklaşık üç dört dakika kavurdum.
üç
three
dört
four
yedi
seven
sekiz
eight
dakika
minute
yaklaşık
approximately
mantar
mushroom
ayıklamak
to sort out (pick out, separate physical items)
kavurmak
to sauté
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.
Normally, a noun with a number is an indefinite direct object and wouldn't take the accusative case (e.g., yedi mantar kavurdum = I sautéed seven mushrooms). However, the word ayıkladığım makes these specific mushrooms—the exact ones you sorted. Because the direct object is specific, mantar must take the accusative suffix -ı.
Should it be dakikalar since we are talking about multiple minutes (üç dört)?
No, just like with exact numbers, nouns that come after approximate numbers like üç dört must remain in the singular form. Therefore, it is always üç dört dakika, never üç dört dakikalar.
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