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Questions & Answers about Leylekler çatıya konabilir.
Does konabilir mean "might perch" or "are able to perch"?
It can actually mean both! The combination of the possibility suffix -abil and the aorist tense -ir is used for both physical ability ("can do") and probability ("might or may do"). Here, context tells us it is a prediction or possibility: the storks might perch on the roof.
Why is it çatıya (dative case) rather than çatıda (locative case) for "on the roof"?
The verb konmak (to land, perch, or settle) describes a motion towards a destination. In Turkish, verbs of motion directing action to a place take the dative case (the "to" or "towards" ending). So we use çatıya (onto the roof) rather than the static locative çatıda (at the roof).
Since Leylekler (storks) is plural, why is the verb konabilir singular instead of konabilirler?
In Turkish, when a plural subject is non-human (like animals, objects, or concepts), the verb usually remains in the third-person singular form. Since storks are animals, leaving off the plural -ler on the verb is grammatically correct and the most natural choice here.
How is the verb konabilir built exactly?
It is built from the root kon- (to land or perch) plus -abil (the possibility suffix) plus -ir (the aorist tense suffix). When you attach the aorist tense to the -abil suffix, it creates the meaning of probability or a future possibility.