Breakdown of Kurşun geçirmez camlar asla kırılmamalı.
cam
glass (material) / window
asla
never
geçirmek
to spend (time), to pass (something)
kırılmak
to get hurt emotionally / to break (intransitive)
kurşun
bullet / lead
Questions & Answers about Kurşun geçirmez camlar asla kırılmamalı.
How does geçirmez function as an adjective in this sentence?
Geçirmez is made from the verb geçirmek (to let pass through) plus the negative aorist suffix -mez. This turns it into a participle functioning as an adjective meaning "that does not let pass". When paired with kurşun (bullet/lead), it creates the compound adjective "bulletproof" (literally: bullet-does-not-let-pass).
Can I use this -mAz structure to make other adjectives?
Absolutely! This structure is the standard way to say something is "-proof" or "-resistant" in Turkish. For example, su geçirmez means "waterproof", and paslanmaz (from paslanmak, to rust) means "stainless" or "rustproof".
Let's break down the suffixes in kırılmamalı. What do they all do?
The root is kır- (to break). First we add the passive suffix -ıl to get kırıl- (to be broken). Then comes the negative suffix -ma (not), and finally the necessity suffix -malı (must). Altogether: kır-ıl-ma-malı (must not be broken).
Does asla always require a negative verb like kırılmamalı?
Yes. In English, you say "must never break" (where the verb "break" is positive), but in Turkish, words for "never" like asla or hiç act as intensifiers and must always be paired with a grammatically negative verb. Using asla with a positive verb would sound completely incorrect to a native speaker.
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