Breakdown of Derneğe gittim ve mezunlara sarıldım.
ve
and
gitmek
to go
mezun
graduate
dernek
association
sarılmak
to hug
Questions & Answers about Derneğe gittim ve mezunlara sarıldım.
Why is it mezunlara (to the graduates) instead of mezunları (the graduates)?
In English, the person you hug is the direct object, but the Turkish verb sarılmak (to hug or embrace) requires the dative case. Think of it as throwing your arms to or toward someone. Therefore, you must use the dative mezunlara, not the accusative mezunları.
Where does the ğ in derneğe come from?
The base noun is dernek (association). When you add a suffix starting with a vowel, such as the dative -e (to), the final k softens into a ğ through consonant mutation.
Why is the past tense suffix -tim in gittim, but -dım in sarıldım?
This is a great time for a quick consonant harmony review! The verb root git- ends in a voiceless consonant, so the past tense suffix -di hardens to -ti. The root sarıl- ends in a voiced consonant (l), so its suffix remains -dı.
Instead of using ve (and), could I combine these sentences using -Ip?
Yes! You could say Derneğe gidip mezunlara sarıldım. Using -Ip is a very natural way to connect sequential actions in Turkish, but using ve with two conjugated verbs is also perfectly correct and emphasizes two distinct events.
Learn Derneğe gittim ve mezunlara sarıldım and more in Turkish
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free