Breakdown of Karnım ağrıyor, doktora gidiyorum.
doktor
doctor
gitmek
to go
ağrımak
to ache
karın
belly, abdomen
Questions & Answers about Karnım ağrıyor, doktora gidiyorum.
Why is it karnım and not "karınım"?
The dictionary word for belly is karın. In Turkish, certain two-syllable words (especially body parts) drop their second vowel when you add a suffix that starts with a vowel. So, karın plus the possessive -ım (my) becomes karnım.
Does the verb ağrıyor undergo vowel narrowing here?
No, it is simpler than that! The verb root is ağrı- (to ache), which already ends in the vowel "ı". When a verb ends in "ı", "i", "u", or "ü", you do not need the extra vowel from the -iyor suffix. You just add -yor directly to the root: ağrı- + -yor becomes ağrıyor.
Why is there an "-a" at the end of doktora?
This is the dative case suffix, which translates to "to" or "towards". Because the verb is gidiyorum (I am going), you need to show your destination. Since the last vowel in doktor is "o", we add -a to make doktora (to the doctor).
Why does gitmek (to go) start with a "d" in gidiyorum?