Breakdown of Büyükbabam geçen hafta hastalandı.
hafta
week
geçen
last, previous
hastalanmak
to get sick
büyükbaba
grandfather (generic)
Questions & Answers about Büyükbabam geçen hafta hastalandı.
How do we get the verb "hastalandı" from the word "hasta" (sick)?
You can turn many adjectives and nouns into verbs meaning 'to become [adjective]' by adding the suffix -lan (or -len). Here, hasta (sick) becomes hastalanmak (to get sick). Then we add the past tense suffix -dı to make hastalandı (he got sick).
Why do we use geçen for "last" week instead of son?
In Turkish, son means 'last' in the sense of 'final' (like the last episode of a show). When talking about time that just passed, like 'last week' or 'last year', you use geçen. It comes from the verb geçmek (to pass), so it literally means 'the passing week'.
Does Büyükbabam literally mean "my big father"?
Yes! Büyük (big) and baba (father) combine to make the compound word for 'grandfather'. We then add the possessive suffix -m to make it 'my grandfather'. Another very common word for grandfather that you might hear is dede.
Do I need to put Benim at the start of the sentence to say "My grandfather"?
No, you can just say Büyükbabam. The -m at the end of the word already marks it as 'my'. Adding Benim at the beginning is grammatically correct but optional, and it is usually only done if you want to put special emphasis on the fact that it is your grandfather.
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