Breakdown of Eski efsanelerde tanrılar insanlar gibi davranıyor.
insan
person
eski
old
gibi
like (similar to)
davranmak
to behave
efsane
legend
tanrı
god
Questions & Answers about Eski efsanelerde tanrılar insanlar gibi davranıyor.
Why is the verb davranıyor singular when the subject tanrılar is plural?
In Turkish, when a plural subject is explicitly stated with -lar or -ler (like tanrılar), adding the plural suffix to the verb is optional. Saying davranıyor instead of davranıyorlar is grammatically correct and very natural, especially when the subject is non-human, an abstract concept, or mythological figures.
Why is the present continuous tense (-ıyor) used here instead of the simple present/aorist for a general statement?
While the simple present (the aorist tense) is normally used for general, timeless facts, Turkish frequently uses the present continuous (-ıyor) when describing the plots of stories, legends, books, or movies. It makes the narrative feel more vivid and active to the listener.
Does the word gibi (like) require any special case endings on the word before it?
When gibi follows a regular noun like insanlar (humans), the noun stays in its plain dictionary form (nominative case). However, remember from earlier lessons that if gibi follows a personal or demonstrative pronoun, that pronoun must take the genitive case (for example, benim gibi for 'like me', or bunun gibi for 'like this').
Why is the phrase insanlar gibi placed right before the verb?
In Turkish word order, phrases that describe how an action is done (adverbs of manner) usually go immediately before the verb. insanlar gibi (like humans) tells us exactly how the gods behave, so it naturally takes the slot right next to davranıyor.
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