Breakdown of Diyelim ki sınavı kazandın, sonra ne yapacaksın?
ne
what
yapmak
to do / to make
sonra
later
sınav
exam
Questions & Answers about Diyelim ki sınavı kazandın, sonra ne yapacaksın?
How exactly does diyelim ki break down to mean "let's say that"?
It comes from the verb demek (to say). We add the 1st person plural "let's" ending -elim to get diyelim (let's say). Notice that the root vowel changes from e to i before the -y- buffer (de- + -y- + -elim = diyelim)! Finally, the conjunction ki acts like the English word "that", linking it to the scenario: "Let's say that...".
Why is kazandın (you passed) in the past tense if the exam hasn't happened yet?
When setting up a hypothetical scenario with phrases like diyelim ki (let's say) or tut ki (suppose), Turkish often uses the past tense for the imaginary condition. It treats the event as a "given" or "already accomplished" fact in your imagination, before asking what you will do next using the future tense (yapacaksın).
Why does sınav have the -ı ending here?
The -ı is the accusative case ending, which marks a specific direct object. Because the speaker is talking about passing a particular exam that they both already know about ("the exam"), it must take this ending.
Could I change the word order to ne sonra yapacaksın?