Breakdown of Öncelikle şunu söyleyeyim: bu karar kesin değil.
bu
this
şu
that (pointed out)
değil
not
söylemek
to say, to sing
karar
decision
kesin
definite / definitely (certain)
öncelikle
first of all
Questions & Answers about Öncelikle şunu söyleyeyim: bu karar kesin değil.
Why does the sentence use şunu instead of bunu for 'this'?
In English, we say 'let me say this' right before stating what it is. Turkish makes a strict distinction here: when you are pointing forward to something you are about to say, you use şu (and here, its accusative object form şunu). Bu or bunu is usually used to refer back to something you have already mentioned.
What is the grammatical breakdown of söyleyeyim ('let me say')?
It uses the optative mood, which expresses a wish, suggestion, or request. It breaks down as: söyle- (say) + -y- (buffer) + -e (optative suffix) + -y- (buffer) + -im (1st person singular 'I'). Whenever you want to say 'Let me do something' in Turkish, you will use this -(y)eyim or -(y)ayım ending.
How does the word öncelikle logically mean 'first of all'?
It is built from the root ön (front). From there we get önce (before/first) and öncelik (priority). Finally, adding the suffix -le (with) gives us öncelikle, literally meaning 'with priority.' It is the standard way to say 'firstly' or 'first of all' in Turkish.
How does kesin değil mean 'not final'?
The adjective kesin translates to 'definite,' 'certain,' or 'absolute.' In the context of a karar (decision), saying it is 'not definite' (kesin değil) is how Turkish expresses that it is 'not final.' Also, note that unlike the complex sadece ... değil (not only...) structure you are currently studying, here değil is simply doing its basic job of negating the adjective right before it.
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