Questions & Answers about Çocuk ona kadar sayıyor.
Why is there an -a at the end of on (ten)?
The word kadar (until / up to) always requires the word before it to take the dative case ending (-e or -a, meaning "to" or "towards"). Because of this rule, on (ten) becomes ona (to ten).
Wait, doesn't ona usually mean "to him" or "to her"?
Yes, it does! This is a fun coincidence in Turkish grammar. The pronoun o (he/she/it) takes the dative suffix to become ona (to him/her/it). However, the number on (ten) also takes the dative suffix to become ona (to ten). You just have to use the context of the sentence to tell them apart.
Why is kadar translated here as "to" instead of "until"?
While kadar often translates to "until" when talking about time (like yarına kadar - until tomorrow), it translates to "up to" or "as far as" when used with numbers, physical distances, or amounts. Here, ona kadar literally means "up to ten".
How is the verb sayıyor built?
The dictionary form is saymak (to count). To make the present continuous tense for "is counting", we drop the -mak to get the stem say-. Because the stem ends in a consonant, we add the matching vowel buffer -ı- and then the continuous suffix -yor, giving us sayıyor.
Learn Çocuk ona kadar sayıyor and more in Turkish
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free