Word
Keşke o bu kadar solgun ve durgun olmasa.
Meaning
I wish he weren't so pale and quiet.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Questions & Answers about Keşke o bu kadar solgun ve durgun olmasa.
What verbs do the adjectives solgun and durgun come from, and how does the suffix change their meaning?
They come from the verbs solmak (to fade, to wilt) and durmak (to stop, to stand still). The suffix -gun derives an adjective that describes a state resulting from that action. So, something that has faded is solgun (pale), and someone who has stopped moving or reacting is durgun (still, quiet, or withdrawn).
Why do both of these words take the -gun form of the suffix instead of -gin or -kun?
This suffix follows both consonant mutation and 4-way vowel harmony. The verb roots sol- and dur- end in voiced consonants (l and r), so the suffix must start with the voiced g instead of the unvoiced k. Furthermore, because the vowels in the roots are o and u, vowel harmony dictates that the suffix vowel must be u, giving us -gun.
Why does the sentence use the conditional olmasa to mean "weren't"?
In Turkish, the word keşke (I wish / if only) pairs with the conditional mood (-sa / -se). Because this is a wish about a hypothetical present situation ("I wish he weren't right now"), we use the simple negative conditional olmasa. If this were a past regret ("I wish he hadn't been"), you would use the past conditional olmasaydı.