Breakdown of Muhabir, bölgede şiddetlenmekte olan çatışmanın fotoğraflarını çekiyor.
olmak
to be
fotoğraf
photograph
çekmek
to take (a photo)
bölge
region
muhabir
reporter
şiddetlenmek
to intensify
çatışma
conflict
Questions & Answers about Muhabir, bölgede şiddetlenmekte olan çatışmanın fotoğraflarını çekiyor.
How exactly does şiddetlenmekte olan work to mean "which is intensifying"?
This uses the present continuous relative participle. The verb is şiddetlenmek (to intensify). Adding the continuous marker -mekte plus the participle olan (being) creates an adjective phrase meaning "which is currently [verb]-ing". Here, it acts as an adjective modifying the noun çatışma (conflict) right after it.
Could we just say şiddetlenen çatışma instead? What is the difference?
Yes, you could! Using the standard subject participle -(y)An to make şiddetlenen is perfectly grammatical. However, using -mekte olan heavily emphasizes the ongoing, continuous nature of the action. It highlights that the intensifying is happening actively at this very moment, similar to how the -iyor tense works compared to the simple present.
Why does fotoğraflarını have two similar endings stacked at the end?
This happens because the word is part of a possessive compound and is also the direct object of the sentence. The base phrase is çatışmanın fotoğrafları (the conflict's photos), where the first -ı is the possessive suffix. Because these specific photos are the direct object of the verb çekiyor, we must add the accusative case suffix. We insert the buffer letter -n- between the possessive ending and the accusative -ı, resulting in fotoğraflarını.
Why is the verb çekiyor used here instead of alıyor for "taking" a photo?
In English you "take" a picture, but in Turkish you never use almak (to take/receive/buy) for photography. The standard verb collocation for taking a photo or shooting a video is always çekmek (which fundamentally means to pull or draw).
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