Breakdown of Araba savruldu ve şarampole yuvarlanayazdık.
araba
car
ve
and
savrulmak
to swerve / to be tossed
şarampol
embankment / ditch
Questions & Answers about Araba savruldu ve şarampole yuvarlanayazdık.
How is the compound verb yuvarlanayazdık broken down?
It comes from the verb yuvarlanmak (to roll). After dropping the infinitive, we add the connecting vowel -a, followed by the approximative verb -yazmak, the past tense -dı, and the personal ending -k for 'we'. The -(y)ayazmak structure expresses that an action came dangerously close to happening but ultimately did not, which is why it translates to 'we almost rolled'.
Can I just say neredeyse yuvarlanıyorduk to mean 'we almost rolled'?
Yes, and in fact, using neredeyse (almost) or az kalsın (nearly) with a continuous or future-in-the-past tense is much more common in daily spoken Turkish. The -(y)ayazmak form means the exact same thing but has a slightly more dramatic, literary, or regional flavor. Still, you need to recognize it at this level for reading and listening comprehension.
Why does the word savruldu have a passive suffix if the car is the one doing the swerving?
The root verb is savurmak, which means to toss, fling, or blow away. By adding the passive suffix -ul, it becomes savrulmak (to be tossed about). When a car loses traction and swerves, Turkish expresses this passively, as if the car is being violently tossed by physical forces. Also notice the vowel drop where savur becomes savrul-.
Why does şarampole take the dative case here?