Breakdown of Misafirler geldiğine göre, akşam yemeğine başlayalım.
gelmek
to come
başlamak
to begin, to start
misafir
guest
göre
according to / compared to
akşam yemeği
dinner
Questions & Answers about Misafirler geldiğine göre, akşam yemeğine başlayalım.
How exactly does geldiğine göre mean "since they have arrived"?
The structure is formed with the verb root gel- (come), the nominalizer -dik, the 3rd person possessive -i, the buffer -n-, and the dative -e. The word göre always requires the dative case. Literally meaning "according to their having arrived," this combination is used to make a logical deduction, translating naturally as "seeing as" or "since."
The subject is plural (misafirler), so why is the verb ending singular (geldiğine) instead of plural (geldiklerine)?
In Turkish, when a human subject is explicitly stated and already marked as plural (like misafirler), the plural marker on the verb or nominalized verb is optional. Both geldiğine göre and geldiklerine göre are completely correct, but dropping the extra plural marker is very common and sounds natural.
Why does akşam yemeğine take the dative case ending -ne?
The verb başlamak (to start) always requires the dative case for the object being started. You are essentially saying "let's start to dinner." Because akşam yemeği (dinner) is a compound noun ending in a possessive suffix, it takes the buffer -n- before the dative -e.
What grammar structure creates the "let's" meaning in başlayalım?
It uses the optative mood for the first person plural, which is formed by adding -alım or -elim to the verb. Here, the root başla- (start) takes a buffer -y- before -alım, creating başlayalım (let's start).
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