Breakdown of Eskiden teknolojiye bu kadar bağımlı değildik ve üretkenliğimiz artıyordu.
bu
this
değil
not
ve
and
kadar
as ... as; until, up to
artmak
to increase
teknoloji
technology
eskiden
in the old days, formerly
bağımlı
dependent / addicted
üretkenlik
productivity
Questions & Answers about Eskiden teknolojiye bu kadar bağımlı değildik ve üretkenliğimiz artıyordu.
Why is teknolojiye in the dative case when the English translation says dependent on technology?
In Turkish, the adjective bağımlı (dependent/addicted) always requires the dative case. You can think of the dative as showing the direction of the attachment, similar to saying you are 'bound to' or 'addicted to' something, rather than 'on' it.
How do all the suffixes in the word üretkenliğimiz break down?
It is a great example of Turkish word-building! It starts with the verb stem üret- (to produce). The suffix -ken turns it into the adjective üretken (productive). Next, -lik turns that into the abstract noun üretkenlik (productivity). Finally, the first-person plural possessive -imiz (our) is added, which softens the final k into a ğ due to consonant mutation.
Why use the past continuous artıyordu instead of the simple past arttı?
The past continuous form artıyordu (art-ıyor-du) translates to 'was increasing.' It emphasizes that the increase was an ongoing, continuous process in the past, matching the ongoing state of 'we weren't dependent' (değildik) in the first half of the sentence. Using arttı would imply a single, completed event (it increased and stopped).
Is eskiden just the ablative form of eski (old)?
Historically, yes, it comes from adding the ablative suffix to eski, but it has become a fixed adverb meaning 'in the past' or 'formerly.' You will very frequently see it used at the beginning of sentences to set the stage for past continuous or 'used to' statements, similar to saying 'back in the day.'
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