Breakdown of Şimşek çakıp durdu, dışarı çıkmamalıydık.
durmak
to stop, to stand
çıkmak
to go out / to leave / to exit / to break out / to arise (of a storm)
dışarı
outside
şimşek
lightning
Questions & Answers about Şimşek çakıp durdu, dışarı çıkmamalıydık.
What gives çakıp durdu the meaning of "kept striking"?
The combination of a verb with the -(y)ıp suffix followed by durmak (to stand/stop) expresses a continuous or repeated action, often one that feels tedious or excessive. Here, it tells us the lightning flashed over and over.
Can you break down the suffixes used in çıkmamalıydık?
The root is çık (to go out). We add -ma for the negative, -malı for necessity (must/should), the buffer -y-, the past tense -dı, and the first-person plural -k (we). Altogether, it forms the past negative necessitative: "we shouldn't have gone out."
Why isn't şimşek (lightning) pluralized here if it struck repeatedly?
Natural phenomena and general subjects often remain singular in Turkish. Şimşek çakmak is the standard phrase for lightning flashing. The repeated nature of the action is already fully expressed by the verb çakıp durdu, so making the noun plural isn't necessary.
The English translation uses a semicolon. How do comma splices work here?
In Turkish, using a comma to separate two closely related independent clauses is perfectly standard and much more common than in English. The cause-and-effect relationship between the lightning and staying inside is naturally implied just by placing the clauses side by side.