Breakdown of Bacakları güçsüzleşirse dedem ister istemez baston kullanır.
kullanmak
to use
dede
grandfather
bacak
leg
ister istemez
inevitably / whether one likes it or not
güçsüzleşmek
to become weak
baston
cane / walking stick
Questions & Answers about Bacakları güçsüzleşirse dedem ister istemez baston kullanır.
Literally, ister istemez looks like it means "wants, doesn't want." How does that translate to "inevitably"?
İster istemez is a frozen phrase formed using the aorist tense of istemek (to want) in both its positive (ister) and negative (istemez) forms. It literally means "whether he wants to or not." In this sentence, it functions as an adverb meaning the action will happen regardless of his preference, which naturally translates to "inevitably."
Could I place ister istemez at the very end of the sentence?
It is much better to keep it right before the verb or the object of the verb. In Turkish, adverbs generally sit close to the verbs they modify. Placing it between the subject (dedem) and the object phrase (baston kullanır) sounds the most natural.
How is the verb güçsüzleşirse built from the root word for "strength"?
It starts with the noun güç (strength). We add -süz (without) to make the adjective güçsüz (weak). Then we add -leş (to become) to form the verb güçsüzleşmek (to become weak). Finally, it takes the aorist and conditional suffixes (-ir-se) to mean "if they become weak."
Why use the aorist tense for both güçsüzleşirse and kullanır?
The aorist (seen in the -ir and -ır suffixes) is used here because this sentence describes a general, hypothetical truth rather than a specific event happening right now. It implies "whenever his legs get weak, he habitually uses a cane."
Why does the sentence say bacakları (his legs) before we even know it's about dedem (my grandfather)?
In Turkish, it is perfectly normal to use a 3rd-person possessive suffix like the -ı in bacakları (his legs) in a dependent "if" clause, and then reveal who it belongs to in the main clause (dedem). English usually prefers to establish the subject right away by saying "If my grandfather's legs...", but Turkish speakers are comfortable letting the context resolve as the sentence unfolds.
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