Breakdown of Gençler kıyafetlerine özenmiyor; tam tersine, özensiz görünüyorlar.
genç
young
tam
exactly / fully / completely
kıyafet
clothes / clothing
görünmek
to appear, to seem
Questions & Answers about Gençler kıyafetlerine özenmiyor; tam tersine, özensiz görünüyorlar.
How does tam tersine literally translate, and can I use aksine instead?
Yes, you can use tam aksine here with no change in meaning. Literally, ters means "opposite" or "reverse." The word takes the possessive suffix -i and the dative suffix -e (with a buffer -n-), literally meaning "to its opposite." Adding tam (exactly/entirely) gives us the phrase "quite the contrary."
Why is kıyafetlerine (their clothes) in the dative case?
The verb özenmek (to pay attention to, to take pains with) requires its object to be in the dative case (-e/-a). Because they are paying attention to their clothes, kıyafetleri (their clothes) takes the buffer -n- and the dative -e.
Are özenmiyor and özensiz from the same root word?
Yes, they both stem from the root noun özen (care or attention). Özenmek is the verb form meaning "to take care," while özensiz attaches the "without" suffix -siz to mean "careless" or, as translated here, "unkempt."
How do we get "they look" from görünüyorlar? I thought görmek meant "to see."