Breakdown of Günümüzde kimse şık giyinmeye özenmiyor; aksine, herkes rahat olmayı seçiyor.
olmak
to be
seçmek
to choose
giyinmek
to get dressed
herkes
everyone
kimse
no one / anyone
şık
stylish / elegant
rahat
comfortable / relaxed
aksine
on the contrary
günümüz
present day / our times
özenmek
to take pains / to dress up
Questions & Answers about Günümüzde kimse şık giyinmeye özenmiyor; aksine, herkes rahat olmayı seçiyor.
How does aksine work in this sentence, and could I use tersine instead?
Yes, aksine and tersine are completely interchangeable here. They both mean "on the contrary" and introduce a complete contrast to the previous statement. Notice the common structural pattern they create: the first clause is negative (kimse özenmiyor) and the contrasting second clause is positive (herkes seçiyor).
Why does the verbal noun giyinmeye take the dative ending (-e), while olmayı takes the accusative (-ı)?
The case endings are dictated by the main verbs that govern them. The verb özenmek (to take pains, to pay attention to) requires the dative case, so the verbal noun giyinme becomes giyinmeye. Conversely, seçmek (to choose) requires a specific direct object in the accusative case, so olma becomes olmayı.
Why does the sentence use giyinmeye rather than just giymeye?
Giymek means "to put on" and requires a specific object, like a shirt or shoes. By adding the reflexive suffix -in, we get giyinmek, which means "to dress oneself." Whenever you are talking about the general act of getting dressed or someone's overall style, you must use giyinmek.
Does şık (stylish) need an adverbial suffix to mean "stylishly"?
No, it doesn't. In Turkish, many adjectives can act directly as adverbs to describe an action without taking any extra endings. Just as iyi can mean both "good" and "well," şık describes both a noun (a stylish shirt) and an action (dressing stylishly).
Just as a refresher, why is kimse paired with the negative verb özenmiyor?
In Turkish, indefinite pronouns like kimse (nobody/anybody) or hiçbir şey (nothing/anything) require a negative verb when they are used to mean "nobody" or "nothing." Even though the English translation "nobody takes pains" uses a positive verb, Turkish requires negative agreement: literally, "anybody doesn't take pains."
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