Learn Turkish: İzlediğimiz kadronun oyunculuğu berbattı; yeni bir kadro bulabilirlerdi. - The acting of the cast we watched was terrible; they could have found a new cast.

İzlediğimiz kadronun oyunculuğu berbattı; yeni bir kadro bulabilirlerdi.

The acting of the cast we watched was terrible; they could have found a new cast.

Breakdown of İzlediğimiz kadronun oyunculuğu berbattı; yeni bir kadro bulabilirlerdi.

Questions & Answers about İzlediğimiz kadronun oyunculuğu berbattı; yeni bir kadro bulabilirlerdi.

How does bulabilirlerdi express "could have found"?

This verb uses the counterfactual past ability structure. It is formed by combining the verb stem bul- (to find), the ability suffix -abil, the aorist tense suffix -ir, the plural marker -ler, and the past tense suffix -di. Combining the ability suffix with the aorist and the past tense describes an action that was possible in the past but did not actually happen.

Why is the plural suffix -ler placed before the past tense -di in bulabilirlerdi? Could I say bulabilirdiler?

Both forms are grammatically correct. When using a compound tense (like the aorist combined with the past tense), the third-person plural suffix -lAr can be attached either before or after the past tense marker. While bulabilirdiler is understood perfectly, bulabilirlerdi tends to be much more common in everyday Turkish.

How do the suffixes work together in the phrase İzlediğimiz kadronun oyunculuğu?