Breakdown of Siparişi bekletilen müşterilere öncelik veriyoruz.
vermek
to give
müşteri
customer
sipariş
order
bekletilmek
to be kept waiting
öncelik
priority
Questions & Answers about Siparişi bekletilen müşterilere öncelik veriyoruz.
How does siparişi bekletilen mean 'whose order is kept waiting'? Where is the word for 'whose'?
Turkish doesn't use a standalone word for 'whose' in these relative clauses. Instead, it combines a noun with a possessive suffix (sipariş-i, meaning 'their order') and a verb with the -(y)An relative suffix (bekletilen, meaning 'which is kept waiting'). Literally, it describes the customers as 'the their-order-kept-waiting' customers.
Can you break down the verb suffixes in bekletilen?
It is a great example of stacking suffixes! It starts with the verb root bekle- (to wait). Adding the causative -t makes beklet- (to make wait / to keep waiting). Adding the passive -il makes bekletil- (to be kept waiting). Finally, the relative participle -en turns it into an adjective describing the customers.
The English translation says 'whose orders', which is plural. Why is siparişi singular?
In Turkish, if a group of people each has one of something, the possessed noun often stays singular. Since we assume each customer has one main order here, siparişi (their order) is used. Using the plural siparişleri would strongly imply that each individual customer has multiple orders.
Why does müşterilere take the dative case?
The noun takes the dative case (-e / -a) because of the verb phrase öncelik vermek (to give priority). Just like in English where you give priority 'to' someone, in Turkish the recipient of the priority requires the dative case.
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