Breakdown of Editör, hakkında tartıştıkları önsözü özetlemek istedi.
istemek
to want / to require / to call for
tartışmak
to discuss / to argue
hakkında
about, concerning
editör
editor
Questions & Answers about Editör, hakkında tartıştıkları önsözü özetlemek istedi.
How does the phrase hakkında tartıştıkları önsözü build the meaning "the foreword they discussed"?
In English, we just "discuss" a topic, but in Turkish, you discuss about a topic (bir şey hakkında tartışmak). To build the relative clause "the foreword they discussed", Turkish keeps the postposition hakkında (about it) right before the modifying verb tartıştıkları (their discussing).
Why is the suffix -ları used on tartıştıkları?
The suffix -ları is the third-person plural possessive marker. It indicates that "they" discussed the foreword. If the editor was the only one doing the discussing, the word would be tartıştığı using the singular third-person marker.
Why does önsözü end with an -ü?
The -ü is the definite accusative case suffix. Even though önsöz (foreword) is being described by the relative clause before it, its role in the main sentence is the direct object of the infinitive verb özetlemek (to summarize). Since it is a specific foreword, it requires the accusative case.
Why is there a comma after Editör?
The comma separates the subject from the postposition. Without the comma, the words Editör hakkında would group together to mean "about the editor," which would completely change the sentence to mean "He/she wanted to summarize the foreword they discussed about the editor."