Breakdown of Kangurunun zıplıyor olması çocuğu şaşırtıyor.
çocuk
child
olmak
to be
şaşırtmak
to surprise
zıplamak
to jump (up and down)
Questions & Answers about Kangurunun zıplıyor olması çocuğu şaşırtıyor.
Why do we use zıplıyor olması here instead of just saying kangurunun zıplaması?
Using zıplaması would mean "its jumping" in a general or habitual sense (e.g., "the fact that it jumps"). By using the present continuous suffix -ıyor followed by olması (literally "its being jumping"), you specifically emphasize that the kangaroo is jumping right now in front of the child.
Why is the word for kangaroo in the genitive case (kangurunun)?
The phrase "the kangaroo's jumping" forms a noun clause. In Turkish, the subject of this type of clause takes the genitive case, and the action part takes a possessive suffix. Because we are using the continuous aspect in this lesson's grammar, the possessive suffix attaches to the helper verb olmak, giving us kangurunun ... olması.
If we learned earlier that "being surprised" takes the dative case, why does this sentence use the accusative çocuğu?
The base verb şaşırmak ("to be surprised") does take the dative, as in Çocuk kanguruya şaşırıyor (The child is surprised at the kangaroo). However, this sentence uses the causative form şaşırtmak, meaning "to surprise someone". Because the child is now the direct object receiving the action of being surprised, it takes the accusative case (çocuğu).
Can I use other tenses in this structure, like the past tense?