Word
Beni gördüğü gibi bocaladı ve afalladı.
Meaning
As soon as he saw me, he faltered and was taken aback.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Questions & Answers about Beni gördüğü gibi bocaladı ve afalladı.
How does gördüğü gibi translate to "as soon as"?
While gibi usually means "like", when it immediately follows a verb with the -dIk participle and a possessive ending (here, gör-düğ-ü), it creates a phrase meaning "as soon as" or "the moment that". This is a key structure for showing temporal immediacy.
Could I say beni görür görmez instead of beni gördüğü gibi?
Yes, absolutely! Both görür görmez (using the aorist positive and negative pair) and gördüğü gibi mean "as soon as he saw". They are interchangeable, but the -dIk ... gibi structure is a great alternative to vary your sentence structures at the B2 level.
What is the exact difference between bocaladı and afalladı?
They are similar and often paired together for emphasis. Bocalamak means to falter, hesitate, or lose one's bearings (it originally describes a ship struggling against the wind). Afallamak specifically means to be stunned, dumbfounded, or taken aback by a sudden surprise.
Why is beni in the accusative case here?
Even though gördüğü functions as a noun-like participle to connect with gibi (literally "like his seeing"), it still governs direct objects exactly like a normal verb. Since "me" is the specific direct object of "seeing", it must take the accusative case to become beni.