Breakdown of Keşke toplantıda o kadar sinirli davranmasaymış.
o
that / he / she / it
toplantı
meeting
sinirli
angry
kadar
as ... as; until, up to
davranmak
to behave
keşke
if only / I wish
Questions & Answers about Keşke toplantıda o kadar sinirli davranmasaymış.
Why does the verb end in -saymış instead of the usual past wish form -saydı?
The -mış suffix adds a reported or inferential meaning. If the sentence ended in davranmasaydı, it would mean you are making the wish: "I wish he hadn't acted so angry." By using -saymış, you are reporting his regret: "Apparently, he wishes he hadn't acted so angry."
How do we know it translates to "he wishes" rather than "I wish"?
The word keşke (if only) usually translates to "I wish" when paired with the regular past conditional -saydı. However, because the reported -mış is used here (davranmasaymış), the person feeling the regret is the subject of the verb. You are just passing along the information that he is regretting his own actions.
What is the exact breakdown of the suffixes in davranmasaymış?
It is built from davran (act/behave) + -ma (negative) + -sa (conditional/wish) + -y- (buffer) + -mış (inferential copula).
Why use o kadar here instead of just çok (very)?
O kadar translates to "that much" or "so." Using o kadar sinirli means "so angry" or "angry to that extent." It implies the speaker and the listener already know exactly how angry he was at the meeting, and he specifically regrets reaching that known level of anger.
Could I use kızgın instead of sinirli to mean "angry"?
Yes, but there is a slight difference in flavor. Kızgın usually implies being mad at someone or something specific. Sinirli describes being generally irritable, stressed, or having a nervous, angry energy, which fits perfectly for describing someone's general bad mood or behavior in a meeting.
Learn Keşke toplantıda o kadar sinirli davranmasaymış and more in Turkish
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free