Breakdown of O kadar deliksiz uyuyordu ki hiç kımıldamıyordu.
o
that / he / she / it
hiç
at all / any
uyumak
to sleep
kadar
as ... as; until, up to
ki
that (conjunction) / so... that
deliksiz
uninterrupted / sound (sleep)
kımıldamak
to stir / to move (slightly)
Questions & Answers about O kadar deliksiz uyuyordu ki hiç kımıldamıyordu.
How does the o kadar ... ki structure work in this sentence?
Does deliksiz literally mean 'without holes'? How does that translate to 'soundly'?
Yes, delik means 'hole' and the -siz suffix means 'without'. In Turkish, a 'sleep without holes' (deliksiz uyku) is a very common idiom for uninterrupted, deep sleep. Here it is used as an adverb meaning 'without waking up'.
deliksiz is an adjective, but it's modifying the verb uyuyordu. Doesn't it need an adverb suffix?
In Turkish, many adjectives can be used directly as adverbs without any extra suffix. Just like you can say hızlı koşuyor (he runs fast), you can say deliksiz uyuyordu (she was sleeping uninterruptedly) without changing the word.
Why are both verbs (uyuyordu and kımıldamıyordu) in the past continuous tense?
The past continuous (-yordu) shows that both actions were ongoing at the same time in the past. She was in the continuous process of sleeping, and during that whole time, she was continuously not stirring.
Could I use hareket etmiyordu instead of kımıldamıyordu?
You could, and it would be understood, but kımıldamak is much more natural here. Hareket etmek means 'to move' in a general or larger sense, while kımıldamak specifically means 'to stir' or 'to make small movements,' which perfectly describes someone asleep.
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