Breakdown of Onun ruh hali ne kadar değişken!
o
that / he / she / it
ruh
soul / spirit
ne kadar
how much
hal
case / situation (state, condition)
Questions & Answers about Onun ruh hali ne kadar değişken!
How does the suffix work in the word değişken?
It comes from the verb değişmek (to change). The suffix -gen is added to verbs to describe someone or something that has a strong habit or tendency to do that action. Because the verb root değiş- ends in the voiceless consonant 'ş', the suffix undergoes consonant assimilation and changes to -ken, creating değişken (changeable or variable).
Literally, what does the phrase ruh hali mean?
It translates literally as 'state of soul' or 'state of spirit'. Ruh means spirit or soul, and hal means state or condition. They are joined in a noun compound using the compound suffix -i on the second word, which creates the standard Turkish phrase for 'mood'.
Does the -i in hali mean 'his' because of the word onun?
It actually does double duty here. Primarily, the -i is the compound marker linking ruh and hal together. However, when you add a third-person possessor like onun (his) to a noun compound, Turkish doesn't add a second possessive suffix. The existing compound suffix -i simply absorbs the meaning of 'his'.
Why use ne kadar instead of just çok (very) here?