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Eskiden daha sıkılgandı ama artık atılgan bir adam.

Eskiden daha sıkılgandı ama artık atılgan bir adam.
He used to be more shy but now he is an assertive man.
From Lesson 393:Tendency adjectives (-gAn / -kEn)·Turkish

Questions & Answers about Eskiden daha sıkılgandı ama artık atılgan bir adam.

How do the adjectives sıkılgan and atılgan relate to verbs?
They are formed using the tendency suffix -gAn, which is the focus of your current lesson. Sıkılgan comes from sıkılmak (to feel shy or uneasy), meaning someone prone to shyness. Atılgan comes from atılmak (to throw oneself forward or leap), describing someone who naturally takes initiative or is assertive.
I usually translate sıkılmak as 'to be bored'. Why does sıkılgan mean 'shy' instead of 'easily bored'?
Sıkılmak actually has two common meanings: to be bored, and to feel embarrassed or uneasy. When the -gAn suffix is added to describe a person's character, sıkılgan almost exclusively refers to the second meaning, describing someone who is chronically shy or socially timid.
Why is there a -dı suffix on sıkılgandı?
This is the past tense copula (the 'to be' suffix) attached directly to the adjective. Since the sentence talks about a past state, the -dı is added to sıkılgan to mean 'was shy' or 'used to be shy'.
Is there a specific reason eskiden and artık are used in the same sentence?
Yes, they form a very natural pair for highlighting a change in state or habits. Eskiden establishes how things were in the past (formerly / used to be), while artık emphasizes that a permanent change has occurred and shows how things are now.

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