Breakdown of Neredeyse kayalıktan yuvarlanıyorduk.
neredeyse
almost, nearly
yuvarlanmak
to roll / to tumble
kayalık
cliff / rocky area (rocky terrain)
Questions & Answers about Neredeyse kayalıktan yuvarlanıyorduk.
Why is the past continuous tense (-ıyorduk) used here if we didn't actually roll off the cliff?
In Turkish, to express an action that almost happened but was narrowly avoided, you use neredeyse or az kalsın with the past continuous tense (-yordu). Even though English uses the simple past ('we almost rolled'), Turkish pictures the action as just about to be in progress before it was stopped. If you said yuvarlandık (simple past), it would mean you actually fell!
Could I use az kalsın instead of neredeyse in this sentence?
Yes, Az kalsın kayalıktan yuvarlanıyorduk means exactly the same thing. Both are used to talk about narrowly avoiding a bad outcome. However, neredeyse is more versatile and can also mean 'almost' in non-danger contexts, whereas az kalsın is strongly associated with escaping a close call or averted danger.
What is the purpose of the -n- in yuvarlanıyorduk?
It is a reflexive suffix. The base verb is yuvarlamak, which means to roll something else (like rolling a snowball). By adding -n, it becomes yuvarlanmak, meaning to roll oneself or to tumble. Since you are the ones tumbling off the cliff, you need the reflexive form.
How does the word kayalıktan break down?
It comes from kaya (rock). Adding the -lık suffix creates kayalık (a rocky place or cliff). Finally, the ablative case -tan means 'from' or 'off of', indicating the starting point of the near-fall.
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