Breakdown of Dizim çok kanıyordu, az kalsın bayılıyordum.
çok
a lot of / many
bayılmak
to faint
diz
knee
az kalsın
almost / nearly
kanamak
to bleed
Questions & Answers about Dizim çok kanıyordu, az kalsın bayılıyordum.
Why do we use the Past Continuous tense in bayılıyordum for 'I almost fainted' instead of the Simple Past bayıldım?
When combined with az kalsın (almost), the Past Continuous tense (-(i)yordu) describes an action that was on the verge of happening but was averted. If you used the Simple Past (bayıldım), it would mean you actually fainted. The past continuous gives the feeling of 'I was right in the process of fainting, but didn't.'
The verb for 'to bleed' is kanamak. Why is it spelled kanıyordu instead of kanayıyordu?
This happens because of vowel narrowing. When you add the continuous suffix -yor to a verb ending in the broad vowels a or e, that vowel narrows to ı, i, u, or ü. Here, the a in kana- narrows to ı, creating kanıyordu.
Where does the phrase az kalsın come from grammatically?
It is a fixed idiom, but literally translates to 'let little remain.' It combines az (little) with kalsın, which is the third-person imperative form of kalmak (to stay or remain). It paints a picture that very little time or distance stood between you and the averted action.
Could I use neredeyse instead of az kalsın in this sentence?
Yes, neredeyse and az kalsın are completely interchangeable when talking about averted actions in the past. Saying neredeyse bayılıyordum means exactly the same thing and sounds just as natural.
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