Word
Bu beceriksiz sekreter, değil rapor yazmak, klavye kullanmayı bile bilmiyor.
Meaning
This incompetent secretary doesn't even know how to use a keyboard, let alone write a report.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Breakdown of Bu beceriksiz sekreter, değil rapor yazmak, klavye kullanmayı bile bilmiyor.
bu
this
değil
not
yazmak
to write
bilmek
to know
Questions & Answers about Bu beceriksiz sekreter, değil rapor yazmak, klavye kullanmayı bile bilmiyor.
How does the değil ... bile structure work in this sentence?
It translates to "let alone [X], not even [Y]". Değil comes before the extreme or more difficult action (rapor yazmak), and bile comes after the simpler, expected action (klavye kullanmayı). This emphasizes that even the basic requirement isn't met.
Why is it kullanmayı instead of just kullanmak?
The main verb bilmek (to know) requires its specific direct object to take the accusative case. Here, the object is the action of using a keyboard. To add the accusative ending to a verb, we drop the 'k' to use the -mA short infinitive (verbal noun), add the buffer y, and then the accusative -ı, giving us kullanmayı.
Since kullanmayı gets the accusative case, why doesn't rapor yazmak get it too?
In the değil ... bile structure, the action following değil acts as an isolated, hypothetical concept rather than the direct grammatical object of the main verb. Because of this, it stays in its raw dictionary infinitive form (-mAk), while only the actual action tied directly to the main verb (kullanmayı bilmiyor) takes the required case markers.
Could we use da instead of bile in this sentence?