Breakdown of Beceriksiz ekip, değil problemi çözmek, işleri aksatmaktan bile utanmaz.
değil
not
iş
work
problem
problem
çözmek
to solve
ekip
team (crew, working group)
utanmak
to feel ashamed
bile
even
beceriksiz
incompetent
aksatmak
to delay / to neglect (disrupt a routine)
Questions & Answers about Beceriksiz ekip, değil problemi çözmek, işleri aksatmaktan bile utanmaz.
How does the değil ... bile structure create the meaning of 'let alone' in this sentence?
By placing değil before the first infinitive phrase (problemi çözmek), it sets up an expectation that is immediately dismissed: 'let alone solving the problem.' The sentence then escalates to a worse or more surprising alternative, followed by bile (even). The literal flow is 'never mind [X], they even do [Y].'
Why does aksatmak take the ablative case (aksatmaktan)?
The main verb of the sentence is utanmak (to be ashamed), which always requires the ablative case (-dAn) for the thing causing the shame. Because they are not ashamed of disrupting the work, aksatmak becomes aksatmaktan.
Why doesn't the first verb (çözmek) also get the ablative ending, since it's conceptually connected to being ashamed?
In this specific değil ... bile construction, the first verb (çözmek) stays in its pure dictionary form (-mAk). The word değil isolates it from the main verb's case requirements. Only the second action (aksatmak) links directly to the grammar of utanmaz.
What is the exact meaning of aksatmak, and how does it differ from a word like gecikmek (to be late)?
Aksatmak means to hinder, disrupt, or cause something to falter. It is a transitive verb, meaning you do it to something (here, işleri - the work). Gecikmek is intransitive and simply means the subject itself is delayed or late.
Why is the verb utanmaz in the aorist tense instead of the present continuous (utanmıyor)?
The negative aorist (-mAz) is used to state a general, characteristic fact. The sentence describes the permanent nature of this incompetent team (they are the kind of people who never feel ashamed), rather than an action happening right at this specific moment.
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