Breakdown of Çoğu yenildi, yine de zafer pahasına onurlarını korudular.
de
too, also (de/da) / even if (concessive particle after conditional) / and (linking clauses)
korumak
to protect
çoğu
most of them
yenilmek
to be defeated
yine
again
pahasına
at the cost of
onur
honor
zafer
victory
Questions & Answers about Çoğu yenildi, yine de zafer pahasına onurlarını korudular.
How does zafer pahasına translate to "at the cost of victory," and what is the grammar behind it?
Pahasına comes from the noun paha (price/value). It is built with the 3rd person possessive -sı and the dative case -na, literally meaning "to its price." When paired with a noun like zafer (victory), it forms a compound meaning "at the price of victory" or "at the cost of victory." As you're learning in this lesson, you can also use it with verbs by attaching it to the -mAk infinitive, such as ölmek pahasına (at the cost of dying).
Why does the sentence use yenildi for "lost" instead of a form of kaybetmek?
Kaybetmek means "to lose" in the sense of misplacing an object or losing possession of something. Yenildi is the passive form of yenmek (to beat/defeat). Therefore, yenilmek literally means "to be defeated." When talking about sports, battles, or competitions, Turkish usually prefers yenilmek to express that someone "lost" to an opponent.
Why is the first verb singular (yenildi) but the second verb plural (korudular)?
The subject of the first clause is the indefinite pronoun çoğu (most of them). In Turkish, indefinite pronouns like çoğu, herkes (everyone), or hiçbiri (none of them) are grammatically singular, so they take a singular verb. In the second clause, the subject shifts to a hidden, specific "they" (the actual people who lost), so the plural suffix -lar on korudular is used to emphasize them as individuals taking action.
Can you break down the suffixes on onurlarını?
Certainly! The root is onur (honor). We add the 3rd person plural possessive -ları to mean "their honor." Finally, the accusative case -nı (which includes the buffer consonant n and the accusative vowel ı) is added because "their honor" is the specific direct object of the verb korumak (to protect/keep).
Learn Çoğu yenildi, yine de zafer pahasına onurlarını korudular and more in Turkish
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free