Breakdown of Bütün gün verimsiz çalışmaktan başka ne yaptın?
ne
what
çalışmak
to work / to study
yapmak
to do / to make
gün
day
Questions & Answers about Bütün gün verimsiz çalışmaktan başka ne yaptın?
How does çalışmaktan başka work to mean 'other than work'?
The postposition başka requires the preceding word to take the ablative case (-den or -dan). When applied to an action, we use the verb's infinitive form (çalışmak) and add the ablative suffix, becoming çalışmaktan. Together with başka, it creates the meaning 'other than doing an action' or 'apart from doing an action'.
Could we use çalışmadan instead of çalışmaktan başka in this sentence?
No, because they have distinct meanings. The suffix -madan means 'without doing' something, so çalışmadan means 'without working'. The phrase çalışmaktan başka means 'other than working'. The sentence implies the person did work, and the speaker is asking what else they did besides that.
How is the word verimsiz formed, and why is it used as an adverb here?
Why is the question word ne placed right before the verb yaptın?