Word
Katilin kim olduğu uzun süre meçhuldü.
Meaning
Who the killer was, was unknown for a long time.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Questions & Answers about Katilin kim olduğu uzun süre meçhuldü.
Why is there no case ending on olduğu, like we usually see with -dığı clauses?
In previous lessons, you probably saw this structure in the accusative case (like olduğunu), because the clause was the object of the sentence (e.g., "I know that he was the killer"). Here, the entire clause Katilin kim olduğu is the subject of the sentence ("Who the killer was was unknown"). Subjects in Turkish take the nominative (zero) case, so we just use the bare possessive ending -u without adding any direction or object markers.
Why is it katilin (genitive) instead of just katil?
When building a -dık clause, the subject of that embedded clause must take the genitive case. Here, "the killer" is the subject of the embedded verb olmak (to be). Therefore, katil gets the genitive -in, strictly linking it to the possessive suffix -u on olduğu to form "the killer's being".
How does kim work with olduğu to form "who ... was"?
To embed a question word like kim (who) into a statement as an indirect question, Turkish uses the factive -dık construction. Because we are describing a state of being (who someone is or was), we use the verb olmak (to be). Literally, Katilin kim olduğu translates to "The killer's being who."
Could I just say instead of ?