Breakdown of Tüketiciler şirkete karşı boykot başlatmaya mecbur kaldılar.
kalmak
to stay / to be left / to remain (in a state)
şirket
company
mecbur
obliged
karşı
against, towards
başlatmak
to start (transitive)
tüketici
consumer
boykot
boycott
Questions & Answers about Tüketiciler şirkete karşı boykot başlatmaya mecbur kaldılar.
How is the "forced to start" structure formed in başlatmaya mecbur kaldılar?
This is the core structure of this lesson. To say you are forced to do an action, you turn the verb into a noun using the short verbal noun ending -mA (here, başlatma). Because mecbur kalmak requires the dative case to show what you are forced into, you add the buffer -y- and the dative ending -a. This gives us başlatma-y-a mecbur kaldılar (literally "they were left obliged to the starting").
What is the nuance between using mecbur kaldılar and mecbur oldular here?
Both mean "were forced" or "were obliged", but they have a slightly different feel. Mecbur olmak is a straightforward state of being obligated. Mecbur kalmak (literally "to remain obliged") emphasizes situational compulsion. It shows the consumers were backed into a corner by circumstances and left with no other option.
Why does şirket (firm) take the dative ending in şirkete karşı?
The word karşı is a postposition meaning "against" or "towards". In Turkish, karşı always forces the noun that comes before it to take the dative case. So, "against the firm" becomes şirkete karşı.
Since boykot is the thing being started, why doesn't it take the accusative case (boykotu)?
Because it is a non-specific object. The consumers didn't start "the" specific boycott; they just started "a" boycott. When a direct object is indefinite or general, it stays in its bare dictionary form right next to the verb.
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