Breakdown of O kendi kendine mi motive olmuş?
o
that / he / she / it
mi
question particle (mı/mi/mu/mü)
kendi kendine
by itself / by oneself (also: kendi kendime, kendi kendimize)
motive olmak
to become motivated
Questions & Answers about O kendi kendine mi motive olmuş?
Why does the second kendi have the suffix -ne in kendi kendine?
The suffix -ne is the dative case ending (meaning "to"). Literally, kendi kendine means "self to self." When duplicated this way, it acts as an adverb meaning "all by oneself" or "without any outside help."
Why is the question particle mi placed immediately after kendi kendine instead of at the end?
In Turkish, placing the question particle mi directly after a word or phrase puts the focus of the question exactly there. By asking kendi kendine mi..., the speaker is specifically asking how he got motivated ("Was it really by himself?"), rather than asking if he got motivated at all.
Why use olmuş instead of oldu for "got motivated"?
The -mış suffix is used for hearsay, inference, or surprise. In this context, the speaker is likely expressing surprise ("Wow, did he really get motivated all by himself?") or confirming a rumor they just heard. If they had directly witnessed his motivation process, they would use the definite past tense oldu.
Why do we use the helper verb olmak in motive olmuş?
Motive is a loanword. In Turkish, many foreign adjectives or nouns are paired with the helper verb olmak (to become/to be) to create a verb. So, motive olmak is the standard way to say "to get motivated" or "to become motivated."
Learn O kendi kendine mi motive olmuş 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