Breakdown of Zavallı adam kendi kendine avunuyor.
adam
man
zavallı
poor / pitiful (unfortunate)
kendi kendine
by itself / by oneself (also: kendi kendime, kendi kendimize)
avunmak
to console oneself
Questions & Answers about Zavallı adam kendi kendine avunuyor.
Why do we need kendi kendine if the verb avunmak already means 'to console oneself'?
In Turkish, using the reflexive adverb kendi kendine with an already reflexive verb like avunmak adds strong emphasis. It highlights that the poor man is doing this entirely on his own, inwardly, without anyone else to comfort him.
Why is the dative case used in the phrase kendi kendine instead of the accusative kendi kendini?
The phrase kendi kendine uses the dative case (-e) on the second word to function as an adverb meaning 'by oneself' or 'without help'. You would use the accusative kendi kendini if the phrase was the direct object of a transitive verb (like 'he blamed himself'). Since avunmak is intransitive and takes no direct object, we use the adverbial kendi kendine.
How does the verb avunmak get its reflexive meaning?
The root verb is avutmak, which is transitive and means 'to console someone'. By replacing the ending with the reflexive suffix -n-, we get avunmak (to console oneself). This is a standard pattern you have seen before, such as changing giymek to giyinmek (to dress oneself).
Does zavallı mean poor as in having no money?
No, zavallı only means poor in a pitiable, miserable, or sympathetic sense. If you need to describe someone who lacks money, you should use words like fakir or yoksul.