Breakdown of Bu monoton iş, sadece sorun dinlemekten ibaret.
bu
this
iş
work
dinlemek
to listen
sadece
only, just
Questions & Answers about Bu monoton iş, sadece sorun dinlemekten ibaret.
Why does dinlemek take the ablative -ten ending here?
The word ibaret (consisting of) always requires the noun or verbal noun before it to be in the ablative case (-den/-dan). Because it follows the infinitive verb dinlemek (to listen), the ending becomes -ten due to consonant mutation.
Why is sorun in the singular form if the English translation says 'problems'?
In Turkish, when a noun is a general, non-specific direct object, it stays in the bare singular form. Sorun dinlemek acts almost like a compound concept ('problem-listening'), so there is no need to add the plural suffix to make it sorunlar.
Could I use oluşuyor instead of ibaret here?
Yes, you could say sorun dinlemekten oluşuyor. Both mean 'consists of' and both take the ablative case. However, ibaret often carries a limiting tone implying 'nothing more than' or 'solely', which pairs perfectly with sadece (only) in this sentence.
B2 learners often confuse words like dinlemekten. What is the trap here?