Breakdown of Melekler seni koruyalar, ömrün uzun ola.
sen
you
uzun
long / tall
olmak
to be
melek
angel
korumak
to protect
ömür
life (lifespan)
Questions & Answers about Melekler seni koruyalar, ömrün uzun ola.
Why does the sentence use koruyalar and ola instead of the imperatives korusunlar and olsun?
While the 3rd-person imperative (korusunlar, olsun) is the standard way to express wishes in everyday modern Turkish, the optative mood (-A / -AlAr) gives the sentence a more traditional, poetic, or spiritual tone. You will frequently see these older optative forms preserved in fixed blessings, prayers, and curses.
How exactly is the word koruyalar formed here?
It comes from the verb korumak (to protect). We take the root koru-, add the buffer letter -y- to prevent two vowels from clashing, then attach the optative suffix -a, and finally the 3rd-person plural suffix -lar to match melekler (angels).
Is ola just the optative form of the verb 'to be'?
Yes, exactly! It comes from the verb olmak (to be / to become). You take the root ol- and add the 3rd-person singular optative suffix -a. So, uzun ola literally means 'may it be long'.
Why is the word for 'your life' spelled ömrün instead of 'ömürün'?
The base noun is ömür (life or lifespan). This is one of several two-syllable Turkish words that drop their second vowel when a suffix starting with a vowel is added. When attaching the 2nd-person possessive suffix -ün (your), the ü in the root drops out to make pronunciation smoother.
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