Breakdown of Badanayı üstünkörü yaptıkları yetmiyormuş gibi, diğer işleri de savsakladılar.
iş
work
yapmak
to do / to make
gibi
like (similar to)
de
too, also (de/da) / even if (concessive particle after conditional) / and (linking clauses)
diğer
the other
yetmek
to suffice, be enough
badana
whitewash / paint
üstünkörü
superficially / hastily
savsaklamak
to slack off / to shirk (to neglect a task)
Questions & Answers about Badanayı üstünkörü yaptıkları yetmiyormuş gibi, diğer işleri de savsakladılar.
How exactly does yaptıkları yetmiyormuş gibi break down to mean "as if it weren't enough that they did"?
This structure has two main parts. First, the verb takes the -dık participle and a possessive ending to form a noun clause: yap-tık-ları (their doing). Second, yetmiyormuş gibi literally means "as if it is apparently not sufficing" (from yetmek, to suffice). Together, they form the set phrase "as if their doing [X] wasn't enough," which is used to complain about a sequence of bad actions.
The lesson also mentioned yetmezmiş gibi. Could I use that here instead of yetmiyormuş gibi?
Yes, absolutely. In this specific grammar pattern, the aorist version (yetmezmiş gibi) and the present continuous version (yetmiyormuş gibi) are virtually interchangeable. Both express the same feeling of compounded grievance: "as if that weren't enough..."
Üstünkörü is a very descriptive word for "superficially." Where does it come from?
Üstünkörü is a fixed compound adverb. It is conceptually built from üstün (its top/surface) and kör (blind). It evokes the image of skimming over a task blindly, only touching the surface. You'll often hear it used with verbs like yapmak or bakmak to describe a careless, rushed job.
What is the nuance of savsakladılar compared to just saying they were lazy (tembellik ettiler)?
While tembellik etmek just means being generally lazy or doing nothing, savsaklamak is much more specific to duties and chores. It means to shirk a responsibility, dawdle, or deliberately neglect a specific task. It perfectly matches the context of workers doing a bad job on the whitewash and then neglecting the rest of their work.
Why is it diğer işleri de rather than just diğer işler de?
The -i at the end of işleri is the definite accusative suffix. Because "the other jobs" (diğer işler) is the specific direct object receiving the action of the verb savsakladılar (they slacked off on), it must be in the accusative case. The particle de (too/also) comes after the fully formed noun phrase.
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