Breakdown of Mutfağı batırmamalıydı; üstünkörü çalıştığı yetmiyormuş gibi boruları da kırdı.
mutfak
kitchen
çalışmak
to work / to study
kırmak
to break
gibi
like (similar to)
Questions & Answers about Mutfağı batırmamalıydı; üstünkörü çalıştığı yetmiyormuş gibi boruları da kırdı.
Why is the evidential suffix -muş used in yetmiyormuş gibi instead of a simple present or past tense?
The combination of the progressive -yor- and the evidential -muş (yetmiyormuş) translates to "as if it were (reportedly) not enough." In Turkish, using -muş gibi is the standard way to express a hypothetical or counterfactual "as if" scenario. While his working superficially is a fact, treating it as "not enough" to justify further damage is framed as a hypothetical grievance.
Why does çalışmak take the -dIğI suffix here to form çalıştığı?
To connect a verb clause to yetmiyormuş gibi (as if it weren't enough that...), you first have to turn the action into a noun phrase. You do this using the participle -dIk plus a possessive ending to show who did the action. Here, çalış- + -tık + -ı (his) becomes çalıştığı, literally meaning "his having worked."
Can we break down the suffixes on batırmamalıydı?
Absolutely. It consists of the verb stem batır- (to ruin/mess up), the negative suffix -ma, the obligation suffix -malı (must/should), the buffer letter -y-, and the past tense -dı. Together, -malıydı forms the past obligation tense. With the negative -ma, it means "should not have."