Learn Turkish: Molozu temizlemedikleri yetmiyormuş gibi, bu çile tam üç ay sürdü. - As if it weren't enough that they did not clean up the rubble, this ordeal lasted exactly three months.

Molozu temizlemedikleri yetmiyormuş gibi, bu çile tam üç ay sürdü.

As if it weren't enough that they did not clean up the rubble, this ordeal lasted exactly three months.

Breakdown of Molozu temizlemedikleri yetmiyormuş gibi, bu çile tam üç ay sürdü.

Questions & Answers about Molozu temizlemedikleri yetmiyormuş gibi, bu çile tam üç ay sürdü.

How is the "as if it weren't enough that..." structure formed in this sentence?

It uses the pattern temizlemedikleri yetmiyormuş gibi. First, we take the verb temizlemek, add the negative -me, the participle -dik, and the third-person plural possessive -leri to mean "their not cleaning". Then we add yetmiyormuş gibi, which literally means "as if it is not sufficing".

Why do we use yetmiyormuş with the -muş suffix instead of just yetmiyor?

The -muş suffix here does not indicate reported speech. When combined with the continuous tense -iyor and the word gibi, it creates a hypothetical or "as if" mood. It translates perfectly to the English subjunctive "as if it weren't enough" rather than the factual "it is not enough".

Why does moloz take the accusative suffix -u to become molozu?

The verb temizlemek (to clean) requires a direct object. Because the speaker is referring to the specific rubble left behind from a particular event, it takes the definite accusative case -u. If they were talking about cleaning rubble in a general, non-specific sense, it would just be moloz temizlemedikleri.

What does the word çile add to the sentence, and could I just use sorun?