Breakdown of Şimdilerde şu kadın nasıl da ihtiyarladı, boyu ne kadar da kısaldı!
şu
that (pointed out)
ne
what
kadın
woman
boy
height
nasıl
how
kadar
as ... as; until, up to
de
too, also (de/da) / even if (concessive particle after conditional) / and (linking clauses)
ihtiyarlamak
to grow old (become elderly)
kısalmak
to grow shorter
şimdilerde
nowadays
Questions & Answers about Şimdilerde şu kadın nasıl da ihtiyarladı, boyu ne kadar da kısaldı!
How do nasıl da and ne kadar da change the meaning compared to just using çok (very)?
The structures nasıl da and ne kadar da act as exclamatory intensifiers. Instead of just stating a fact like "she got very old," they express the speaker's surprise, realization, or strong emotion. It is the Turkish equivalent of saying "How old she has gotten!" or "How much she has shrunk!"
Why is şimdilerde used here instead of just şimdi?
Şimdi means "now" at this exact moment. Adding the plural and locative suffixes to make şimdilerde (literally "in the nows") translates to "nowadays" or "lately." It describes an ongoing period of time rather than a single instant.
Why does the speaker use şu instead of o for "that woman"?
Şu is used to draw immediate attention to someone or something. If the woman is physically present, the speaker is actively pointing her out. Even if she isn't there, using şu vividly brings her into the listener's mental focus, whereas o would sound much more emotionally detached and distant.
Both ihtiyarladı and kısaldı are verbs created from adjectives. How are they formed?
Turkish frequently turns adjectives into verbs that mean "to become [adjective]." İhtiyarladı comes from ihtiyar (old) plus the suffix -la to create the verb ihtiyarlamak. Kısaldı comes from kısa (short) plus the suffix -l, which is commonly attached to adjectives ending in a vowel to show a change in state (kısalmak).
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