Breakdown of Fark ettim ki bu aygıt bir türlü açılmıyor.
bu
this
fark etmek
to notice
açılmak
to open (intransitive, be opened)
ki
that (conjunction) / so... that
aygıt
device
bir türlü
somehow not / no matter what
Questions & Answers about Fark ettim ki bu aygıt bir türlü açılmıyor.
How does bir türlü change the meaning of the negative verb here?
The phrase bir türlü literally means 'one sort' or 'one kind', but when paired with a negative verb like açılmıyor, it expresses frustration and repeated failed attempts. It gives the meaning of 'just won't', 'no matter what', or 'for the life of me'.
Why is the present continuous açılmıyor used instead of the aorist açılmaz to say 'won't turn on'?
English uses 'won't' to show a device's refusal to work, but Turkish prefers the present continuous negative -mıyor for an ongoing, current state of failure. If you used the negative aorist açılmaz, it would sound like a general rule ('it never turns on' or 'it is not a thing that turns on'), rather than your current frustration with it.
Is using ki the only way to say 'I realized that'?
No, but it is very common in everyday speech. Borrowed from Persian, ki works exactly like the English conjunction 'that'. The more grammatically traditional Turkish way uses a verbal noun object clause: bu aygıtın bir türlü açılmadığını fark ettim. However, using fark ettim ki is perfectly natural and often easier to construct on the fly.
Why does the verb have an -ıl- in the middle? Could I just say açmıyor?
You cannot use açmıyor here because açmak is transitive (it needs a direct object, like 'he is not turning it on'). By adding the passive suffix -ıl, it becomes açılmak (to turn on / to be turned on). Since the device is the subject and isn't turning something else on, you must use this passive form.
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