Breakdown of Kelepir elbiseler çok ucuzdu, ne var ki hepsi defoluydu.
ucuz
cheap
çok
very
elbise
dress
hepsi
all of them
ne var ki
however, and yet
defolu
defective
kelepir
bargain
Questions & Answers about Kelepir elbiseler çok ucuzdu, ne var ki hepsi defoluydu.
Literally, ne var ki translates to "what is there that." How does it function here?
It is a set conjunction meaning "however," "nevertheless," or "yet." It introduces a contrast, much like ama or ancak, but it often carries a slightly more emphatic tone to highlight the disappointment that the bargain dresses were flawed.
What is the difference between kelepir and ucuz in this sentence?
While ucuz simply means "cheap" or "inexpensive," kelepir specifically means a "bargain" or a "steal" (something sold well below its true value). Here, kelepir acts as an adjective modifying elbiseler, emphasizing what a great find they seemed to be.
Can you break down the suffixes in the word defoluydu?
It starts with the noun defo (flaw or defect). The suffix -lu turns it into the adjective defolu (flawed/defective). Finally, the past tense copula is added to mean "were". Because defolu ends in a vowel, it requires the buffer letter y before the past tense suffix -du, resulting in defo + lu + y + du.
Since hepsi (all of them) refers to multiple dresses, why is the predicate defoluydu singular instead of plural (defolulardı)?
In Turkish grammar, when a subject refers to plural non-human things (like dresses) or when using a collective pronoun like hepsi, the verb or predicate normally remains in the singular form. Saying defolulardı here would sound unnatural.
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