Breakdown of Bizi arasa arasa kapıcı arar, hırsız aramaz.
biz
we
aramak
to look for, to call
hırsız
thief
kapıcı
doorman
Questions & Answers about Bizi arasa arasa kapıcı arar, hırsız aramaz.
Why is arasa repeated twice in this sentence?
This is the reduplicated conditional of exclusive possibility, which is the focus of this lesson. Repeating a verb with the conditional suffix -sa limits the possibility to one specific outcome. It translates to 'If anyone were to call, it would only be...' and emphasizes that the doorman is the absolute only candidate.
Why do the main verbs arar and aramaz use the aorist tense instead of the future or present continuous?
The aorist tense is used for hypothetical statements, general truths, and assumptions. Because arasa arasa sets up a hypothetical scenario ('if anyone were to call'), the aorist naturally follows to mean 'would call' (arar) and 'would not call' (aramaz).
Why is the subject kapıcı placed in the middle of the sentence instead of at the beginning?
In Turkish, the word immediately preceding the verb receives the most emphasis. Because the sentence specifically wants to contrast the doorman with a thief as the only person who would call, kapıcı is placed right before arar into this focus position.
Why is the pronoun bizi in the accusative case rather than the dative case?