Breakdown of Üvey annesi ona kızsa kızsa kinden dolayı kızar.
o
that / he / she / it
anne
mother
kızmak
to get angry
dolayı
due to, because of
Questions & Answers about Üvey annesi ona kızsa kızsa kinden dolayı kızar.
How does the repeated kızsa kızsa give the meaning of "would only"?
This is the reduplicated conditional structure (Verb + -sa/se + Verb + -sa/se). Repeating a verb in the conditional like this creates a sense of exclusive possibility or limits the scenario to a single outcome. Here, kızsa kızsa implies "if she gets mad at all, the absolute only reason she would do so is..." which translates smoothly as "would only get mad."
Why does the main verb at the end use the aorist tense (kızar)?
The aorist tense (-ar/-er) is typically used for general truths, habits, or characteristic behaviors. Because this sentence is making an assumption about the stepmother's general nature ("knowing her character, she would only get mad if..."), the aorist kızar perfectly captures that this is an expected or typical reaction for her.
How do the words kinden and dolayı work together?
The postposition dolayı means "due to" or "because of," and it always requires the noun before it to take the ablative case (-dan/-den). The root noun here is kin (grudge or malice). By adding the ablative suffix, we get kinden dolayı, which means "due to a grudge" or "out of a grudge."
Does the dative pronoun ona connect to the conditional kızsa or the main verb kızar?