Breakdown of Adamdan intikam alsa alsa sen alırsın, çünkü kin tutuyorsun.
adam
man
sen
you
almak
to take, to buy
çünkü
because
Questions & Answers about Adamdan intikam alsa alsa sen alırsın, çünkü kin tutuyorsun.
How does alsa alsa translate to "only" in this sentence?
This is the reduplicated conditional structure you are learning in this lesson. By repeating the verb with the conditional suffix -sa (alsa alsa), it creates an "exclusive possibility" meaning. It literally implies "If anyone were to take it, if anyone were to take it...", which translates naturally to "The only one who would take..." or "Only... would take...".
Since the subject is sen (you), why is the repeated verb alsa alsa in the third-person singular instead of alsan alsan?
In this structure, the repeated conditional verb is almost always frozen in the third-person singular (-sa / -se), regardless of the actual subject. Think of it as an impersonal "If anyone were to do it...". The actual subject and tense are shown on the final main verb, which is why we see sen alırsın (you would take).
Why is adamdan in the ablative (from) case when the English translation says taking revenge "on" the man?
In Turkish, the phrase intikam almak (to take revenge) requires the ablative case (-dan / -den) for the person you are taking revenge from. So instead of taking revenge on someone, in Turkish you take revenge from them (adamdan).
Does kin tutuyorsun literally mean "holding a grudge"?