Learn Turkish: Durum sana tehlikeli gibi geldi mi? - Did the situation seem dangerous to you?

The verb gelmek (to come) is used with gibi (like) and a dative pronoun (like sana - to you) to express a personal impression or feeling. Literally, this sentence means "Did the situation come to you like dangerous?". In English, we naturally translate this "strikes me as" or "comes across to me as" structure as "seem".

Why is sana placed before tehlikeli instead of right next to the verb geldi?

The whole phrase tehlikeli gibi geldi acts as a single conceptual chunk here ("seemed dangerous"). While you could technically say Durum tehlikeli gibi sana geldi mi?, placing the dative pronoun (sana) right before the descriptive piece (tehlikeli gibi) is the standard, most neutral word order for this structure.

Could I put the question particle mi somewhere else in this sentence to change the meaning?

Yes! Right now, mi is at the end, making it a neutral yes/no question about the whole thought. If you moved it to follow the pronoun—Durum sana mı tehlikeli gibi geldi?—the emphasis shifts specifically to "you". It would mean, "Did it seem dangerous to you (as opposed to someone else)?"

What is the difference in nuance between using gibi gelmek here versus a verb like görünmek (to appear)?