Breakdown of Dirseğini masadan çekmesini istedim.
masa
table
istemek
to want / to require / to call for
çekmek
to pull (collocation: fön çekmek = to blow-dry)
dirsek
elbow
Questions & Answers about Dirseğini masadan çekmesini istedim.
Why is "I asked" translated using istedim instead of a form of sormak?
In Turkish, sormak is only used for asking a question to get information. When you ask someone to do something (a request or indirect command), you use istemek (to want). The sentence literally translates to "I wanted his pulling his elbow from the table."
Can you break down the suffixes on çekmesini?
It comes from çekmek (to pull). First, -me makes it a verbal noun (pulling). Next, -si is the 3rd-person possessive (his pulling). Then we need a buffer -n-, followed by the accusative suffix -i. It takes the accusative case because "his pulling" is the direct object of the verb istedim.
Why does dirsek (elbow) change to dirseğini?
When a suffix starting with a vowel is added to dirsek, the k softens into a ğ. The suffixes added are -i (his), a buffer -n-, and the accusative -i (since the elbow is the object being pulled). Note that this looks exactly like the "your" form (-in + -i); we only know it means "his" because it matches the "his" in çekmesini (his pulling).
The English translation says "take off", but doesn't çekmek mean "to pull"?
Yes, çekmek is most commonly learned as "to pull" or "to draw". However, Turkish uses this verb for withdrawing, retracting, or removing a body part from a surface. You literally "pull" your elbow from the table (masadan).
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