Word
Onun gelişi herkesi şaşırttı.
Meaning
His arrival surprised everyone.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Breakdown of Onun gelişi herkesi şaşırttı.
o
that / he / she / it
herkes
everyone
şaşırmak
to be surprised
geliş
arrival
Questions & Answers about Onun gelişi herkesi şaşırttı.
The word gelişi translates to 'his arrival'. Does it use the -im suffix we are studying in this lesson?
No, geliş uses the -iş suffix, which is another common way to turn a verb into a noun. While -im usually creates a noun for the result of an action (like çözüm for 'solution'), -iş creates a noun focusing on the act or manner of doing something (like geliş for 'arrival' or 'way of coming'). The final -i is the possessive suffix matching Onun (his/her).
Could I use gelmesi instead of gelişi here?
Yes, Onun gelmesi herkesi şaşırttı is perfectly natural and means almost exactly the same thing. gelişi functions more like a standard abstract noun ('his arrival'), whereas gelmesi uses the -me verbal noun suffix to mean 'his coming' or 'the fact that he came'.
How is the verb şaşırttı built?
It is a great example of how Turkish builds meaning through suffixes, specifically the causative. It starts with the root şaş- (to be astonished). Adding -ır gives şaşırmak (to be surprised). Adding the causative suffix -t changes the meaning to 'causing someone else to be surprised'—şaşırtmak (to surprise someone). Finally, -tı is the simple past tense suffix.
Why does (everyone) have an at the end?