Breakdown of Uzaktan küçük gözüküyordu.
küçük
small
uzak
far
gözükmek
to appear, to look (colloquial görünmek)
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Questions & Answers about Uzaktan küçük gözüküyordu.
Since this lesson is about the '-(I)msEmEk' suffix, could we use the verb 'küçümsemek' here to mean 'It looked small'?
No, because the -(I)msEmEk suffix changes the meaning from literal to figurative. Küçümsemek means 'to underestimate', 'to belittle', or 'to look down on' someone or something. To describe literal physical size, you must keep the adjective küçük separate and use a verb of perception like gözükmek (to look/appear).
What is the root of the verb gözüküyordu?
It is derived from the noun göz (eye). The suffix -ük turns it into the verb gözükmek, meaning 'to appear', 'to show up', or 'to catch the eye'. Combined with the past continuous ending, it becomes gözüküyordu (it was appearing / it looked).
Are gözükmek and görünmek interchangeable in this sentence?
Yes, they are practically synonymous here. Görünmek (derived from görmek, to see) is slightly more standard for describing how something seems. Gözükmek is very common in everyday spoken Turkish for things that present themselves visually. Saying Uzaktan küçük görünüyordu would also be perfectly correct.
Why does the sentence use the past continuous ending -üyordu instead of the simple past -tü (gözüktü)?