Questions & Answers about Onun sinirine dokunma.
English uses the plural 'nerves' in this idiom. Why is sinirine in the singular form?
In Turkish, the idiom sinirine dokunmak (literally 'to touch someone's nerve') is conventionally used in the singular. While you might occasionally hear the plural sinirlerine dokunmak, the singular form is the standard way to express 'getting on someone's nerves'.
Why does sinirine take the dative case (-e) instead of the accusative case (-i)?
The verb dokunmak (to touch) always requires its object to be in the dative case. Turkish conceptualizes this as directing an action toward a target, so you literally say 'don't touch to his nerve'.
Can you break down the suffixes on sinirine? Why is the buffer letter -n- used instead of -y-?
The word breaks down as sinir (nerve) + -i (his/her, 3rd person possessive) + -n- (buffer) + -e (dative case). As a grammatical rule, the buffer consonant -n- is always used instead of -y- whenever you attach a case marker directly to a possessive suffix.
Could we drop the word onun from this sentence?
Yes, you could just say Sinirine dokunma. Because the possessive suffix -i on sinirine already indicates 'his/her', the pronoun onun is optional. Including it here simply adds emphasis, meaning 'don't get on HIS nerves' specifically.
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