Grammar notes / Phrase bank (under construction)

Thursday, August 11, 2011

DIALOGO/PASSAGE N. 24:At the hotel reception -Otel'de - The verb TO BE and simple past suffixes-Part 2


In this passage a customer shows up at the hotel reception asking for a room.
Listen to this passage:

- Affedersiniz, danışma memuru siz misiniz?
- Evet efendim buyurun.
- İstanbul'a biraz önce geldim. Üç gün için bir oda istiyorum.
- Tek kişilik mi?
- Evet yalnızım.
- Odanız üçüncü katta 45 numara.
- Teşekkür ederim ama simdi Amerikan Konsolosluğu'na gidiyorum.Bir Taksi çağrır mısınız lütfen?
- Tabii şimdi çağrıyorum.


Vocabulary/Vocabolario

Müşteri: Customer, client - cliente
Danışma memuru: receptionist - addetto alla reception
Biraz önce: A while ago, shortly before - da poco, poco fa
Yalnız:       Alone- da solo
Kat:            Floor - piano
Tek kişilik: for one person, single room - camera singola
Çağırmak: Ask for, call - chiamare, far arrivare (nel caso di un mezzo)
Konsolos:  Consul
Konsolosluk:  Consulate


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~GRAMMATICAL NOTES~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


NEGATIVE FORM, INTERROGATIVE FORM AND SIMPLE PAST SUFFIXES
The negative form of the verb TO BE is obtained by placing the term " değil" after the pronoun, noun, adverb, adjective and then attaching the personal suffixes.
To make things clear let's have a look to the following examples:

I am not:    Ben değil + im    Ben değilim 

You are not a teacher:   Sen öğretmen değil + sin        Sen öğretmen değilsin.

She is not a student :  O öğrenci değil + dir                  O öğrenci değildir

They are not doctors:    Onlar doktor değil + ler           Onlar doktor değiller

It is very simple and the rule applies in the same way  to all persons.


INTERROGATIVE FORM

The interrogative form of  TO BE is obtained by placing one of the question  particles mi, mı, mu, mü right after the the pronoun, noun, adverb  or adjective and attaching to personal suffix.
Bear in mind that the choice of the question particles occurs in accordance with the vowel harmony rule.
The following examples will make things clear:

Am I?     Ben + mi + (y)im?     Ben miyim?  (remember that "y" has the euphonic function of liaising two vowels).
Is she tired?   O yorgun + mu (dur)?      O yorgun mu (dur)?   ( The suffix -dur can be omitted as it has an enfatic function - see previous lesson 23)

Are you on holiday?   Siz tatilde +mi  + siniz   Siz tatilde misiniz?

Are we on the way?    Biz  yolda + + (y)ız?

As you can see the interrogative form is quite simple to understand.
Again don't forget that the question particle you have to pick up must go by the vowel harmony rule hence it is related to the dominant (final) vowel of the pronoun, adjective or adverb.










INTERROGATIVE-NEGATIVE FORM

This form is obtained by  placing the negative particle "değil" after the pronoun, noun, adverb or adjective and the group "question particle+ personal suffix"
A few examples will clear doubts.

Am I not a soldier?:  Ben asker değil miyim?

Aren't you lazy?:      Siz tembel değil misiniz?

Aren't we busy?:       Biz meşgul değil miyiz?

Aren't they? :            Onlar değil midir (ler)?

It is important to highlight here that the group " question particle+ personal suffix remains unchanged as the vowel harmony is linked to the dominant (final) vowel of the negative particle "değil"( i >> i)


SIMPLE PAST OF TO BE.

This tense is obtained by attaching to pronouns, nouns, adjectives and adverbs particular suffixes.
Also in the formation of the simple past tense the choice of suffixes goes by the vowel harmony rule.
The following chart will better explain this:

Pronouns conjugation

Ben -(i)dim: I was
Sen -(i)din: You were
O -(i)di: He, she, it was
Biz -(i)dik: We were
Siz -(i)diniz: You were
Onlar -dılar: They were

CASES

1)Dominant (final) vowel:    e -  i



Adjective/noun conjugation

Same suffixes  as the pronouns (see chart above)
If the adjective/noun ends by one of these consonants t, ş, k, p, ç, f,  h, s  the suffixes mutates its initial d in t.
This mutation occurs  to all cases regardless the  dominant (final) vowel.
A few examples will help better understand this rule.

The room was clean:  Oda temizdi (temiz+di) (3rd person singular suffix)
The gardens were large:  Bahçeler geniştiler (geniş+ tiler) (3r person plural suffix)



2)Dominant (final) vowel:    a -  ı

suffixes: 
-(ı) dım   
-(ı) dın
-(ı) dı
-(ı) dık
-(ı) dınız
-(ı) dılar

If the adjective/noun ends by one of these consonants t, ş, k, p, ç, f, h, s the suffixes mutates its initial d in t.


3)Dominant (final) vowel:    o -  u

-(u) dum
-(u) dun
-(u) du
-(u) duk
-(u) dunuz
-(u) dular

If the adjective/noun ends by one of these consonants t, ş, k, p, ç, f,  h, s the suffixes mutates its initial d in t.

 4)Dominant (final) vowel:    ö -  ü

-(ü) düm   
-(ü) dün
-(ü) dü
-(ü) dük
-(ü) dünüz
-(ü) dülar

If the adjective/noun ends by one of these consonants t, ş, k, p, ç, f, h, sthe suffixes mutates its initial d in t.
A few examples wıll help you have a clearer picture

I was alone:   Ben yalnızdım

You were fair: Sen dürüsttün (this is a case of mutation of d into t as dürüst ends by t.In this case the consonant is doubled)

She was  my friend:  O arkadaşımdı

You were pilots:   Siz pilotudunuz


NOTE: THESE SUFFIXES ARE IN GENERAL USED TO CONJUGATE ALL THE VERBS IN SIMPLE PAST.WE WILL SEE MORE IN A DEDICATE  LESSON