Merhabalar! I am puzzled by this sentence that I came across in my Turkish textbook:

Bana göre o hakikaten bilinmez bir şeydir.

The book translates it this way:

As I view it, that is something which really can´t be known.

I am puzzled because I would have guessed that instead of "bilinmez," you would use a present participle: bilinmeyen. 

Also, "bilinmez" is aorist, correct? So literally, this would seem to mean "is not known." But the book says "can´t be known."

I´m sure that I´m just mixed up about this, or that this is something I have not encountered before. As always, I appreciate your help! Teşekkürler!

Bilinmez is aorist passive.

Hi there,

I am not a native speaker but I think the translation is correct. I remember reading about this and asking myself the same question. I believe that adjectives derived from the aorist tense has something to do with ability, for example, the opposite of the word you´re asking about, "bilinir", is translated as "cognoscible", there´s also "anlaşılır" which can mean "understandable" . I can´t however guarantee you that my answer is correct, i´m just a beginner : ) .

Good luck.

I guess what puzzles me is how "bilinmez" connects to "bir şeydir." I know that a participle like "uyuyan" has a "that" or "which" built into it. So, "uyuyan kedi." Or "the cat that is sleeping." Correct? Does "bilinmez" work the same way? Is it also a participle? I have seen the aorist used only as a verb, so that was why I was surprised. ... Teşekkürler!

I don´t think it works the same way, it has no WHO/THAT ..etc, i.e not relative. It works the same way as a standard adjective, it describes the word following it. Hopefully this helps solve your problem : )

Bana göre = for me

hakikaten = in fact

bilinmez = unknown  (verb"bil"+passive"in"+nigative aorist"mez"

bir şeydir = thing

in fact it´s an unknown thing for me.

Which book are you using? Can you please provide me ?

The book is called "Elementary Turkish" by Lewis V. Thomas, who was a professor of Oriental studies at Princeton University. It was originally published in the late 1960s, then re-edited and published again in the 1980s. I have run across a few things in it that seem outdated -- some finer points that people here at Turkish Class have told me are no longer observed -- but for the most part it is a good beginner book. It seems to contain all the basics. I don´t know if you have access to Amazon, but I have seen it for sale there. ... Hope this helps.

Thank You! ... I am insearch of any partner or any place here where I can talk with the members..?
P.S. I am new here.