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Zamanlar
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| 1. |
20 Sep 2006 Wed 05:07 pm |
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I'm still wondering about Turkish "simdki zaman".
I was sure that it is a counterpart of English Present Contiunous.If yes so why for example Seni seviyorum is translated as I love you not as I'm loving you.So what is the difference and right usage of it?
P.S.Don't reply please that I love you is just for a minute 
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| 2. |
20 Sep 2006 Wed 07:35 pm |
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Şimdiki zaman is and isn't the same as present continuous, because in Turkish it's often used for things that are always true. Here's what I've observed, and the Turkish speakers can verify this or not:
In English we always use present continuous for an action we're doing now, and it's the same in Turkish.
Okula gidiyorum (şu anda).
I'm going to school (at this moment).
And we use present simple (aorist tense in Turkish) for actions that occur regularily.
Okula giderim (genellikle).
I walk to school (usually).
But where it's different is for verbs that don't express action. In English, we always use present simple, in Turkish, I usually (but not, I think, always) hear present continuous.
Seni seviyorum.
I love you.
Biliyorum.
I know.
Is this generally true, Turkish teachers? Are there exceptions?
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| 3. |
20 Sep 2006 Wed 07:39 pm |
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Sorry, ignore the second example. It should be:
Okula yürürüm.
I walk to school.
Though now that I look at it, I'm not entirely sure...
Also, aorist tense is used for other things that present simple isn't, so don't think they're always the same thing either.
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| 4. |
20 Sep 2006 Wed 07:41 pm |
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Quoting martuskaaa: I'm still wondering about Turkish "simdki zaman".
I was sure that it is a counterpart of English Present Continous.If yes so why for example Seni seviyorum is translated as I love you not as I'm loving you.So what is the difference and right usage of it?
P.S.Don't reply please that I love you is just for a minute |
If you would say "seni severim" (Aorist Tense) for "I love you", it wouldn't be right. It has more a meaning of "I like you". Like saying "Dondurma severim". Maybe if you were eating a special ice cream at a certain moment, you could say "bu dondurmayı çok ama çok seviyorum!"
I think you shouldn't try to translate everything literally. Maybe this site might explain more.
Hope this helped 
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| 5. |
20 Sep 2006 Wed 07:54 pm |
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I asked a friend of mine once why he answered "bilmem" to a question and not "bilmiyorum". He had to think about the answer to my question
He explained it with this example:
Bu akşam ne yapiyor musun?
Bilmiyorum
What are you doing tonight?
I don't know (meaning "I really don't know (yet)")
Bu akşam ne yapiyor musun?
Bilmem
What are you doing tonight?
I don't know (meaning, "I haven't been thinking about it really, if something comes up I might go out, but for now I haven't been thinking about it yet")
My friend also added that he didn't know at all if this would be linguistically correct. He said that using şimdiki zaman or geniş zaman in an answer gives a different shade of meaning. But that I shouldn't rack my brains over it 
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| 6. |
20 Sep 2006 Wed 08:48 pm |
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thanks guys!!
sometimes I feel that I will never be able to speak Turkish without doubts
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| 7. |
21 Sep 2006 Thu 08:15 am |
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Quoting Elisa: I asked a friend of mine once why he answered "bilmem" to a question and not "bilmiyorum". He had to think about the answer to my question
He explained it with this example:
Bu akşam ne yapiyor musun?
Bilmiyorum
What are you doing tonight?
I don't know (meaning "I really don't know (yet)")
Bu akşam ne yapiyor musun?
Bilmem
What are you doing tonight?
I don't know (meaning, "I haven't been thinking about it really, if something comes up I might go out, but for now I haven't been thinking about it yet")
My friend also added that he didn't know at all if this would be linguistically correct. He said that using şimdiki zaman or geniş zaman in an answer gives a different shade of meaning. But that I shouldn't rack my brains over it |
An important point:
Bu akşam ne yapiyor musun?= are you doing what this tonight?
"yes/no" question:
Bu akşam bir şey yapıyor musun?
"what" question:
Bu akşam ne yapıyorsun?
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| 8. |
21 Sep 2006 Thu 09:08 am |
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Quoting Elisa: I asked a friend of mine once why he answered "bilmem" to a question and not "bilmiyorum". He had to think about the answer to my question
He explained it with this example:
Bu akşam ne yapiyor musun?
Bilmiyorum
What are you doing tonight?
I don't know (meaning "I really don't know (yet)")
Bu akşam ne yapiyor musun?
Bilmem
What are you doing tonight?
I don't know (meaning, "I haven't been thinking about it really, if something comes up I might go out, but for now I haven't been thinking about it yet")
My friend also added that he didn't know at all if this would be linguistically correct. He said that using şimdiki zaman or geniş zaman in an answer gives a different shade of meaning. But that I shouldn't rack my brains over it |
I don't think there is a difference between bilmem and bilmiyorum in your examples. Usually bilmem is preferred because it is shorter (2 syllables vs 4)
And when you ask a question you don't need to use "mi" question word when there is already a question word (ne in your examples). You of course meant the following:
Bu akşam ne yapıyorsun
However your example is still a valid sentence in some contexts with different meaning. Example:
mr. x: Bu akşam ne yapıyorsun? -- What are you doing tonight?
mr. y: Bu akşam ne yapıyor musun? -- Do you say "what are you doing tonight?" (meaning why do you ask that question to me?)
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| 9. |
21 Sep 2006 Thu 09:16 am |
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Quoting martuskaaa: I'm still wondering about Turkish "simdiki zaman".
I was sure that it is a counterpart of English Present Continous.If yes so why for example Seni seviyorum is translated as I love you not as I'm loving you.So what is the difference and right usage of it?
P.S.Don't reply please that I love you is just for a minute |
There are some verbs in English which are translated to Turkish using "şimdiki zaman". Because it is considered better translation when you use "şimdiki zaman" with the following verbs.
See
Feel
Understand
Love
Think
Know
Hear
etc. (there may be more. these are what I remember for now)
I see -- görüyorum
I feel -- hissediyorum
I understand -- anlıyorum
I love -- seviyorum
I think -- sanıyorum (sanırım is also OK)
I know -- biliyorum
I hear -- duyuyorum
On the other hand present continuous of the above are a bit different in English.
I am feeling it -- I am touching something and feeling it
I am loving it -- I am touching it with love
I am thinking of it -- I am doing some thinking
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| 10. |
21 Sep 2006 Thu 12:21 pm |
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Quote: I'm still wondering about Turkish "simdki zaman".
I was sure that it is a counterpart of English Present Continous.If yes so why for example Seni seviyorum is translated as I love you not as I'm loving you.So what is the difference and right usage of it?
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Both "(seni) severim" and "(seni) seviyorum" are correct uses in TR. However there is a difference between two;
A speaker saying ".... severim" keeps his distance from the person whom he addresses. He is distant and frosty. On the other hand a speaker saying "... seviyorum" is more sincere. An example may make the point clear: After Mahmut Tuncer's (He is a famous Turkish folk music singer) daughter had married secretly without informing him and her mother he said on a TV channel with tears in his eyes that" Yine de ben Pınar'ı severim. İyi çocuktur". He sounds distant in his expression as he was hurt by his
daughter's behavior. Normally a father says to express his love ".... seviyorum."
The expression "... severim" conveys the sense that I love, but...
It is not a kind of love you feel wholeheartedly.
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