sayesinde and yüzünden: thanks to and because of

The idea

Sayesinde typically credits a cause for a welcome result: senin sayende yetiştim. Yüzünden typically presents a cause as responsible for an unwelcome result: trafik yüzünden geç kaldım. Tone, including irony, can reverse the apparent attitude, so read the context.

Examples

• Senin sayende otobüse yetiştim.Thanks to you, I caught the bus.
• Trafik yüzünden toplantıya geç kaldım.Because of traffic, I was late for the meeting.
• Güneş sayesinde bitkiler büyüdü.Thanks to sunlight, the plants grew.
• Yağmur yüzünden piknik ertelendi.The picnic was postponed because of the rain.
• Ekibin yardımı sayesinde işi zamanında bitirdik.Thanks to the team’s help, we finished the work on time.
• Bozuk asansör yüzünden merdivenleri kullanmak zorunda kaldık.Because the lift was broken, we had to use the stairs.

Watch out

Neither word is a neutral replacement in every sentence. Positive and negative associations describe ordinary use, not an absolute rule against irony.

Try it yourself

1. Which word normally credits a cause for a welcome result? (sayesinde / yüzünden)

   Show answer or example answer

   sayesinde

   sayesinde: in ordinary literal use this credits a cause for a welcome result.

2. Which word normally blames a cause for an unwelcome result? (sayesinde / yüzünden)

   Show answer or example answer

   yüzünden

   yüzünden: in ordinary literal use this attributes an unwelcome result to a cause.

3. Senin ___ otobüse yetiştim. (sayende / sayenizde)

   Show answer or example answer

   sayende

   sayende: the second-person singular possessive form agrees with senin.

Use it today

Credit someone for catching a bus, then explain a delay caused by traffic; discuss how tone could change the meaning.