Questions & Answers about La aŭto turniĝas malrapide ĉe tiu angulo.
Why is it turniĝas instead of turnas?
In Esperanto, turni is normally used as a transitive idea: you turn something.
- Mi turnas la radon = I turn the wheel.
If you want to say that the subject itself changes direction, Esperanto very often uses turniĝi.
- La aŭto turniĝas = the car turns / is turning.
So La aŭto turnas by itself would sound unfinished, as if the car is turning something else.
What does the suffix -iĝ- add to the verb?
-iĝ- often means to become, to get into a state, or to undergo a change.
So:
- turni = to turn something
- turniĝi = to turn oneself / to become turned / to change direction
In this sentence, turniĝas shows that the car itself is undergoing the turning movement.
Could I also say La aŭto turnas sin?
Yes, but it is less natural here.
- turnas sin literally means turns itself
- turniĝas is the usual, smoother Esperanto way to express that something turns
With a car changing direction, turniĝas is the normal choice.