Köpek oynuyor.

The dog is playing.

Breakdown of Köpek oynuyor.

• köpek: the dog
• oynamak: to play

Questions & Answers about Köpek oynuyor.

Why doesn’t the sentence Köpek oynuyor. include an article like “the” before köpek?

Turkish does not use articles such as “a” or “the”. The noun köpek can mean either “a dog” or “the dog” depending on the context, so there is no need for an article.

How is the present continuous tense formed in the verb oynuyor?

The verb oynamak (to play) is changed to the present continuous tense by adding the suffix -uyor along with the vowel adjustment required by vowel harmony. Thus, oynamak becomes oynuyor, meaning “is playing.”

Why is there no explicit subject pronoun (like “o”) in the sentence?

Turkish is a pro-drop language, meaning that subject pronouns can be omitted when the verb conjugation clearly indicates the person and number. In oynuyor, the form itself informs us that the subject is third person singular, so including o (he/she/it) is unnecessary.

What is the word order of Köpek oynuyor., and how does it compare to English sentence structure?

The sentence uses a subject-verb order, which can look similar to English in simple cases. While Turkish typically follows a Subject-Object-Verb (SOV) order, when the verb is intransitive (as it is here with no object), the structure appears as Subject-Verb—much like English.

How can köpek mean both “a dog” and “the dog”? How is definiteness conveyed in Turkish?

In Turkish, definiteness is not marked by articles. The noun köpek can mean either “a dog” or “the dog” depending solely on the context in which it is used. The determination of specificity is inferred from the surrounding discourse.

How would I change the sentence to ask a question, such as “Is the dog playing?”

To turn the statement into a question, you add the question particle mu (or its variants mı, mi, or mö) at the end of the sentence. So, Köpek oynuyor. becomes Köpek oynuyor mu? indicating “Is the dog playing?”

How would I form the negative version of this sentence?

To form the negative sentence, you modify the verb with the negative suffix. For oynamak, the negative present continuous becomes oynamıyor. Thus, Köpek oynuyor. changes to Köpek oynamıyor., which means “The dog is not playing.”