Elon.io is an online learning platform
We have an entire course teaching Turkish grammar and vocabulary.
Questions & Answers about Ben arkadaşımı kurtarıyorum.
What is the literal English translation of Ben arkadaşımı kurtarıyorum?
It translates to I am saving my friend. The breakdown is as follows: Ben means “I”, arkadaşımı means “my friend” (with a possessive and definite accusative marker), and kurtarıyorum means “am saving.”
Why is the subject pronoun Ben explicitly included even though the verb ending already indicates the subject?
Turkish often omits subject pronouns because the verb conjugation already shows the person. However, including Ben adds emphasis or clarity, especially in contexts where the speaker wants to stress or contrast the subject.
How is arkadaşımı constructed, and what does its ending signify?
Arkadaşımı is built from the noun arkadaş (friend). First, the possessive suffix -ım is added to indicate “my friend,” and then the definite accusative ending -ı is appended to mark it as a specific object. So the ending -ımı shows both possession and that the object is definite.
What is the structure of the verb kurtarıyorum?
The verb kurtarıyorum is derived from the root kurtar- meaning “to save.” It takes the present continuous tense marker -ıyor (adjusted for vowel harmony) and finishes with the first-person singular ending -um. Together, they indicate that the speaker is in the process of saving someone.
What is the typical word order in Turkish, and how does this sentence illustrate it?
Turkish generally follows a subject–object–verb (SOV) order. In Ben arkadaşımı kurtarıyorum, Ben is the subject, arkadaşımı is the object, and kurtarıyorum is the verb. This order — subject first, object next, and verb at the end — is standard in Turkish syntax.