Hayvan sokakta geziyor.

The animal is strolling on the street.

Breakdown of Hayvan sokakta geziyor.

• sokak: the street
• hayvan: the animal
• gezmek: to stroll

Questions & Answers about Hayvan sokakta geziyor.

How is the present continuous tense formed in Turkish, as seen in “geziyor”?

In Turkish, the present continuous tense is formed by taking the verb stem from the infinitive (after dropping -mek or -mak) and then adding the suffix –iyor (adjusting for vowel harmony, it can appear as –ıyor, –uyor, or –üyor). In “geziyor,” the base verb is “gezmek” (to stroll/roam), and once the –mek ending is removed and –iyor is appended, it expresses an ongoing action (“is roaming” or “is walking”).

Why is there no definite article (like “the”) before “hayvan,” and what does “hayvan” mean?

Turkish does not use articles such as “a” or “the.” The word “hayvan” simply means “animal,” and the language relies on context to indicate whether the noun is definite or indefinite. Therefore, unlike in English, you do not include an article before “hayvan.”

What function does the locative suffix in “sokakta” serve?

The locative case is marked by the suffix –ta (or –te, depending on vowel harmony) in Turkish. In “sokakta,” the noun “sokak” (meaning “street”) takes the suffix –ta to indicate the location where the action is occurring. This construction translates to “in/on the street.”

Why is the sentence structured as “Hayvan sokakta geziyor” instead of following a typical English word order?

Turkish often follows a Subject-Adverb/Modifier-Verb order. In this sentence, “hayvan” is the subject, “sokakta” is a locative adverbial phrase specifying where the action takes place, and “geziyor” is the verb. While English typically uses a Subject-Verb-(Object/Modifier) order (e.g., “The animal is roaming in the street”), Turkish naturally places modifiers like locative phrases before the verb.