Çalışan dizüstü bilgisayar kullanıyor.

The employee is using a laptop.

Breakdown of Çalışan dizüstü bilgisayar kullanıyor.

• kullanmak: to use
• dizüstü bilgisayar: the laptop
• çalışan: the employee

Questions & Answers about Çalışan dizüstü bilgisayar kullanıyor.

How do we determine which noun phrase is the subject and which is the object in the sentence "Çalışan dizüstü bilgisayar kullanıyor."?

Turkish typically follows a Subject-Object-Verb order. In this sentence, the first noun phrase is interpreted as the subject and the second as the object. That means çalışan is understood as “employee” (the one doing the using), and dizüstü bilgisayar is interpreted as “laptop computer” (the thing being used).

What is the function of the word çalışan in this sentence? Does it act as a noun or an adjective?

Although çalışan can serve both as an adjective meaning “working” (as in “functioning”) and as a noun meaning “employee,” here it functions as a noun. If it were meant to modify dizüstü bilgisayar to mean a “working laptop,” the verb kullanıyor (“is using”) would not make much sense, since a laptop doesn’t use something itself. Thus, context and word order indicate that çalışan means “employee.”

What does dizüstü bilgisayar literally mean, and how is it constructed?

Dizüstü bilgisayar literally translates to “laptop computer.” It is a compound noun where dizüstü means “on the lap” (indicating portability) and bilgisayar means “computer.”

What tense and aspect are conveyed by the verb kullanıyor?

The verb kullanıyor is in the present continuous tense. The suffix -yor indicates that the action is ongoing, and the conjugation is in the third person singular, implying “he/she/it is using.”

Why are there no articles (like “the” or “a”) in this sentence?

Turkish does not use articles the way English does. Definiteness or indefiniteness is inferred from context or sometimes marked by other suffixes; there is no separate word for “the” or “a/an” in Turkish.

Why isn’t dizüstü bilgisayar marked with an accusative suffix in this sentence?

In Turkish, a direct object is marked with an accusative suffix (such as -ı or -i) when it is definite. In this case, dizüstü bilgisayar is used in an indefinite or general sense, so no accusative marker is added.

Could çalışan be mistakenly read as an adjective modifying dizüstü bilgisayar? How is this ambiguity resolved?

Yes, çalışan can also function as an adjective meaning “working.” However, if it were meant to modify dizüstü bilgisayar (implying “a working laptop”), then that entire noun phrase would be the subject. Since the verb kullanıyor requires an external agent to perform the action of using something, and given the standard word order, we resolve the ambiguity by interpreting çalışan as the subject (employee) rather than an adjective modifying the laptop.