Karayolu tamir edilirken trafik yavaşlıyor.

to be repaired

Breakdown of Karayolu tamir edilirken trafik yavaşlıyor.

• trafik: the traffic
• -irken: while
• karayolu: the highway

Questions & Answers about Karayolu tamir edilirken trafik yavaşlıyor.

What does the suffix -ken do in tamir edilirken, and how would you translate it into English?

The -ken suffix turns a verb into an adverbial clause meaning “while …ing” or “when …ing.” Here:

• tamir edilir → “is repaired”
• tamir edilir + ken → “while it is being repaired”

So tamir edilirken literally means “while it’s being repaired.”

How is the passive voice formed in tamir edilirken?

Passive in Turkish is built with the suffix -il- (or -in-), plus tense/aspect endings. For tamir etmek (“to repair”):

1. Take et- (“do”) and make it passive → edil-
2. Add the continuous aspect -iyor- → ediliyor (“is being done”)
3. Attach -ken for “while” → edilirken

Combine with tamir (“repair”):
tamir + edil +iyor +ken → tamir edilirken

What tense and aspect is yavaşlıyor, and how is it formed?

yavaşlıyor is the present continuous (progressive) tense, marked by -iyor- on the verb root:

• yavaşla- = “to slow down”
• yavaşla + ıyor → yavaşlıyor = “is slowing down”

Unlike English, Turkish uses -iyor for both “is …ing” and habitual/regular actions.

Why aren’t there English-style articles like “the” or “a” before or ?