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Metro istasyona yaklaşıyor.

Metro istasyona yaklaşıyor.
The metro is approaching the station.
FromLesson 40inHardcore Turkish

Breakdown of Metro istasyona yaklaşıyor.

yaklaşmak
to approach
istasyon
the station
-a
to
metro
the metro

Questions & Answers about Metro istasyona yaklaşıyor.

Why does istasyon become istasyona in this sentence?
The suffix -a on istasyona marks the dative case, which often indicates direction or “toward” something. Here it shows that the metro is moving toward the station. Because istasyon ends in the back vowel o, vowel harmony dictates the dative ending be -a (not -e).
What tense is yaklaşıyor, and how is it formed?

yaklaşıyor is the present continuous (progressive) form of yaklaşmak (“to approach”). It breaks down as:
• root: yaklaş- (“approach”)
• continuous suffix: -yor (with vowel harmony, it appears as -ıyor)
• third-person singular ending: Ø (no extra suffix)
Together: yaklaş-ı-yor + Ø → yaklaşıyor (“he/she/it is approaching”).

Why is there no article like the or a before metro?
Turkish doesn’t use articles. Definiteness or indefiniteness often comes from context, word order, or case endings but there’s no direct equivalent of a/the.
Why is the verb placed at the end of the sentence?
Turkish is typically a Subject-Object-Verb (SOV) language. You put the verb last, after any objects or adverbials.
Where is the pronoun for “it” or “the metro”? Why is it omitted?
In Turkish, subject pronouns (ben, sen, o, etc.) are often dropped because the verb ending already shows the person. Here yaklaşıyor implies a third-person subject. Adding o before metro would be redundant.
How would you turn this sentence into a yes/no question?

You insert the question particle mu (with vowel harmony: mı/mu/mü) after the verb:
Metro istasyona yaklaşıyor mu?
= “Is the metro approaching the station?”

How would you say “The metro was approaching the station” (past continuous)?

Use the past continuous suffix -yor + past marker -du → -yordu:
Metro istasyona yaklaşıyordu.
= “The metro was approaching the station.”

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