Uzun süre kitap okumak beni yoruyor.

Reading a book for a long time tires me.

Breakdown of Uzun süre kitap okumak beni yoruyor.

• kitap: the book
• okumak: to read
• uzun: long
• beni: me
• süre: the time
• yormak: to tire

Questions & Answers about Uzun süre kitap okumak beni yoruyor.

What does Uzun süre mean and how does it function in the sentence?

Uzun süre literally combines uzun (long) + süre (period/duration) to mean “for a long time.” Here it’s an adverbial phrase modifying the action kitap okumak, telling us how long the reading lasts.

Why is kitap okumak in the infinitive form instead of a conjugated verb?

In Turkish you can use an infinitive verb (–mak/–mek) as a noun. Kitap okumak (“reading a book” or “to read books”) becomes a noun phrase and acts as the subject of yoruyor.

What is the subject of the sentence?

The whole phrase Uzun süre kitap okumak (“reading books for a long time”) is the subject. It’s that activity which “tires” someone.

Why is beni used here instead of ben?

Ben is the nominative (“I”), but since you’re the object being tired by the action, you need the accusative form beni (“me”). The verb yoruyor is transitive here: X tires Y.

What tense/aspect is yoruyor, and why not simple present?

Yoruyor is present continuous (root yor- + –yor). In Turkish, this form often covers both “I’m tiring” and habitual “I tire.” Here it conveys the idea that the action regularly or currently causes tiredness.

Why not say yoruluyorum (“I get tired”) instead of yoruyor?

There are two different verbs:

• yormak (transitive): to tire someone
• yorulmak (intransitive): to become tired
  Since reading is doing the tiring (it affects you), you use yoruyor with beni. If you flip it so that “I” am the subject getting tired, you’d say something like Uzun süre kitap okuduğumda yoruluyorum.

Is the word order fixed here? Could you say Beni uzun süre kitap okumak yoruyor?

Turkish has flexible word order for emphasis. Beni uzun süre kitap okumak yoruyor is grammatically correct but less neutral; it emphasizes beni (“me”). The most natural neutral order is to place the verb at the end.

How would I express “I get tired when I read books for a long time”?

Use a subordinate clause with the “when” connector –duğumda:
Uzun süre kitap okuduğumda yoruluyorum.
Here:

• okuduğumda = “when I read” (–duğum + –da)
• yoruluyorum = “I get tired” (intransitive form)