Elektrik sık sık kesiliyor.

Electricity is often cut off.

Breakdown of Elektrik sık sık kesiliyor.

• sık sık: often
• elektrik: the electricity
• kesilmek: to be cut off

Questions & Answers about Elektrik sık sık kesiliyor.

What does sık sık mean, and why is it repeated?

sık sık is an adverb of frequency, meaning “frequently” or “very often.” Turkish often doubles an adjective or adverb (reduplication) to intensify it. So sık alone means “often,” and sık sık emphasizes “very often” or “frequently.”

How do we form kesiliyor, and what does it literally mean?

kesiliyor is the passive, present-continuous form of the verb kesmek (“to cut”). Put together it literally means “is being cut.” The breakdown is:
• kes- (root “cut”)
• ‑il- (passive suffix) → kesil- (“to be cut”)
• ‑iyor (present-continuous) → kesiliyor (“is being cut”)

Why is the passive voice used here instead of the active?

In Turkish, when the person or thing doing the action is unknown, unimportant, or obvious from context, speakers often use the passive. Here the focus is on the event (“the electricity goes out frequently”), not on who cuts it.

Why isn’t there an agent (like “by somebody”) in the sentence?

In passives, the agent can simply be left out if it’s unknown or irrelevant. If you want to mention it, you use tarafından (by) or the ablative -den/-dan with a noun. For example:
Elektrik sık sık şirket tarafından kesiliyor.
(“Electricity is frequently cut by the company.”)

Why is elektrik in the nominative case?

In Turkish, the subject of any verb—active or passive—appears in the nominative (no suffix). In a passive sentence, the patient (the thing affected) becomes the grammatical subject. So elektrik stays in the nominative.

Could I say Elektrikler sık sık kesiliyor?

Generally no, because elektrik is an uncountable noun in Turkish and is used in the singular. You wouldn’t pluralize it.

Are there other ways to say “frequently” besides sık sık?

Yes. Common alternatives include:
• sıklıkla (more formal)
• sıkça (somewhat formal)
• çoğu kez (“many times”)
Example: Elektrik sıkça kesiliyor.

How would you turn this into a question?

For a yes-no question, you can add mi after the verb or rely on intonation. For example:
• Elektrik sık sık kesiliyor mu?
• Elektrik sık sık kesiliyor?
Both mean “Does the electricity go out frequently?”