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Motor sessiz çalışıyor.

Motor sessiz çalışıyor.
The engine runs quietly.
FromLesson 45inHardcore Turkish
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Breakdown of Motor sessiz çalışıyor.

motor
the engine
çalışmak
to run

Questions & Answers about Motor sessiz çalışıyor.

What is the basic word order in Motor sessiz çalışıyor?

Turkish defaults to Subject–Object–Verb, but when there’s no object we often see Subject–Adverb–Verb. Here:
• Motor = subject
• sessiz = adverb
• çalışıyor = verb

Why is sessiz used instead of the adverb form sessizce?
Many Turkish adjectives can function adverbially without an extra suffix when placed directly before a verb. So sessiz çalışıyor (“runs quietly”) is perfectly natural. If you prefer the explicit adverbial suffix, you can say Motor sessizce çalışıyor.
How is the verb çalışıyor formed?

It consists of:

  1. The root çalış- (“to work/run”)
  2. The progressive aspect suffix -ıyor (here a buffer ı
    • yor, following vowel harmony)
  3. The zero ending for 3rd person singular

So çalış + -ıyor = çalışıyor.

Why doesn’t motor have an article like “the” or “a” in Turkish?
Turkish has no definite article. Nouns appear bare whether definite or indefinite. If you want “a motor,” you add bir: Bir motor sessiz çalışıyor.
How do you turn this sentence into a question?

Add the question particle -mu/-mü/-ma/-me after the verb, separated by a space, and adjust for vowel harmony. Here:
Motor sessiz çalışıyor mu?

How do you make it negative to say “The engine is not running quietly”?

Insert the negative suffix -ma/-me before the aspect:

Motor sessiz çalışmıyor.

If you actually want “The engine is not silent” (i.e. it’s noisy), use the copula:
Motor sessiz değil.

What’s the difference between Motor sessiz çalışıyor and Sessiz motor çalışıyor?

• Motor sessiz çalışıyor = “The motor runs quietly” (sessiz as adverb modifying çalışıyor).
• Sessiz motor çalışıyor = “A quiet motor is running” (sessiz as adjective modifying motor).

How does vowel harmony determine the form of the continuous suffix in çalışıyor?

The suffix is written -yor, but a preceding vowel adapts to the last vowel in the root:
• After a back vowel (a, ı, o, u): -ıyor/-uyor
• After a front unrounded vowel (e, i): -iyor
• After a front rounded vowel (ö, ü): -üyor
Since çalış- has a, we get çalışıyor.

How would you express “I operate the motor quietly” in Turkish?

Use the transitive form çalıştır- (“to make work”) and first-person:
Motoru sessiz çalıştırıyorum.

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