Bu kitap sık sık öğrencilere tavsiye edilir.

This book is often recommended to students.

Breakdown of Bu kitap sık sık öğrencilere tavsiye edilir.

• bu: this
• kitap: the book
• sık sık: often
• öğrenci: the student
• -e: to
• tavsiye edilmek: to be recommended

Questions & Answers about Bu kitap sık sık öğrencilere tavsiye edilir.

Why is the verb tavsiye edilir in the passive voice rather than an active construction?

In Turkish, using the passive (with -il or -in suffix) turns an active sentence (“Birisi bu kitabı öğrencilere tavsiye ediyor”) into an impersonal/general statement. Here, nobody specific is named as the recommender—just the fact that “this book is recommended to students” is conveyed. It’s common when the agent is unknown, unimportant, or obvious from context.

How exactly is the passive formed in tavsiye edilir?

1. Start with the root verb tavsiye et- (“to recommend”).
2. Add the passive suffix -il-: tavsiye + edil- → tavsiye edil-.
3. Add the aorist tense/mood marker -ir (for general/habitual actions): tavsiye edil-ir.
4. Conjugate or leave unmarked for third person plural/impersonal: tavsiye edilir.

What tense or aspect is indicated by -ir in tavsiye edilir, and why use it here?

The suffix -ir marks the aorist (general/habitual) tense in Turkish. It describes actions that happen regularly, generally or as a fact. Here, tavsiye edilir means “is (routinely) recommended” rather than “is being recommended right now,” which would use the present continuous tavsiye ediliyor.

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

sık by itself can mean “frequent” or “dense.” When doubled as sık sık, it becomes an adverb meaning “often” or “frequently.” Reduplication like this is common in Turkish to intensify or generalize an adverb.

Could I use sıkça instead of sık sık?

Yes. sıkça is a single-word adverb meaning “often” as well. So you could say
“Bu kitap sıkça öğrencilere tavsiye edilir.”
Both sık sık and sıkça are correct; sık sık is a bit more colloquial.

Why is öğrencilere in the dative case here?

In passive sentences that imply “to someone,” the recipient is expressed with the dative case (-e/-a). The original active verb tavsiye etmek takes a direct object (the thing being recommended) and an indirect object (the person). In the passive, the thing becomes the subject/topic, and the person stays in dative: öğrencilere = “to students.”

Is the word order fixed, or can I say “Öğrencilere bu kitap sık sık tavsiye edilir”?

Turkish has flexible word order thanks to case endings, but information structure (topic-focus) guides choices.

• “Bu kitap sık sık öğrencilere tavsiye edilir.”
  (Topic: Bu kitap; Comment: sık sık öğrencilere tavsiye edilir.)
• “Öğrencilere bu kitap sık sık tavsiye edilir.”
  (Topic: Öğrencilere; Comment: bu kitap sık sık tavsiye edilir.)
  Both are grammatically correct, but the emphasis shifts. The first version emphasizes this book; the second emphasizes to students.

Can you show me the active equivalent of this sentence?

Sure. An active form naming the agent might be:
“Öğretmenler bu kitabı sık sık öğrencilere tavsiye ediyor.”
Here öğretmenler (teachers) is the subject, tavsiye ediyor is the present continuous active form.