Bitkiler oksijen üretiyor.

the plant

Breakdown of Bitkiler oksijen üretiyor.

• üretmek: to produce
• oksijen: the oxygen

Questions & Answers about Bitkiler oksijen üretiyor.

What does the suffix -ler in Bitkiler mean?

The suffix -ler is the plural marker in Turkish. Bitki means plant, so Bitkiler means plants.

Why isn’t there an article like a or the in Bitkiler oksijen üretiyor?

Turkish has no indefinite or definite articles. Whether something is plants or the plants is understood from context rather than by using words like a or the.

Why is oksijen, the object, not in the accusative case (like oksijeni)?

When referring to a substance or an indefinite amount (a general sense of oxygen), Turkish often leaves the object unmarked (zero-marked). Adding the accusative suffix -i (oksijeni) would make it the oxygen (specific).

What does üretmek mean, and how do we get üret-iyor?

Üretmek means to produce. You remove the infinitive ending -mek, take the stem üret-, and add the present-continuous suffix -iyor to form üret-iyor, which means is producing or produce(s).

Why is the present-continuous suffix -iyor and not -ıyor, -uyor, or -üyor?

Turkish vowel harmony applies. The last vowel in üret is e (a front unrounded vowel), so you choose -iyor. The full set is: • -ıyor after back vowels (a, ı)
• -iyor after front unrounded vowels (e, i)
• -uyor after back rounded vowels (o, u)
• -üyor after front rounded vowels (ö, ü)

What’s the difference between Bitkiler oksijen üretir and Bitkiler oksijen üretiyor?

• Bitkiler oksijen üretir uses the simple-present suffix -r to state a general truth: plants produce oxygen.
• Bitkiler oksijen üretiyor uses -iyor (present continuous), which can describe an ongoing or habitual action and often emphasizes the process: plants are producing oxygen (or plants do produce oxygen).

Why doesn’t üret-iyor have -lar for third person plural even though Bitkiler is plural?

In Turkish you only mark plurality once. Since Bitkiler is already plural, the verb üret-iyor doesn’t need -lar. You could say üretiyorlar, but it’s redundant here.

Is Bitkiler oksijen üretiyor fixed in Subject–Object–Verb order? Can I change it?

The neutral word order is Subject–Object–Verb (SOV), so the verb usually goes last. You can front oksijen or bitkiler for emphasis (e.g. Oksijen bitkiler üretiyor), but the verb stays at the end.

How do I pronounce the letter ü in oksijen and üretmek?

Ü is a close front rounded vowel (like the German ü in über). Round your lips as if saying “oo,” but articulate “ee.”