Kapı rüzgarda salınıyor.

The door is swinging in the wind.

Breakdown of Kapı rüzgarda salınıyor.

• rüzgar: the wind
• kapı: the door
• -da: in
• salınmak: to swing

Questions & Answers about Kapı rüzgarda salınıyor.

What does rüzgarda mean and why is it not just rüzgar?

rüzgar means “wind.” By adding the locative suffix -da, rüzgarda literally means “in/at the wind.” We use the locative case here to express the environment or medium in which the door is swinging: “(the door is swinging) in the wind.”

Can I replace rüzgarda with rüzgarla or rüzgara, and what would change?

Yes—but each case gives a different nuance:

• rüzgarla (instrumental case, suffix -la) = “with/by the wind” (as the instrument or cause).
  Example: Kapı rüzgarla salınıyor. (“The door is swinging by/with the wind.”)
• rüzgara (dative case, suffix -a) = “toward the wind.”
  Example: Kapı rüzgara salınıyor. (“The door is swinging toward the wind.”)
  This usually isn’t what you intend if you mean “in the wind.”

What is the root verb of salınıyor, and how is this form built?

The base verb is salınmak, meaning “to swing” or “to sway.”
Breakdown of salınıyor:

1. salın- = root (intransitive “to swing,” historically the passive of salmak)
2. -ıyor = present continuous tense marker (with vowel harmony)
3. No extra personal ending for 3rd person singular—-ıyor already implies “he/she/it is…”
   So salınıyor = “(it) is swinging.”

What’s the difference between salınmak and sallanmak, since both can mean “to swing”?

Both describe a back-and-forth motion, but:

• sallanmak is the everyday verb for rocking or swinging (e.g. a chair, a cradle).
• salınmak often feels more gentle, poetic or mechanical (e.g. a pendulum, a hanging bridge).
  In many contexts you can use either, but the nuance may differ.

Why doesn’t salınıyor have a separate suffix for “he/she/it”?

In Turkish the present continuous suffix -yor doubles as the 3rd person singular marker. Only 1st and 2nd persons add endings:
• salınıyorum = I am swinging
• salınıyorsun = You are swinging
With just salınıyor, the subject is implicitly “he/she/it.”

Is the word order in Kapı rüzgarda salınıyor fixed? Could I say Rüzgarda kapı salınıyor?

Turkish is relatively free-order because of its case system.

• Neutral: Kapı rüzgarda salınıyor (Subject – Adverbial – Verb)
• Emphasis on the wind: Rüzgarda kapı salınıyor
  Both mean the same, but moving rüzgarda to the front highlights “in the wind.” You can even place elements elsewhere for style or focus, though the neutral word order is most common.