Eleman makineyi tamir ediyor.

The employee is repairing the machine.

Breakdown of Eleman makineyi tamir ediyor.

• tamir etmek: to repair
• -yi: accusative
• makine: the machine
• eleman: the employee

Questions & Answers about Eleman makineyi tamir ediyor.

What does the suffix -yi in makineyi indicate?

-yi is the accusative case suffix marking a definite direct object. In Turkish, you attach -ı/-i/-u/-ü (adjusted by vowel harmony) plus a buffer consonant y after vowel-final stems to show that the object is specific. Since makine ends in the front vowel e, the form becomes makine + -yi → makineyi (“the machine”).

Why doesn’t eleman take any suffix? Don’t subjects get a case marker?

Turkish subjects normally remain in the nominative case, which is unmarked. The role of “subject” is signaled by word order (Subject–Object–Verb) and by verb agreement (the personal ending on the verb). So eleman stays bare to show it’s the subject (“the worker”).

What exactly does eleman mean? Is it “employee,” “worker,” or something else?

Eleman literally means “staff member” or “worker.” It’s a general term for someone employed to do a job. If you want to say “mechanic,” you’d more precisely use tamirci (repair person) or teknisyen (technician).

Why is the action expressed as tamir ediyor instead of just tamir?

Tamir by itself is a noun (“repair”). To turn it into a verb, Turkish uses the light verb etmek (“to do”) and then adds tense/aspect endings. So tamir etmek means “to repair.” In the present continuous, etmek becomes ediyor, giving tamir ediyor (“is repairing”).

How do you form the present continuous tense in Turkish?

The pattern is:

1. Remove -mek/-mak from the infinitive → verb stem.
2. Add -(i)yor (or -uyor/-üyor/-uyor by vowel harmony).
3. Add the personal suffix (e.g. -um for “I,” none for 3rd person singular).
   Example with etmek:
   et- + -iyor + Ø(3sg) → ediyor
   Hence: tamir etmek → tamir ediyor.

Why does et- + -iyor become ediyor and not etiyor?

In Turkish phonology, a voiceless consonant like t between two vowels often voices to d. So et- + -iyor (t + i) assimilates to ediyor. This is a regular sound-change rule.

Can I change the word order to Makineyi eleman tamir ediyor?

Yes, Turkish allows some flexibility. The neutral order is Subject–Object–Verb (Eleman makineyi tamir ediyor). Placing makineyi first emphasizes “the machine” (contrast or focus). Without context it might sound marked, but it’s grammatically correct.

How would I say it without specifying which machine? (“A machine” instead of “the machine”)

Omit the accusative suffix to leave the object indefinite. You can even add plural if you mean “machines”:

• Singular indefinite: Eleman makine tamir ediyor (“The worker is repairing a machine”).
• Plural indefinite: Eleman makineler tamir ediyor (“The worker is repairing machines”).

How do I make the sentence negative or turn it into past tense?

Negative present continuous: insert -m before -iyor → etmiyor.
• Eleman makineyi tamir etmiyor. (“The worker is not repairing the machine.”)
Past tense (simple past): use -di on the verb stem (with consonant doubling if needed) → etti.
• Eleman makineyi tamir etti. (“The worker repaired the machine.”)