Learn Hardcore Turkish: Güneş batarken gökyüzü kızıl bir ton alıyordu. - As the sun was setting, the sky was taking on a crimson hue.

The suffix -ken attaches to a verb stem to form an adverbial clause meaning “while/as [verb] is happening.” It’s equivalent to English while or as.
Example:
• yemek yerken = “while eating”
• uğraşırken = “as (someone) was working on it”
So güneş batarken means “while the sun was setting.”

What’s the difference between batarken and batınca?

Both derive from batmak (“to set”), but:
• -ken (batarken) = simultaneous/ongoing (“while it was setting”).
• -ınca/-ince (batınca) = “when/once,” marking a point at or after completion.
So:
• Güneş batarken = “as the sun was setting (continuous scene).”
• Güneş batınca = “when the sun set (once it had set).”

What is gökyüzü and how is it formed?

Gökyüzü literally breaks down as:
• gök = “sky”
• yüz = “face”
• -ü = 3rd-person possessive suffix (“its face”)
So gökyüzü = “the sky’s face,” used as the everyday word for “the sky.” You wouldn’t say gök alone to mean “sky.”

Why is bir used in kızıl bir ton alıyordu?

In Turkish bir can function as an indefinite article (“a/an”) as well as the numeral “one.” Here kızıl bir ton means “a shade/tone of crimson.” Without bir, saying kızıl ton sounds like you’re labelling “the red tone,” not introducing “one shade.”

What does kızıl mean? How is it different from kırmızı?

Kırmızı is the standard word for “red.” Kızıl is a more poetic or literary term meaning “crimson” or “reddish,” often used to describe glowing, intense red (like a sunset or embers).

What does ton mean here? Could you use renk instead?

Ton means “shade,” “tint,” or “tone” of a color. It’s more specific than renk (“color”) when you want nuance. Kızıl bir ton = “a crimson shade.” If you said kızıl bir renk, you’d just mean “a red color,” without emphasizing the subtlety of the hue.

What does the phrase ton almak mean, and why use almak (“to take”)?

In Turkish ton almak literally means “to take on a tone,” i.e. to become tinted. It’s a common collocation: the subject “takes” a shade. So the sky almak (“takes”) a red tone. You can think of almak here as “acquire” or “assume.”

Why is the verb alıyordu in the past-progressive tense, not simple past or present?

The form alıyordu = alıyor (present-progressive) + -du (past marker) → past-progressive. It describes an ongoing process in the past (“was taking on”).
• alıyor = “is taking on” (right now)
• aldı = “took on” (completed action)
Using alıyordu emphasizes that the sky’s reddening was gradual and continuous as the sun was setting.

Could we change the word order in this sentence? For example, start with Gökyüzü?

Turkish word order is flexible thanks to case suffixes, but typical storytelling places the time clause first.
• Original: Güneş batarken gökyüzü kızıl bir ton alıyordu.
• Possible: Gökyüzü güneş batarken kızıl bir ton alıyordu.
Both are grammatically correct and mean the same, though the original emphasizes the setting sun before introducing the sky’s color change.