Elon.io is an online learning platform
We have an entire course teaching Turkish grammar and vocabulary.
Questions & Answers about Şehir merkezindeki viyadük, nehirin iki yakasını birbirine bağlıyor.
In the phrase şehir merkezindeki viyadük, what do the suffixes -nde and -ki add to şehir merkezi, and how do they combine?
- şehir merkezi is a compound meaning “city center.”
- Adding -nde (locative) yields şehir merkezinde = “in the city center.”
- Then -ki is a relative-pronoun suffix meaning “that which is …,” so şehir merkezindeki literally means “the one that is in the city center.”
- All together, şehir merkezindeki viyadük = “the viaduct that is in the city center.”
How does nehirin iki yakasını express “the two banks of the river”? Explain the suffixes and their order.
Breakdown of nehirin iki yakasını:
- nehir (“river”) + -in (genitive) → nehirin (“of the river”)
- iki (“two”) directly modifies yaka (“bank”) → iki yaka (“two banks”)
• Note: after numerals like iki, you do not add the plural suffix -lar/-ler. - yaka
- -sı (3rd-person possessive) → yakası (“its bank”)
- Because we have a definite object (“the river’s two banks”), we add the accusative -nı → yakasını
Putting it together: nehirin (genitive) iki yakası (possessive)nı (accusative) = “the two banks of the river” as a definite direct object.
What is birbirine in nehirin iki yakasını birbirine bağlıyor, and why is it used?
- birbir = “each other” (reciprocal pronoun)
- -ne = dative suffix (“to”)
- Together birbir-ne = “to each other.”
In bağlamak (“to connect”), when you connect A and B together, you say “A ile B’yi birbirine bağlamak”: literally “to connect A and B to each other.” Here, the viaduct is connecting the two banks mutually, so we use birbirine to show that reciprocal connection.
Why is the verb bağlıyor in the present‐continuous form instead of the simple present bağlar?
- Turkish aorist -r (bağlar) often expresses habitual or general truths (“it habitually connects”).
- The continuous -iyor (bağlıyor) can describe an action or state that is ongoing or currently valid.
Saying viyadük … bağlıyor emphasizes that the viaduct is actively serving the function of connecting the banks right now, which sounds more natural for a physical structure in use.
Why is there no explicit pronoun like o before bağlıyor?
Turkish verbs carry person and number information in their endings. -yor + zero ending = 3rd person singular, so bağlıyor already means “he/she/it connects.” Adding o (“it”) would be redundant unless you want special emphasis or contrast.
Could one say şehrin merkezindeki viyadük instead of şehir merkezindeki viyadük? Are they the same?
Yes. şehrin merkezindeki uses the genitive şehir-in (“of the city”) + merkezindeki, literally “in the center of the city.” şehir merkezi is just a fixed compound, so şehir merkezindeki and şehrin merkezindeki both mean “in the city center.” The first is slightly more compact; the second is more explicitly “the city’s center.”
In what order do the elements viyadük, nehirin iki yakasını, birbirine, bağlıyor appear, and is that order fixed?
Basic Turkish word order is S-O-(adverbials)-V. Here:
• S = şehir merkezindeki viyadük
• O = nehirin iki yakasını
• adverbial = birbirine
• V = bağlıyor
You could rearrange adverbials for emphasis (e.g. place birbirine before the object), but the default S-O-Adv-V order is most neutral.