Learn Hardcore Turkish: Parkta çeşmeden su akıyor. - Water is flowing from the fountain in the park.

parkta is in the locative case, meaning “in” or “at.” To form it, you attach -da/-de to the noun, adjusting for vowel harmony and consonant assimilation.

“Park” ends with the back vowel a, so you pick -ta (not -te).
Because p is voiceless, the d of -da becomes t, giving parkta (“in/at the park”).

What case is çeşmeden in, and how is the ablative suffix formed?

çeşmeden is in the ablative case, meaning “from.” You attach -dan/-den to the noun, again following vowel harmony and assimilation rules:

“Çeşme” ends with the front vowel e, so you choose -den (not -dan).
There is no voicing change here, so çeşme + den = çeşmeden (“from the fountain”).

What does akıyor express in terms of tense and aspect?

akıyor is the present continuous form of the intransitive verb akmak (“to flow”). You take the stem ak- and add the progressive suffix -ıyor (where I is selected by vowel harmony). It indicates that the action is happening right now—i.e. “(water) is flowing.”

Why is there no article before su? How do I say some water or the water in Turkish?

Turkish does not use articles like “the” or “a/an.” su by itself can mean water in general or “the water” as understood from context.

To say some water, you use biraz su (“a little water”).
To specify the water more clearly, you rely on context or add demonstratives like o su (“that water”).

What exactly is çeşme? Does it mean fountain or tap?

çeşme refers to a water spout or fountain, often public or decorative. It can be a stone-pulled fountain in a square or simply a tap/spigot, especially outdoors or in a garden. In everyday usage, it covers both “public fountain” and “outdoor tap.”

Could I say su akar instead of su akıyor? What’s the difference?

Yes. su akar is the simple present (“water flows”) and generally describes habitual or universal truths (for example, water flows downhill). su akıyor (present continuous) emphasizes that the water is flowing right now, at this very moment.

Why is the word order Parkta çeşmeden su akıyor? Can it be rearranged?

Turkish typically follows Subject–Object–Verb order, but adverbials like location (parkta) and source (çeşmeden) come before the subject (su), with the verb (akıyor) at the end. You could shift elements for emphasis (e.g. Çeşmeden parkta su akıyor), but the neutral sequence is:
1) location, 2) source, 3) subject, 4) verb.

What’s the difference between parkta çeşmeden and parktaki çeşmeden?

parkta çeşmeden uses the locative -ta and means “from a fountain in the park,” stating the location of the fountain.
parktaki çeşmeden uses the relative suffix -ki and means “from the fountain that is in the park,” specifying which fountain you mean.