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Questions & Answers about Hava giderek ısınıyor.
What does giderek mean in this sentence and how is it used?
Giderek is an adverb meaning “gradually,” “increasingly,” or “more and more.” It modifies the verb ısınıyor to show that the warming happens step by step. In Turkish, adverbs like giderek usually precede the verb they describe.
Why is there a y in ısınıyor? Is that part of the verb root?
The verb root here is ısın- (to get warm). The present-continuous suffix is -yor. Since ısın- ends in a vowel, Turkish inserts the buffer consonant y before -yor to avoid two vowels in a row. Vowel harmony then keeps -yor unchanged (because ı is a back vowel): ısın-y-or → ısınıyor.
Why isn’t there a subject pronoun (“it” or “the weather”) in the sentence?
Turkish is a pro-drop language: subject pronouns are often omitted when the verb ending already indicates person and number. Here -yor is third-person singular, so “hava” (the weather) is understood as the subject without needing o.
What’s the difference between ısınmak and ısıtmak?
Isınmak is intransitive: “to become warm” or “to get hot.”
Isıtmak is transitive: “to warm (something) up” or “to heat.”
So hava ısınıyor means “the weather is getting warmer,” not “someone is warming the weather.”
Can I move giderek to another place in the sentence?
Yes. Turkish adverbs are relatively flexible. You could say:
- Giderek hava ısınıyor. (adverb fronted)
- Hava giderek ısınıyor. (adverb before the verb)
Putting giderek at the end (e.g. Hava ısınıyor giderek.) sounds odd, so stick to before the verb or at the very beginning.
Are there other ways to express “gradually” besides giderek?
Certainly. Common synonyms are:
- gitgide (informal, everyday)
- gittikçe (colloquial)
- yavaş yavaş (“slowly, little by little”)
Examples: - Hava gitgide ısınıyor.
- Hava gittikçe ısınıyor.
- Hava yavaş yavaş ısınıyor.
What’s the nuance difference between giderek and gittikçe?
Both mean “gradually, increasingly.”
- Giderek feels slightly more formal or literary.
- Gittikçe is more colloquial and common in speech.
You can use either without changing the basic meaning.
Why is the verb in the present continuous (ısınıyor) rather than simple present (ısınır)?
Turkish uses the present-continuous to describe ongoing processes and changing states. Isınır would be a general truth (“it gets warm” as a habit), whereas ısınıyor emphasizes that the warming is happening right now and is in progress.
Could I say Hava giderek daha sıcak oluyor instead?
Yes, that’s a natural alternative. Daha sıcak oluyor literally means “becomes hotter,” so Hava giderek daha sıcak oluyor also translates as “The weather is gradually getting hotter.” It uses olmak (to be/become) instead of ısınmak.