Learn Hardcore Turkish: Şarkı viral oldu.

şarkı is the subject of the sentence and appears in the nominative case. In Turkish, the subject of an intransitive verb (like olmak, “to become”) remains unmarked, so you don’t add any suffix to show definiteness or plurality here.

Why isn’t şarkı in the accusative case (e.g., şarkıyı)?

Because olmak is intransitive—it doesn’t take a direct object. Only transitive verbs require the accusative suffix (-ı, -i, -u, -ü) on their objects. Here, “go viral” describes what the song does (a change of state), so şarkı stays in nominative.

What part of speech is viral, and why is it used exactly like that?

viral is an adjective borrowed from English. It behaves like any Turkish adjective: it’s indeclinable (no case or plural suffix) and goes immediately before the verb when used in a predicate. You’ll often see modern tech or internet terms imported directly.

How does the verb olmak work in viral oldu?

Here olmak means “to become.” The structure is:

Adjective (viral) + ol- (to become) + tense/person suffix.
ol stem + -du past tense = oldu (“became”). So viral oldu literally means “became viral.”

What tense and aspect is conveyed by oldu?

-du is the simple past tense suffix in Turkish. Combined with ol-, oldu means “it became” or “it has become.” There’s no separate progressive or perfect—-du covers simple past and a sense of completed action.

Why is the word order şarkı viral oldu and not viral şarkı oldu?

Turkish basic word order is Subject–Object–Verb (SOV). Here:

Subject: şarkı
Predicate adjective: viral
Verb: oldu Swapping viral and şarkı would make it awkward or change the focus.

How would you turn this into a question: “Did the song go viral?”

Insert the question particle mu after the verb, adjusting for vowel harmony: Şarkı viral oldu mu? Note there is a space before mu, and it takes no tense suffix of its own.

Can I use a different adjective instead of viral, for example popüler?

Yes. You could say: Şarkı popüler oldu. That means “The song became popular.” Alternatively, to say “went viral,” you might also hear: Şarkı viralleşti. Here -leş- is a suffix forming a verb meaning “to become viral.”