Breakdown of Bu elbise çok dikkat çekiyor.
çok
very
bu
this
elbise
the dress
dikkat çekmek
to draw attention
Elon.io is an online learning platform
We have an entire course teaching Turkish grammar and vocabulary.
Questions & Answers about Bu elbise çok dikkat çekiyor.
Why isn’t dikkat in the accusative case (like dikkati)?
In the idiom dikkat çekmek, dikkat functions as a generic object of çekmek and stays unmarked. If you specify whose attention is being drawn, you do mark it with accusative and a possessor, e.g. insanların dikkatini çekiyor.
Why is çekiyor used instead of the simple present çeker?
In Turkish, the present continuous (–iyor) often covers both ongoing actions and general truths or habits. So çekiyor here means “draws/attracts,” much like the English simple present. Using çeker sounds more formal or hypothetical.
Why doesn’t elbise take the suffix -yi (making elbiseyi)?
Elbise is the subject of the sentence, not a definite direct object. Subjects are in the nominative without suffix. The accusative -yi marks a definite object, which isn’t happening here.
Where does çok fit in word order, and why is it before dikkat çekiyor?
Çok is an adverb modifying the verb phrase dikkat çekiyor, so it precedes the verb. In Turkish, adverbs typically come immediately before the verb they modify.
What type of verb is dikkat çekmek, and how do I conjugate it?
Dikkat çekmek is a compound verb made of the noun dikkat (attention) + the verb çekmek (to pull/attract). You conjugate çekmek normally—dikkat çekiyorum, dikkat çektim, dikkat çekecek, etc.—just keeping dikkat in front.
How can I make this sentence negative or turn it into a question?
Negative:
Bu elbise çok dikkat çekmiyor.
Question: add the interrogative particle -mu after the verb:
Bu elbise çok dikkat çekiyor mu?
Can I express the same idea with an adjective?
Yes. Dikkat çekici means “eye-catching/attention-getting.” You can say:
Bu çok dikkat çekici bir elbise.
or simply
Bu elbise çok dikkat çekici.
Why is the verb çekiyor at the end of the sentence?
Turkish follows a subject-object-verb (SOV) order, so the main verb typically comes last in the clause.