Kuvvetli rüzgarda ağaç dalları sallanıyor.

Tree branches are swaying in the strong wind.

Breakdown of Kuvvetli rüzgarda ağaç dalları sallanıyor.

• rüzgar: the wind
• ağaç: the tree
• -da: in
• sallanmak: to sway
• dal: the branch
• kuvvetli: strong

Questions & Answers about Kuvvetli rüzgarda ağaç dalları sallanıyor.

What is the function and translation of kuvvetli?

kuvvetli is an adjective meaning strong or powerful. It modifies the noun rüzgar, so kuvvetli rüzgar translates to “strong wind.” In Turkish, adjectives come directly before the noun and do not take case endings themselves.

What case is rüzgarda, and why is the suffix -da chosen (not -dan or -ta)?

rüzgarda breaks down as rüzgar (wind) + locative -da, giving “in/under the wind.”

• We use -da (locative) to express “in” or “at” something (here “in strong wind”).
• It is not -dan, which is the ablative case meaning “from.”
• The consonant is d (not t) because the final consonant of rüzgar is voiced (r), so voiced assimilation keeps d.
• The vowel is a (not e/i/u) to match the last vowel a in rüzgar (vowel harmony).

Why is ağaç uninflected before dalları instead of using the genitive?

When a noun modifies another noun in a general or non-specific sense, Turkish uses the bare form of the modifier.

• ağaç dalları means “tree branches” (generic) with ağaç unmarked.
• If you wanted “branches of the tree” (a particular tree), you would say ağacın dalları (genitive -ın on ağaç
  • possessive -ı on dalları).

What does the suffix -ları on dalları represent?

dalları is made of dal (branch) + plural -lar + third-person singular possessive -ı.

• dallar = branches (plural)
• -ı = its or of it (3 SG possession)
  So ağaç dalları literally means “its branches of a tree”, i.e. “tree branches.”

What tense/aspect does sallanıyor express, and how is it formed?

sallanıyor = sallan- (to sway) + present continuous suffix -ıyor + zero ending (3 SG).

• sallanıyor means “(it/they) are swaying.”
• We choose -ıyor (not -iyor, -uyor, or -üyor) because the last vowel in sallan- is a (vowel harmony).

Why is there no article or explicit subject pronoun in the sentence?

1. Turkish has no definite/indefinite articles like “the” or “a.” Nouns are indefinite by default; you can add bir (a/an) for emphasis.
2. Subject pronouns (o, onlar, etc.) are often dropped because the verb ending already shows person and number. Here, the zero ending on -yor implies third person plural (branches).

What is the typical word order in this sentence?

Turkish generally follows Subject-Object-Verb (SOV), with adverbials (time, place, manner) coming before the subject. Here the pattern is:

1. Kuvvetli rüzgarda (adverbial phrase)
2. ağaç dalları (subject)
3. sallanıyor (verb)

Could we use rüzgarla instead of rüzgarda, and what would change?

Yes. rüzgarla = rüzgar + instrumental -la, meaning “with/by the wind.”

• kuvvetli rüzgarla ağaç dalları sallanıyor would be “Tree branches are swaying by/with strong wind.”
• -da (locative) stresses condition or location (“in strong wind”), while -la (instrumental) stresses instrument or cause (“by means of the wind”).