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Questions & Answers about Otobüs belli saatlerde geçiyor.
Why is otobüs not marked with an article like the or a?
Turkish doesn’t use articles. Nouns remain unmarked in the nominative case, and context tells you whether it’s “a bus” or “the bus.” So otobüs simply stands for “bus” without any extra word.
Why is the verb in the present continuous form geçiyor when we’re talking about a regular schedule?
In Turkish, habitual or scheduled actions commonly take the present continuous suffix -iyor. Although English uses the simple present (“the bus passes”), Turkish expresses ongoing or repeated events with -iyor, so geçiyor covers both meanings.
What does belli mean in this sentence?
Here belli means “certain” or “specific.” It describes saatlerde, telling us that the bus passes at particular, pre-determined times, not just at random hours.
Why is it saatlerde instead of saatler or saatte, and what do the suffixes -ler and -de mean?
saat = “hour.”
-ler makes it plural (saatler = “hours” or “times”).
-de is the locative case marker meaning “at,” “on,” or “in.”
So saatlerde literally means “at the hours/times,” i.e. “at those times.”
Why does belli come before saatlerde? Can adjectives follow nouns?
In Turkish, adjectives always precede the noun (or noun phrase) they modify. Since belli qualifies saatlerde, it must come directly in front: belli saatlerde = “at certain times.” Adjectives cannot follow the noun.
Can we use belirli instead of belli? Are they interchangeable?
Yes. Both belli and belirli mean “certain” or “specific.” belirli is slightly more formal or bookish, while belli is more colloquial. You can say Otobüs belirli saatlerde geçiyor with no change in meaning.
Could we use the aorist tense geçer instead of geçiyor? What’s the nuance?
Yes: Otobüs belli saatlerde geçer is grammatically correct. The aorist (-er) gives a general, fact-stating tone (“it passes”), whereas the progressive geçiyor feels more immediate or conversational.
How does subject-verb agreement work here? Why doesn’t geçiyor change if I say otobüsler?
In the present continuous, Turkish does not mark number on the verb for third persons. geçiyor works for both singular and plural subjects. You can optionally add -lar to the verb (geçiyorlar) for emphasis, but it’s not required.
Can we omit the subject otobüs and just say Belli saatlerde geçiyor?
Yes. Turkish often drops the subject when it’s clear from context. Belli saatlerde geçiyor still means “It (the bus) passes at certain times,” with it understood.