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Questions & Answers about Dalgıç denizde çalışıyor.
What is the role of the suffix -de in denizde?
The suffix -de is the locative case marker in Turkish. It corresponds to English “in,” “on,” or “at.” You attach it directly to the noun (without a space or apostrophe) and adjust it for vowel harmony. Here, deniz (sea) + -de → denizde, meaning “in the sea.”
How do we form the present continuous tense as in çalışıyor?
Turkish expresses the present continuous with three parts:
- Verb stem: çalış- (to work)
- Continuous suffix: -ıyor (varies as -ıyor, -iyor, -uyor, -üyor by vowel harmony)
- Person ending: - (for 3rd person singular there is no extra suffix)
Put together: çalış- + ıyor + Ø = çalışıyor, meaning “(he/she/it) is working.”
Why is there no article “the” or “a” before dalgıç or denizde?
Turkish has no separate words for “the” or “a/an.” Nouns stand alone, and you rely on context or additional words (like bir for “a/an”) to indicate indefiniteness if needed. Here, Dalgıç denizde çalışıyor simply means “(A) diver is working in the sea,” or “The diver is working in the sea,” depending on context.
Do we ever need to include a subject pronoun in Turkish?
No—Turkish verbs carry person information in their endings. In çalışıyor, the lack of a 1st or 2nd person ending tells you it’s 3rd person singular. You only add the pronoun (e.g. o for “he/she/it”) if you need to emphasize or clarify the subject.
Why does the verb come at the end of the sentence?
Turkish generally follows a Subject–Object–Verb (SOV) word order. Any adverbials or case-marked phrases (like denizde for location) also precede the verb. So you get Dalgıç (subject) + denizde (location adverbial) + çalışıyor (verb).
How do you pronounce dalgıç, especially the letter ğ?
In Turkish, ğ (called yumuşak ge) is not pronounced like a regular “g.” Instead, it lengthens the preceding vowel slightly and then vanishes. So dalgıç is pronounced roughly as [dal-uhch], with a long a and a soft ch sound at the end.