Breakdown of Sabunlu su pencereleri temizliyor.
Questions & Answers about Sabunlu su pencereleri temizliyor.
The suffix -lu (with vowel-harmony variants -lı, -li, -lü) means “with” or “having.”
- sabun = soap
- sabun-lu = “with soap,” i.e. “soapy”
- sabunlu su = “soapy water”
Turkish marks the direct object with the accusative suffix -ı/-i/-u/-ü, while the subject in a simple sentence remains in the nominative (no suffix).
- pencereleri = pencereler (windows) + accusative -i, so it’s the object (“the windows”)
- sabunlu su has no case ending, so it’s the subject (“soapy water”)
Because the subject sabunlu su is singular, the verb agrees with it. In Turkish you don’t need a separate pronoun if the ending makes the person clear. Here:
- temizle- (stem “to clean”)
- -iyor (present-continuous, 3rd p. sg. has no extra ending)
→ temizliyor = “(it) is cleaning”
- Take the verb stem (for temizlemek, the stem is temizle-)
- Add the progressive suffix -iyor/-ıyor/-üyor/-uyor (vowel harmony)
- Add the personal ending (only 1st and 2nd persons have distinct endings)
Example for temizlemek:- 1 sg: temizliyorum (“I am cleaning”)
- 3 sg: temizliyor (“he/she/it is cleaning”)
Turkish follows SOV (Subject–Object–Verb). Here:
- Subject: Sabunlu su
- Object: pencereleri
- Verb: temizliyor
When you talk about specific, definite windows (not just “windows in general”), you add the accusative marker -i after the plural -ler:
- pencereler = “windows” (general, indefinite)
- pencereleri = “the windows” (definite, direct object)
You would introduce yourself as the agent and use ile for “with”:
Sabunlu su ile pencereleri temizliyorum.
- Sabunlu su ile = “with soapy water”
- pencereleri = “the windows” (accusative)
- temizliyorum = “I am cleaning”
Active: Sabunlu su pencereleri temizliyor.
- Subject (soapy water) does the action.
Passive: Pencereler temizleniyor. - No explicit agent; “The windows are being cleaned.”
Turkish has no separate words for “a/an/the.”
- Definiteness is shown by context and by adding the accusative suffix -ı/-i/-u/-ü to direct objects.
- Indefiniteness can be implied or reinforced by words like bir (“one/a”), e.g. bir pencere = “a window.”