Santral temiz enerji üretiyor.

The power plant produces clean energy.

Breakdown of Santral temiz enerji üretiyor.

• temiz: clean
• enerji: the energy
• üretmek: to produce
• santral: the power plant

Questions & Answers about Santral temiz enerji üretiyor.

What does santral mean in this sentence?

Santral is the Turkish word for power plant or power station—a facility where electricity is generated. It’s borrowed from French centrale but fully integrated into Turkish vocabulary.

Why aren’t there any words for “a” or “the” before santral?

Turkish does not use articles like a/an or the. Definiteness is usually clear from context or marked with the accusative suffix (–i/–ı/–u/–ü) on direct objects. If you specifically want a power plant, you can add bir: bir santral. But for the power plant, you simply say santral and rely on context.

Why doesn’t temiz enerji take an accusative suffix (–i) even though it’s the object of the verb?

In Turkish, you only add the accusative suffix to a direct object when it’s definite or specific. Here temiz enerji refers to clean energy in general (an indefinite, non-specific concept), so the accusative marker is dropped. If you meant the clean energy, you could say temiz enerjiyi.

What is the word order in Santral temiz enerji üretiyor, and why?

This sentence follows the common Turkish structure Subject–Object–Verb (SOV):

1. Santral (Subject)
2. temiz enerji (Object)
3. üretiyor (Verb)
   Turkish sentences typically end with the verb.

What tense is üretiyor, and how does it compare to English?

Üretiyor is the present continuous tense (şimdiki zaman) in Turkish. It corresponds to English is producing. Turkish also uses this form to describe ongoing actions right now.

How would the meaning change if you used üretir instead of üretiyor?

• Santral temiz enerji üretiyor (present continuous): Emphasizes an action happening right now or implies an ongoing process.
• Santral temiz enerji üretir (simple present/geniş zaman): States a general fact or habitual action (“The power plant produces clean energy” as a routine capability). Both are correct, but üretir feels more like a general statement of capability.

How exactly is the present continuous formed for the verb üretmek?

1. Drop the infinitive ending –mek from üretmek, leaving the stem üret.
2. Add the buffer consonant y (needed when the stem ends in a vowel).
3. Attach the continuous tense suffix –(i)yor, with the vowel chosen by harmony.
4. Add the personal ending (for 3rd person singular there is no extra ending).
   Result: üret + i + yor → üretiyor.

Why is the suffix –iyor (not –uyor or –üyor)?

Because of Turkish vowel harmony: the last vowel in üret is e, a front unrounded vowel. The corresponding vowel in the suffix must also be a front unrounded vowel i, so we get –iyor. The y is a buffer to connect the two vowels smoothly.

How would you say this if you meant “Power plants produce clean energy” (plural)?

– Change santral to its plural santraller.
– Turkish often drops the plural marker on the verb with a plural subject, so you can say:
• Santraller temiz enerji üretiyor.
Or to explicitly mark the plural on the verb:
• Santraller temiz enerji üretiyorlar.