Learn Hardcore Turkish: Avokadolar olgunlaştıkça aroması artıyor. - As avocados ripen, their aroma increases.

-dikçe creates a subordinate clause meaning “as…” or “whenever…”. You take the verb root (olgunlaş “to ripen”), apply vowel and consonant harmony, and add -tıkça → olgunlaştıkça (“as it ripens”).

Why is avokadolar plural and how is that marked?

The base noun avokado (“avocado”) takes the plural suffix -lar (or -ler depending on vowel harmony). Here it’s avokadolar = “avocados.”

Why is aroması singular when referring to multiple avocados?

Turkish often speaks of each item’s individual characteristic in the singular. Aroması has a third-person singular possessive suffix (-sı) meaning “its aroma.” So even though there are many avocados, you say “the (each) avocado’s aroma increases.”

What function does the suffix -sı serve in aroması?

It’s the third-person singular possessive suffix. Aroma + -sı = aroması, literally “its aroma,” indicating possession by “the avocado.”

Why is artıyor in the present continuous tense when this is a general fact?

In Turkish, the -yor suffix (present continuous) also marks habitual or general truths. So artıyor can mean “it increases (as a rule),” not only “it’s increasing right now.”

How does the word order work in this sentence?

Turkish often follows Subject–Object–Verb, but adverbial clauses like olgunlaştıkça (“as it ripens”) can come first. The main clause aroması artıyor then follows (subject aroması → verb artıyor).

Can I use -dikçe with other verbs to express “as something happens”?

Yes. Attach the appropriate vowel-harmonized form of -dikçe to other verb stems:
• ders çalıştıkça (“as you study”)
• hava ısındıkça (“as the weather warms up”)
• gördükçe (“as you see [it]”)

How does vowel harmony affect suffix choices like -lar vs -ler and the forms of -dikçe?

Turkish suffix vowels match the last vowel of the stem:
• For -lar/-ler: if the noun has a back vowel (a, ı, o, u), use -lar; if a front vowel (e, i, ö, ü), use -ler.
• For -dikçe variants (–dıkça/–dikçe/–tıkça/–tikçe): the vowel in -dikçe follows the same back/front harmony rules, and initial consonant may change (d→t) to match voicing. Example: olgunlaş-a (back vowel) → -tıkça → olgunlaştıkça.