……
Breakdown of Şehir simgesi olarak seçilen heykel, meydanda uzun süre duracak.
uzun
long
olarak
as
durmak
to stand
şehir
city
simge
symbol
seçilmek
to be chosen
heykel
statue
meydan
square
süre
time
Questions & Answers about Şehir simgesi olarak seçilen heykel, meydanda uzun süre duracak.
Why is olarak used after şehir simgesi?
Olarak means “as” and marks the role or capacity of something. In şehir simgesi olarak, it literally means “as the city’s symbol.” You attach olarak to a noun or noun phrase whenever you want to say “as [that noun].”
What does seçilen mean and how is it formed?
Seçilen is the passive past participle of seçmek (“to choose”). It describes something “that was chosen.” Morphologically, you take the verb root seç-, add the passive marker -il- (which often drops its vowel), and then the participle ending -en, yielding seçilen: “chosen.”
Why does the participle seçilen come before the noun heykel rather than after it?
In Turkish, verbal adjectives (participles) always precede the noun they modify. So seçilen heykel means “the statue that was chosen.” English relative clauses follow the noun (“the statue that was chosen”), but Turkish uses seçilen + heykel.
Why is there a comma after heykel?
The comma separates the noun phrase şehir simgesi olarak seçilen heykel (the subject) from the main clause meydanda uzun süre duracak (the predicate). In written Turkish, long or complex noun phrases—especially those with participles—are often set off with a comma for clarity.
Why is meydanda (locative case) used instead of meydana (dative case)?
The verb durmak (“to stand; to remain standing”) requires the locative case for the place where something stands. So you say meydanda durmak (“to stand in the square”). The dative meydana would mean “toward the square,” which doesn’t fit with the meaning of “standing” somewhere.
What is the tense of duracak, and what role does uzun süre play?
Duracak is the simple future tense of durmak (“will stand”). The phrase uzun süre (“a long time”) is an adverbial modifier indicating duration, so uzun süre duracak means “will stand for a long time.”
What’s the difference between simge and sembol?
Both mean “symbol,” but simge is native Turkish and more common in everyday use or literary contexts. Sembol comes from French and is also correct, especially in technical or formal settings. In most cases they’re interchangeable.
Could we use kalmak instead of durmak here?
You could say meydanda uzun süre kalacak (“will stay in the square for a long time”), which emphasizes “remaining” there. Duracak focuses on the statue actually “standing” upright. Both are grammatically correct, but each verb highlights a slightly different nuance.
More from this lesson
AI Language TutorTry it ↗
“What's the best way to learn Turkish grammar?”
Turkish grammar becomes intuitive with practice. Focus on understanding the core patterns first — how sentences are structured, how verbs change form, and how words relate to each other. Our course breaks these concepts into small lessons so you can build understanding step by step.
Sign up free — start using our AI language tutor
Start learning TurkishMaster Turkish — from Şehir simgesi olarak seçilen heykel, meydanda uzun süre duracak to fluency
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods.
- ✓ Infinitely deep — unlimited vocabulary and grammar
- ✓ Fast-paced — build complex sentences from the start
- ✓ Unforgettable — efficient spaced repetition system
- ✓ AI tutor to answer your grammar questions