Resmi belgeler arşivde saklanıyor.

Official documents are kept in the archive.

Breakdown of Resmi belgeler arşivde saklanıyor.

• belge: the document
• -de: in
• resmi: official
• arşiv: the archive
• saklanmak: to be kept

Questions & Answers about Resmi belgeler arşivde saklanıyor.

What is the function of the suffix -de in arşivde, and why is it -de instead of -da?

The suffix -de is the locative case ending, which corresponds to English “in/at.” It tells you where something happens:

• arşiv (archive) + -de → arşivde (in the archive)

It appears as -de rather than -da because of vowel harmony. The last vowel in arşiv is i, a front vowel, so you must use the front-vowel variant -de.

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Why does saklanıyor have an -n- before -ıyor, and what tense is this?

There are two pieces here:

1. -n- is the passive-voice marker. It turns sakla- (“to store/keep”) into saklan- (“to be stored/kept”).
2. -ıyor is the present continuous tense suffix (roughly “is …ing”).

So saklanıyor literally means “is being stored” (passive + continuous).

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What is the dictionary form (infinitive) of saklanıyor?

The dictionary form of the passive is saklanmak.
Breakdown:

• sakla- (verb stem)
• -n- (passive)
• -mak (infinitive ending)
  Together: saklanmak (“to be stored/kept”).

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Why is there no article the or a in Resmi belgeler arşivde saklanıyor?

Turkish does not have definite or indefinite articles like the/a. Nouns appear without any article, and context or word order often tells you whether it’s definite. Here Resmi belgeler can mean “(the) official documents” or “official documents” in general.

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How does word order work in this sentence, and why is Resmi belgeler at the beginning?

Turkish is typically Subject–Object–Verb (SOV), but it also often starts with the topic. In
Resmi belgeler arşivde saklanıyor
“Official documents” is both the grammatical subject (in a passive clause) and the topic, so it naturally comes first. The verb saklanıyor comes last.

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Why isn’t the verb marked for plural as saklanıyorlar when belgeler is plural?

In Turkish, the 3rd person plural suffix on verbs (-lar/-ler) is optional, especially in the passive or with clear plural subjects.

• saklanıyor = “(they) are being stored”
• saklanıyorlar = “they are being stored” (more emphatic)
  Most speakers simply use saklanıyor even if the subject is plural.

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Could I use the simple present (aorist) instead of the present continuous here? How would that change the meaning?

Yes. The aorist present uses -r:
Resmi belgeler arşivde saklanır.
This means “Official documents are (generally) stored in the archive” – a more general truth or habitual statement.
By contrast, saklanıyor can imply “right now, documents are being stored” or simply a current state (“documents are stored”).

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How would I mention who is doing the storing, if I wanted to say “Official documents are stored by the archivist”?

In a passive sentence you add the agent with tarafından (“by”):
Resmi belgeler arşivci tarafından arşivde saklanıyor.
Literally: “Official documents are being stored in the archive by the archivist.”

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What is the difference between saklamak and saklanmak?

• saklamak is the active verb “to store/keep” and takes a direct object.
• saklanmak is derived with the passive/reflexive -n-. It can mean:
  
  1. Passive: “to be stored/kept” (as in our sentence).
  2. Reflexive: “to hide oneself.”
     In Resmi belgeler arşivde saklanıyor, saklanmak is purely passive: “documents are being kept/stored.”