Learn Hardcore Turkish: Gece sessiz olunca yıldızlar daha net görünür. - When the night is silent, the stars appear more clearly.

The suffix -ınca (with its vowel-harmonized forms -ince/-unca/-ünce) is a temporal conjunction equivalent to when in English. It attaches to verb stems (or “become” verbs) to form “when X happens”. In olunca, ol- is the verb root “to be”, and -unca gives “when it is/becomes…”.

Why do we need to add ol- after the adjective sessiz before attaching -ınca?

Because -ınca can only attach to verb stems, not adjectives directly. To express “when quiet,” you turn sessiz (adjective quiet) into a verb with sessiz olmak (to be quiet). Then you get sessiz ol- + -unca = sessiz olunca (“when it is quiet”).

Why is the verb görünür in the aorist tense instead of the present continuous görünüyor?

Turkish uses the aorist (suffix -ur/-ür) for general truths or habitual facts. Here, yıldızlar daha net görünür states a general observation: “stars appear clearer [in that condition]”. If you used görünüyor, it would focus on a single, ongoing moment (e.g. “the stars are appearing clearer right now”).

Why is the verb form görünür used with the plural subject yıldızlar? Shouldn't it be görünürler?

In Turkish, verbs do not agree in number with their subjects (except for 2nd person). The 3rd person aorist suffix -ur covers he/she/it and they, so we say görünür, never görünürler.

What is the role of daha in daha net görünür?

Daha is the comparative adverb meaning more. It combines with the adjective net (clear) to form “more clear/clearer.” Thus daha net görünür translates as “appear clearer.”

Why isn’t gece marked with a case ending like gecede (locative) in gece sessiz olunca?

In subordinate temporal clauses formed with -ınca/-ince, time expressions often stay in the nominative (bare) form. Gece sessiz olunca literally means “when night is quiet.” You could say gecede sessiz olunca, but it sounds redundant and is less common in this structure.

Can we replace sessiz olunca with sessizlik olunca or sessiz olduğunda, and what’s the difference?

Yes:

sessizlik olunca uses the noun sessizlik (silence) + olunca, giving “when silence occurs.” It’s correct but a bit more abstract.
sessiz olduğunda uses the longer temporal form -dığında/-duğunda (when it is), with the same basic meaning as sessiz olunca, but slightly more formal or emphatic.

What is the difference between sessiz and sessizce?

Sessiz is an adjective meaning quiet (a state).
Sessizce is an adverb formed with -ce/-ça, meaning quietly, in a quiet manner, used to describe how an action is done (e.g. sessizce konuşmak = to speak quietly). You wouldn’t say sessizce olunca because -ınca needs the adjectival sessiz, not the adverb sessizce.

Why is the subordinate clause gece sessiz olunca placed before the main clause yıldızlar daha net görünür? Could we reverse the order?

Turkish typically places temporal/conditional clauses before the main clause, so subordinate → main is the default. Reversing it to “Yıldızlar daha net görünür gece sessiz olunca” is grammatically possible but sounds awkward or poetic rather than natural.