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Questions & Answers about Ben kapıyı kilitliyorum.
What does the ending in kilitliyorum mean?
It’s the present continuous in the 1st person singular.
- Verb stem: kilitle- (to lock)
- Present continuous: -iyor (becomes -iyor/-ıyor/-üyor/-uyor by vowel harmony)
- 1st person singular: -um
- Contraction: kilitle- + -iyor + -um → kilitliyorum So kilitliyorum means “I am locking.”
Why is it kilitliyorum and not kilitleiyorum or kilitiyorum?
When a stem ending in -le/-la takes -iyor, the vowels contract: -le + -iyor → -liyor.
- Examples: bekle- → bekliyorum, temizle- → temizliyorum Thus, kilitle- + -iyor → kilitliyor, plus -um → kilitliyorum.
Do I have to say Ben, or can I drop it?
You can drop it. The ending -um already tells us the subject is “I.”
- Neutral: Kapıyı kilitliyorum.
- With emphasis on the subject: Ben kapıyı kilitliyorum. (It’s me who’s locking it.)
Why is it kapıyı and not kapı?
Because it’s a definite/specific direct object, so you use the accusative suffix -(y)ı/i/u/ü by vowel harmony.
- kapı + -(y)ı → kapıyı If the object were non-specific/indefinite, you would not use the accusative: bir kapı kilitliyorum (“I am locking a door,” unusual but grammatical).
What is the “y” doing in kapıyı?
It’s a buffer consonant. When a word ends in a vowel and a suffix starting with a vowel follows, Turkish inserts y to prevent a vowel clash:
- kapı + ı → kapıyı (not “kapıı”)
How does word order work here? Can I move things around?
Default Turkish word order is Subject–Object–Verb.
- Neutral: Ben kapıyı kilitliyorum.
- Subject focus: Kapıyı ben kilitliyorum. (“It’s me who is locking the door.”)
- Object focus: Ben kapıyı kilitliyorum. (placing the object before the verb already gives it prominence) Putting the object after the verb (e.g., Ben kilitliyorum kapıyı) is possible as an afterthought in speech but is not the neutral pattern.
Does kilitliyorum mean “right now,” or can it be habitual?
It primarily means “right now/at the moment” (in progress). For habitual, Turkish uses the aorist:
- Habitual: Kapıyı kilitlerim. (“I lock the door [as a habit].”) The present continuous can also express an immediate intention: Kapıyı kilitliyorum can mean “I’ll lock it now (I’m on it).”
How do I make this negative or ask a question?
- Negative: Ben kapıyı kilitlemiyorum. (“I am not locking the door.”)
- Yes/no question: Ben kapıyı kilitliyor muyum? (“Am I locking the door?”) Note the question particle mu/mi/mu/mü is separate and follows vowel harmony: kilitliyor muyum.
What’s the infinitive of kilitliyorum?
kilitlemek (“to lock”). Common forms:
- Past: kilitledim (“I locked”)
- Future: kilitleyeceğim (“I will lock”)
- Ability: kilitleyebilirim (“I can lock”)
How do I say “I am locking it” without repeating “door”?
Use the 3rd person accusative pronoun onu:
- Onu kilitliyorum. (“I am locking it.”)
What’s the difference between i and the dotless ı in kapıyı?
They are different vowels:
- i: like English “machine” [i]
- ı: a back, unrounded vowel, somewhat like the vowel in “roses” or a schwa but farther back [ɯ] Pronunciation:
- kapıyı ≈ [ka-pɯ-yɯ]
- kilitliyorum ≈ [ki-lit-li-jo-rum]
Where is the stress in these words?
- Verbs with -yor take primary stress on the syllable before -yor: ki-lit-LI-yo-rum
- Nouns are usually stressed on the last syllable, so: ka-pı-YI
Is kilitliyorum related to the adjective kilitli (“locked”)?
They’re related but not the same.
- kilitli = “locked” (adjective): Kapı kilitli. (“The door is locked.”)
- kilitle- = “to lock” (verb): Kapıyı kilitliyorum. (“I am locking the door.”)
Why isn’t there a consonant change in kapıyı (like p→b)?
Consonant voicing (e.g., kitap → kitabı) happens when a noun ends in a voiceless consonant and takes a vowel-initial suffix. Kapı ends with a vowel, so no change: kapı → kapıyı (the p stays p).
Are there other verbs that behave like kilitlemek in the present continuous?
Yes, many -le/-la verbs contract to -liyor/-lıyor:
- beklemek → bekliyorum
- temizlemek → temizliyorum
- hazırlamak → hazırlıyorum (with -la/-la- inside the stem) The key idea is the -le/-la segment merges smoothly with -iyor.