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Questions & Answers about Bugün batı rüzgarı esiyor.
What does the ending -ı in rüzgarı mean here? Is it the accusative?
No. It’s the 3rd‑person possessive ending used in an indefinite noun compound (belirtisiz isim tamlaması): X Y-ı/‑i/‑u/‑ü ≈ “Y of X” as a set phrase or type. So batı rüzgarı = “(the) west/westerly wind.”
- Other examples: okul çantası (school bag), deniz suyu (sea water), kış rüzgarı (winter wind).
- It is the subject here, not an object. The -ı is not accusative in this sentence.
Could I say Bugün batıdan rüzgar esiyor instead? What’s the nuance?
Yes. batı rüzgarı names the type of wind (a “westerly”), while batıdan rüzgar highlights the direction of origin (“wind from the west”). Both are natural. You can even omit the noun in context: Bugün batıdan esiyor (“It’s blowing from the west today.”).
Why is it esiyor and not eser?
- esiyor is present continuous (-iyor): happening now.
- eser is the aorist: habitual/general truth. Example: Yazın batı rüzgarı eser (In summer the west wind blows [habitually]). Bugün batı rüzgarı esiyor (It’s blowing now).
Where is the subject pronoun? Why isn’t there an o?
Turkish is pro‑drop: verb endings already mark person/number, so subject pronouns are usually omitted unless emphasized. With weather verbs, subjects are almost never stated. Esiyor alone can mean “It’s windy/It’s blowing.”
Can I change the word order, e.g., Batı rüzgarı bugün esiyor?
Yes. Common options:
- Bugün batı rüzgarı esiyor. (neutral, time first)
- Batı rüzgarı bugün esiyor. (slight emphasis on the subject) Keep the finite verb last for neutral style. Variants like Bugün esiyor batı rüzgarı are poetic/special emphasis, not standard speech.
Do I need bir for “a west wind”?
No. Turkish doesn’t require an article for an indefinite subject here, and the compound already feels generic. You can add bir to single out one instance or add contrast/emphasis: Bugün bir batı rüzgarı esiyor (sounds like “a particular/a distinct westerly wind is blowing”).
Is batı capitalized?
Not here. Cardinal directions are lowercase: batı (west), doğu (east), etc. Capitalize Batı only when it’s a proper noun meaning “the West” (the cultural/geopolitical entity).
How do I pronounce rüzgarı and the undotted ı?
- ı is a back, unrounded vowel (like the final sound in “roses” for many English speakers): [ɯ]. So rüzgarı ≈ “ryuz-GA-rɯ.”
- ü is front, rounded (like French u/German ü): [y]. Bugün ≈ “bu-GYÜN.”
Why not batılı rüzgar?
The suffix -lı/-li/-lu/-lü means “with/possessing/from,” and batılı typically means “a Westerner” or “Western (person/culture).” For winds you use the compound batı rüzgarı or the ablative batıdan (rüzgar), not batılı rüzgar.
Is spelling rüzgâr with a circumflex correct?
You’ll see both rüzgar and rüzgâr. The circumflex may mark vowel length/palatalization in some styles. Contemporary usage often omits it; both are understood.
What’s the morphological breakdown?
- Bugün: today (adverb; historically bu “this” + gün “day,” now a fixed adverb written as one word)
- batı: noun “west”
- rüzgar-ı: noun “wind” + 3sg possessive -ı to form the compound “west wind”
- es-iyor: verb stem es- “blow (wind)” + present continuous -iyor (+ zero 3sg ending)
How does vowel harmony show up here?
- In rüzgarı, the possessive is -ı (back, unrounded) because the last vowel of rüzgar is a (a back vowel).
- In esiyor, the continuous suffix is -iyor (front) because the stem vowel e is front.
How can I say “A strong west wind is blowing today”?
- Bugün kuvvetli bir batı rüzgarı esiyor. Also natural:
- Bugün batıdan kuvvetli rüzgar esiyor.
Is there a more formal/forecast style?
Yes. Weather reports often use -mekte (progressive in -mekte) or the future:
- Bugün batı rüzgarı esmekte.
- Bugün batıdan rüzgar esecek.