Learn Hardcore Turkish: Kız kardeşim konuşkan değil; utangaç olduğu için komitede sadece not aldı. - My sister isn’t talkative; because she’s shy, she only took notes in the committee.

Konuşkan değil means “(she is) not talkative,” describing a general character trait. Konuşmuyor means “(she) is not speaking (right now)”—an action in progress. The sentence talks about personality, so the adjective + değil is correct.

How does utangaç olduğu için mean “because she is shy”? What is olduğu?

Olduğu is a nominalized form of olmak (to be), built with the suffix -DIK plus a 3rd-person possessive ending. Pattern:

Adjective/Noun + ol
- -DIK
  - 3sg poss + için → “because (he/she) is/was X” So utangaç olduğu için = “because she is/was shy.”

Does olduğu mean “was”? Why not oldu?

No. Olduğu is not a simple past; it’s a nominalized clause (“(her) being…”). You can’t attach için to the finite past oldu. Time is understood from context and the main verb (aldı is past), so “because she was shy” is already conveyed by olduğu için here.

Could I use çünkü instead of … olduğu için?

Yes. Two common options:

Utangaç olduğu için komitede sadece not aldı.
Komitede sadece not aldı, çünkü utangaçtı/utangaç. With için, the cause is in a subordinate clause; with çünkü, it starts a new clause explaining the reason.

Why is there a semicolon after konuşkan değil? Could I use a period?

The semicolon links two closely related statements. A period is also fine:

Kız kardeşim konuşkan değil. Utangaç olduğu için komitede sadece not aldı. A plain comma would be less standard between two full clauses.

What exactly does komitede mean, and why -de (not -da/-te/-ta)?

Komitede = “in/at the committee.” The locative suffix is -DA with vowel harmony and consonant voicing:

After a vowel or voiced consonant → -de/da (here, komite ends with a vowel → -de)
After a voiceless consonant → -te/ta (e.g., ağaçta, kitapta)

Does not aldı mean “took notes” or “got a grade”?

It can mean both. Here, context (“in the committee”) makes “took notes” the intended meaning. For clarity or stylistic preference, many say not tutmak for “to take notes”:

Komitede sadece not tuttu (perfectly natural) Note that not almak also means “to receive a grade.”

Where should sadece go, and does its position change the meaning?

Yes, position affects focus:

Komitede sadece not aldı = In the committee, the only thing she did was take notes (she didn’t speak, etc.).
Sadece komitede not aldı = She took notes only in the committee (not elsewhere).
Sadece not aldı = She only took notes (location unspecified).

Why is there no pronoun o (“she”)?

Turkish is pro‑drop: subjects are usually omitted because person/number is shown on the verb (aldı = 3rd singular) and the noun phrase (kız kardeşim) already identifies the subject. O can be added for emphasis, but it isn’t needed.

Why is olduğu in 3rd person? Could it be olduğum/olduğun?

The subject of the reason clause is the same as the main subject (kız kardeşim = she), so it takes the 3rd‑person possessive: olduğ[u]. If the subject were “I” or “you,” you’d say:

Utangaç olduğum için… (because I am shy)
Utangaç olduğun için… (because you are shy)

Can I drop kız and just say kardeşim?

Yes. Kardeşim = “my sibling” (gender unspecified). If you want to keep the female reference, say kız kardeşim or use ablam (older sister) / kız kardeşim (küçük) (younger sister) as needed.

Is konuşkan the only way to say “talkative”?

Other common options:

geveze (chatty, sometimes mildly negative)
lafçı (colloquial)
konuşmayı seven (lit. “one who likes talking,” descriptive) Negation follows the same pattern: geveze değil, etc.

Is komite the best word here, or would komisyon sound more natural?

Both exist. Komisyon is very common for committees/boards; komite is also used (often for named bodies or in formal contexts). So komitede and komisyonda are both acceptable depending on context.