Learn Hardcore Turkish: Kapasiteye göre koltukları yalnızca ön sıraya koyuyorlar. - According to the capacity, they place seats only in the front row.

It means according to (the) capacity / depending on capacity. Göre is a postposition that requires the dative case on the word before it, so you add -(y)e/a:

bana göre = in my opinion
kurallara göre = according to the rules
geçen yıla göre = compared to last year

Why is there a y in kapasiteye?

It’s a buffer letter. When a word ending in a vowel takes a suffix starting with a vowel, Turkish inserts y to avoid a vowel clash:

kapasite + e → kapasiteye
araba + a → arabaya
anne + e → anneye

What does the final -ı in koltukları do here?

It marks the object as definite accusative: koltukları = the seats (as a specific, known set).
Without it, koltuklar would be indefinite: They are placing seats (some seats).

Could koltukları also mean “their seats”?

Yes, in other contexts koltukları can mean his/her/their seats (3rd-person possessive + plural). But as a direct object, possession would normally show up as -nı/ni/nu/nü:

Onların koltuklarını koyuyorlar = They are putting their seats.
In our sentence, koltukları is best read as definite accusative “the seats,” not a possessed form.

Why is it ön sıraya (dative) and not ön sırada (locative)?

Because koymak (to put/place) expresses movement toward a destination, which takes the dative -(y)e/a.

ön sıraya = to the front row (destination)
ön sırada = in the front row (location)

Why is it singular ön sıraya instead of plural ön sıralara?

Singular focuses on a single front row. If you mean multiple front rows (e.g., across different sections), you’d say ön sıralara. Both are grammatical; the choice depends on the real-world layout.

What does yalnızca mean? How is it different from sadece or yalnız?

All can mean only/just.

yalnızca and sadece are close synonyms; yalnızca can feel a bit more formal.
yalnız is ambiguous because it also means alone and even however/but in writing. Yalnızca avoids that ambiguity.

What exactly is being limited by yalnızca here: the seats or the front row?

Scope follows placement. Yalnızca ön sıraya means only to the front row (the destination is limited).
If you wanted to limit the object instead, you’d move it:

Yalnızca koltukları ön sıraya koyuyorlar = They put only the seats in the front row (not other items).

Why is the verb koyuyorlar (present continuous) and not koyarlar (aorist)?

koyuyorlar (present continuous) often means they’re doing it now or in the current period, or it can refer to an arrangement that’s underway.
koyarlar (aorist) states a habitual/general practice or rule.
Choose based on whether you want “are placing (now/these days)” vs. “place (as a rule).”

Why does the verb end with -lar? Could it be koyuyor?

-lar marks a 3rd-person plural subject: they.

koyuyorlar = they are placing
koyuyor = he/she/it is placing
In Turkish, when the subject is an explicit plural noun (e.g., “the workers”), the verb may drop -lar, but for an indefinite “they,” -lar is standard: Koyuyorlar = People/they are placing.

Can I change the word order? Where does the emphasis fall?

Yes. Turkish is flexible. The element right before the verb is in focus.

… yalnızca ön sıraya koyuyorlar emphasizes the destination (only to the front row).
… koltukları yalnızca ön sıraya koyuyorlar keeps focus on that restricted destination.
Yalnızca kapasitEye göre koltukları ön sıraya koyuyorlar would stress that the action is only capacity-based.

How is koyuyorlar formed? Why the double y?

Root koy- + present continuous -uyor + plural -lar → koy-uyor-lar = koyuyorlar.
Because the root ends with y and the suffix starts with a vowel, you get back-to-back y sounds.

Could I use the passive voice instead of “they … put”?

Yes. Common passives:

Koltuklar yalnızca ön sıraya konuluyor. (from koymak → konulmak)
Koltuklar yalnızca ön sıraya yerleştiriliyor. (more formal “are being placed”)
These avoid an unspecified “they.”

Is konuluyor correct? I’ve also seen koyuluyor.

For the passive of koymak, the standard form is konulmak → konuluyor.
Koyulmak exists but usually means “to set about doing” (e.g., işe koyulmak = get down to work), not the passive “to be put.”

What’s the difference between ön, önde, and öne? And how does that relate to ön sıra?

ön = front (noun/adjective)
önde = at/in the front (locative)
öne = to the front (dative)
Ön sıra = front row. So:
ön sırada = in the front row
ön sıraya = to the front row

Pronunciation tips for the tricky vowels?

ö (in göre/ön) = rounded front vowel, like German ö or French eu in “peur.”
ı (in sıra/yalnızca) = close back unrounded vowel, like the “e” in “roses” for some speakers; there’s no exact English equivalent.
-yor in koyuyorlar is pronounced “yor,” not “your.”

Does koltuk mean seat or armchair? Why not sandalye?

Koltuk is a more substantial seat (bus/plane/theater seat, armchair). Sandalye is a simple chair. In venues with numbered, padded seats, koltuk is standard.

If I remove the accusative and say Kapasiteye göre koltuklar yalnızca ön sıraya koyuyorlar, is it correct?

It’s grammatical but changes the meaning to an indefinite object: “They put seats only in the front row” (not referring to a specific set). With koltukları, you’re talking about specific/known seats.