Learn Hardcore Turkish: Mahalleli sabah yürüyüşünden önce sokak lambalarını kapatıyor. - The locals turn off the streetlights before the morning walk.

Mahalleli literally means “people of the neighborhood” (mahalle + -li “from/with”). Grammatically it’s a collective noun and is usually treated as singular (like “the staff” in English), even though it refers to multiple people. You can also use the true plural Mahalleliler (“the neighborhood residents” as individual people) when you want to emphasize them as separate individuals.

Why is the verb singular (kapatıyor) and not plural (kapatıyorlar)?

Because mahalleli is a collective noun, Turkish commonly uses a 3rd person singular verb: Mahalleli … kapatıyor. Using the plural verb (kapatıyorlar) is also acceptable in everyday speech to emphasize that it’s the people (plural) who are doing it. Both are heard; singular is a bit more formal/neutral.

Can I replace Mahalleli with Mahalleliler?

Yes. Mahalleliler sabah yürüyüşünden önce sokak lambalarını kapatıyor(lar). Here, because the subject is overtly plural, using kapatıyorlar feels even more natural, though singular agreement is still possible.

Why is the object sokak lambalarını in the accusative?

Turkish marks definite/specific direct objects with the accusative. Sokak lambalarını signals “the street lamps (specific, known set),” not just any lamps. If the object were non‑specific, you would drop the accusative: e.g., Mahalleli … sokak lambası kapatıyor (“turns off street lamps” in general). With non‑specific plural objects, Turkish often uses the singular form.

What’s inside the form sokak lambalarını? It looks long.

It’s a stacked compound with suffixes:

sokak lamba-sı = “street lamp” (indefinite noun compound; the head noun gets 3rd person possessive -sı as a linker)
plural: lamba-sı-lar → lambaları = “street lamps”
accusative: add -nı after a vowel-ending possessive form → lambaları-nı Full phrase: sokak lambalarını = “the street lamps” (as a definite object).

Why is it kapatıyor and not the aorist kapatır?

kapatıyor (present continuous) = “is turning off” (right now) or, in colloquial use, a current/arranged routine.
kapatır (aorist) = habitual/general truth: “(typically) turns off.” If you mean a regular routine, kapatır is the textbook choice. Colloquial Turkish often uses -yor even for routines, especially with time markers like önce. Both are possible; nuance and context decide.

Could I use söndürüyor instead of kapatıyor for lights?

Yes. Both are used:

kapatmak = “to turn off” (by switching off/closing a device)
söndürmek = “to extinguish/put out” (flames, cigarettes, and also lights) For street lights, söndürmek is very idiomatic; kapatmak is also fine.

Why does yürüyüşünden have that extra -ün-? Why not just yürüyüşten?

Because with sabah + yürüyüş, you get an indefinite noun compound: sabah yürüyüş-ü (“morning walk”), where the head noun takes 3rd person possessive as a linker. Then you add the ablative:

sabah yürüyüş-ü
- -nden → sabah yürüyüşünden (“from the morning walk”). If you drop sabah, yürüyüşten (“from the walk”) is fine. But with sabah modifying yürüyüş, the compound form is standard.

Does yürüyüşünden mean “from his/her/their walk”?

Not here. In compounds like sabah yürüyüşü, the 3rd person possessive on the head noun is a grammatical linker, not a real possessor. It doesn’t imply “his/her.” If you truly meant “their morning walk,” you would mark the possessor explicitly (e.g., onların sabah yürüyüşleri).

Why does önce trigger the ablative case (-den/-dan)?

Önce (and sonra) act like postpositions that govern the ablative:

yemekten önce = “before the meal”
dersten sonra = “after class”
sabah yürüyüşünden önce = “before the morning walk.”

How can I mark this as a habitual, everyday routine more clearly?

Add a time adverbial like her sabah or sabahları, and optionally use the aorist:

Mahalleli her sabah sabah yürüyüşünden önce sokak lambalarını kapatır.
Mahalleli sabahları yürüyüşten önce sokak lambalarını kapatır.

Can I move the time phrase around?

Yes, Turkish word order is flexible. Some natural variants:

Mahalleli sokak lambalarını sabah yürüyüşünden önce kapatıyor.
Sabah yürüyüşünden önce, mahalleli sokak lambalarını kapatıyor. The default, unmarked order puts time earlier, but moving it can shift emphasis.

How do I say it with a verb phrase “before going for their morning walk”?

Use the -meden/-madan önce pattern:

Mahalleli, sabah yürüyüşüne çıkmadan önce sokak lambalarını kapatıyor. You can also say: yürümeye başlamadan önce (“before starting to walk”), depending on nuance.

How do I make the object singular?

Change the head noun to singular:

sokak lambasını (accusative singular): “the street lamp” So: Mahalleli … sokak lambasını kapatıyor.

What happens if I drop the accusative and keep the plural: sokak lambaları kapatıyor?

Without the accusative, it becomes non‑specific and also risks being misread as a subject (“the street lamps are turning off…”). For a non‑specific object, prefer the singular form: sokak lambası kapatıyor. If you keep plural without accusative, place it right before the verb and rely on context, but it’s less clear.

Why is it kapatıyor, not kapıyor?

Different verbs:

kapatmak = “to close/turn off.” Progressive: kapatıyor.
kapmak = “to grab/snatch/catch (a cold).” Progressive: kapıyor. So kapıyor would mean “is grabbing/catching,” not “is turning off.”

How would I express different tenses?

Simple past: kapatttı/kapatttılar (“turned off”)
Past continuous: kapatıyordu/kapatıyorlardı (“were turning off”)
Future: kapatacak/kapatacaklar (“will turn off”)
Reported past: kapatmış/kapatmışlar (“apparently/it is said they turned off”) For habitual: aorist kapatır/kapatırlar.

Pronunciation tips for tricky letters here?

ı (in lambalarını) is a back, undotted vowel, like the vowel in English “roses” [the second one], but more centralized.
ö (in önce) is like German “ö” or French “eu” (as in “deux”).
ş is “sh” in “shoe.”
Final k in sokak is a hard k; Turkish consonants are generally crisp and unaspirated.

Is sokak lambaları the best way to say “street lights”?

Yes, sokak lambaları is the everyday term. You may also see sokak aydınlatmaları (“street lighting,” more technical) or cadde lambaları for avenues, but sokak lambaları is the standard colloquial choice.

How do önce, önceden, and öncesinde differ?

önce
- ablative noun: yemekten önce (“before the meal”).
önceden = “beforehand/previously”: Önceden haber verdiler (“They informed us beforehand”).
-in öncesinde (possessive + locative) acts like a noun phrase: sabah yürüyüşü öncesinde (“in the period before the morning walk”). It’s a bit more formal than … yürüyüşünden önce.

Could I say something like mahalle sakinleri instead of mahalleli?

Yes. Mahalle sakinleri (“the neighborhood’s residents”) and mahalle halkı (“the neighborhood’s people”) are good synonyms. They behave like ordinary plural/collective nouns:

Mahalle sakinleri … kapatıyor(lar). Both singular and plural agreement are possible, with plural more natural because the subject is overtly plural.