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Breakdown of Modem ışıkları sönünce bağlantı gidiyor.
gitmek
to go
ışık
the light
bağlantı
the connection
sönmek
to go out
-ünce
when
modem
the modem
Questions & Answers about Modem ışıkları sönünce bağlantı gidiyor.
What does the suffix in sönünce mean?
It’s the temporal converb suffix -(I)nce/-ınca/-ince/-unca/-ünce, meaning “when,” “once,” “as soon as,” or “whenever.” It turns a verb into a time clause. So sönünce = “when [they] go out.”
Why is it sön-ünce with ü?
Vowel harmony. The stem sön- has the front rounded vowel ö, so the suffix appears as -ünce. The four shapes are:
- -ınca (back, unrounded)
- -ince (front, unrounded)
- -unca (back, rounded)
- -ünce (front, rounded)
Does -ince mean “because,” or only “when”?
Its core meaning is temporal (“when/as soon as”). In context it can imply a cause-effect relationship, but grammatically it’s a time clause, not a causal one.
Why use -ince instead of a conditional like sönerse?
- sönünce = “when/whenever it goes out” (neutral temporal link).
- sönerse = “if it goes out” (conditional/hypothetical). Your sentence describes a regular sequence, so -ince is the natural choice. Using -irse would sound more like a what-if scenario.
What is the structure of modem ışıkları?
It’s an indefinite noun compound (belirtisiz tamlama): “the modem lights” (lights of a modem, as a type). Pattern:
- N1 (modifier, bare) + N2 + 3rd-person possessive on N2.
Here: modem (modifier) + ışık
- plural -lar
- possessive -ı → ışıkları.
- plural -lar
Why is it ışıkları (with -ları) and not just ışıqlar/ışıklar?
Because in an indefinite compound, the second noun takes the 3rd-person possessive:
- ışık (light) + plural -lar
- 3rd-person possessive -ı → ışıkları = “its/their lights (of X).” This is not accusative here; it’s the possessive that marks the compound.
Could I say modemin ışıkları instead?
Yes. That’s the definite possessive form (belirtili tamlama): modem-in ışık-lar-ı = “the modem’s lights,” pointing to a specific modem. Your original modem ışıkları is more generic/type-like. Both are natural; context decides which feels better.
Why is gidiyor used if this is a habitual situation, not happening right now?
Turkish -yor (present continuous) is also used for repeated/characteristic events when anchored by a time clause or adverbs. With sönünce, gidiyor reads as “it (regularly) drops.” It’s very natural in speech.
Could I use the aorist gider instead of gidiyor?
You can: …bağlantı gider. The aorist is more gnomic/general (“tends to go”), while -yor sounds more colloquial and event-like. Both work; gidiyor is what you’ll hear most in everyday speech here.
Why does gitmek become gidiyor and not “gitiyor”?
Consonant voicing: t → d before a vowel-initial suffix in many stems. Stem git- + -iyor → gidiyor. Similar alternations happen with p/ç/t/k in various words.
What does bağlantı gidiyor literally mean? Is it idiomatic?
Literally “the connection goes (away),” idiomatic for “the connection drops/goes down.” Very common in speech.
Are there more “technical” verbs than gidiyor for this?
Yes:
- bağlantı kesiliyor = the connection is being cut (neutral/technical)
- bağlantı kopuyor = the connection breaks (often abrupt) All are fine; gidiyor is the most casual.
What’s the difference between sönmek and söndürmek?
- sönmek: intransitive “to go out” (lights go out by themselves).
- söndürmek: transitive “to extinguish/turn off” (someone causes it).
Here you need sönmek because the lights are the subject.
Does the verb inside the -ince clause show person/number agreement?
No. -ince creates a non-finite (converb) form, so there’s no person/number marking on the verb. The subject is understood from context: here, modem ışıkları.
Is the word order fixed? Do I need a comma?
Subordinate clause first is very natural: [Modem ışıkları sönünce], [bağlantı gidiyor].
You can also say: Bağlantı, modem ışıkları sönünce gidiyor.
A comma after the -ince clause is optional in everyday writing.
How do I pronounce the tricky letters here?
- ı (dotless i): like a relaxed “uh” (close back unrounded vowel). In ışıkları, both ı’s are this sound.
- ö: like German ö/French eu (front rounded). In sönünce.
- ş: “sh”. In ışık.
- ğ in bağlantı: lengthens the preceding vowel; it’s not a hard “g.” So “baa-lan-tı.”
What’s inside the noun bağlantı?
From verb bağla- (“to tie/connect”) + nominalizing -ntı, yielding “connection/link.” So bağlantı gidiyor literally “the connection goes (away).”
Can I rephrase the sentence more formally?
Yes, for example: Modemin ışıkları söndüğünde bağlantı kesiliyor.
Here -DIK + 3sg poss + -de in söndüğünde also means “when,” and kesiliyor is a bit more technical than gidiyor.
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