Learn Hardcore Turkish: Modem ışıkları sönünce bağlantı gidiyor. - When the modem lights go off, the connection drops.

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.

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.