Questions & Answers about Lütfen pencereyi kapat; rüzgâr perdeyi savurup duruyor.
What does the semicolon do here? Could I use something else?
It links two closely related independent clauses and lets the second clause give the reason for the first without an explicit connector. Alternatives:
- Lütfen pencereyi kapat, çünkü rüzgâr perdeyi savurup duruyor.
- Lütfen pencereyi kapat. Rüzgâr perdeyi savurup duruyor.
- A comma alone is common in informal writing, but the semicolon is clearer and more formal for this cause–effect relation.
Why are pencereyi and perdeyi marked with -yi?
Because they are definite direct objects. Turkish marks specific/definite direct objects with the accusative suffix -(y)ı/i/u/ü (vowel-harmonized).
- We mean the window and the curtain in this room, so: pencereyi, perdeyi.
- If the object were indefinite, you would typically leave it unmarked (e.g., su içiyorum = I’m drinking water).
What is the extra y in pencereyi and perdeyi?
It’s the buffer consonant used when a vowel-final word takes a vowel-initial suffix.
- pencere + i → pencereyi
- perde + i → perdeyi This avoids a vowel–vowel clash. The same happens in kapı + ı → kapıyı.
Is Lütfen pencereyi kapat polite enough?
Yes. Lütfen softens the bare imperative and is fine in everyday speech. For extra politeness or formality, use a question form:
- To one person: Lütfen pencereyi kapatır mısın? / …kapatabilir misin?
- To more than one person or formally to one person: Lütfen pencereyi kapatır mısınız?
Why is there no pronoun like sen?
Imperatives in Turkish don’t need a subject pronoun; sen is understood with kapat. You add the pronoun only for emphasis or contrast:
- Sen pencereyi kapat. (You, not someone else.) For plural/polite imperative, use kapatın (and you can still add lütfen).
What exactly does savurup duruyor mean compared to savuruyor?
- savuruyor: is tossing/whipping (simple ongoing action).
- savurup duruyor: keeps on tossing/whipping repeatedly or incessantly. The pattern V-(y)ıp durmak adds a sense of persistence, often with mild irritation or emphasis on repetition.
Could I say savurmaya devam ediyor instead? Any nuance?
Yes: Rüzgâr perdeyi savurmaya devam ediyor is grammatical and means the wind continues to toss the curtain. Nuance:
- …savurup duruyor is more colloquial and highlights repeated/ongoing action, often sounding more emotive.
- …devam ediyor is more neutral/formal and simply states continuity.
Could I use the passive/intransitive form, like Perde savruluyor?
Yes:
- Perde savruluyor = The curtain is being blown about/flapping.
- If you want to mention the cause: Rüzgâr yüzünden perde savruluyor or keep the original causative frame Rüzgâr perdeyi savuruyor/savurup duruyor if you want the wind as the explicit agent.
What is the word order here, and can I move things around?
Default neutral order is Subject–Object–Verb:
- Rüzgâr perdeyi savurup duruyor. You can front elements for focus or contrast:
- Perdeyi rüzgâr savurup duruyor. (Focus on the curtain or on who’s doing it.) The verb normally stays at the end in standard Turkish.
Why is it savurup, not savurıp/savürüp?
How is rüzgâr spelled and pronounced? Is rüzgar also correct?
Both rüzgâr and rüzgar are accepted. The circumflex (â) traditionally indicates a slightly lengthened or palatalized vowel in careful speech, but many modern texts omit it. Pronunciation tips:
- ü as in German/French ü (rounded front vowel).
- â may lengthen the vowel slightly; without it the word is still pronounced naturally by most speakers.
- The g here is a regular hard g (not the soft ğ).
What does duruyor mean by itself, and why is it here?
Could I drop the subject and say only Perdeyi savurup duruyor?
Why kapat and not kapa?
Both verbs exist: kapatmak and kapamak. In contemporary standard usage, kapat- is the default for closing doors/windows/appliances:
- Pencereyi kapat. is the most natural choice. Kapa! occurs in set phrases (e.g., Ağzını kapa!) and some dialectal/colloquial uses, but for windows kapat is strongly preferred.
What tense/aspect is duruyor? How would I say it in the past?
duruyor is present continuous. To put the whole auxiliary construction in the past:
- Rüzgâr perdeyi savurup duruyordu. = The wind kept tossing the curtain (was persistently doing so).
More from this lesson
Sign up free — start using our AI language tutor
Start learning TurkishMaster Turkish — from Lütfen pencereyi kapat; rüzgâr perdeyi savurup duruyor to fluency
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods.
- ✓ Infinitely deep — unlimited vocabulary and grammar
- ✓ Fast-paced — build complex sentences from the start
- ✓ Unforgettable — efficient spaced repetition system
- ✓ AI tutor to answer your grammar questions