Gök gürültüsü köpeği korkutuyor.

Thunder scares the dog.

Breakdown of Gök gürültüsü köpeği korkutuyor.

• köpek: the dog
• gök gürültüsü: the thunder
• korkutmak: to scare

Questions & Answers about Gök gürültüsü köpeği korkutuyor.

What does the ending in gürültüsü mean?

The -sü at the end of gürültüsü is the 3rd‑person possessive suffix used in a noun–noun compound. So gök gürültüsü is literally “the sky’s noise,” which is the standard way Turkish says “thunder.” Breakdown:

• gök = sky
• gürültü = noise
• -sü = 3rd‑person possessive (the buffer -s- appears because gürültü ends in a vowel) This is an indefinite possessive compound, a fixed expression meaning “thunder.”

Why is it gök (not gökyüzü) here?

Turkish often uses gök in set compounds: gök gürültüsü (thunder), gökkuşağı (rainbow), gök taşı (meteor). Gökyüzü also means “sky,” but for “thunder” the idiomatic compound is with gök.

Why is it köpeği and not just köpek?

Because it’s a definite direct object (“the dog”). Turkish marks definite objects with the accusative -(y)i:

• köpek
  • -i → köpeği Note the regular sound change: final k often softens to ğ before a vowel, so you get köpeği (pronounced roughly “köpe:yi”).

What is inside the verb korkutuyor?

Morphology:

• kork- (fear) → intransitive verb “to be afraid”
• add causative -t → korkut- “to frighten, to make (someone) afraid”
• add present continuous -(I)yor → korkutuyor “is frightening” 3rd person singular has no extra ending: (o) korkutuyor.

Why use a causative verb at all?

English says “X frightens Y,” but basic Turkish korkmak means “to be afraid (of).” To express “cause fear,” Turkish uses the causative korkutmak. Hence “Thunder frightens the dog” maps to “Thunder causes fear (in) the dog.”

Could I instead say “The dog is afraid of thunder”?

Yes, with korkmak + ablative:

• Köpek gök gürültüsünden korkuyor. Here -den/-dan is the ablative (“from”), adjusted by vowel harmony: gök gürültüsü
  • -nden → gök gürültüsünden (the extra n is a buffer).

What’s the difference between korkutuyor and korkutur?

• korkutuyor (present continuous) = happening now/around now, vivid, ongoing.
• korkutur (aorist/neutral present) = habitual, general truth, or timeless fact. For a general statement you’d prefer: Gök gürültüsü köpekleri korkutur (or even more commonly, with intransitive wording: Köpekler gök gürültüsünden korkar).

How does vowel harmony show up here?

• köpek + -(y)i → köpeği (front vowel → front i)
• gürültü + -sI → gürültüsü (front rounded vowels → ü; buffer s)
• korkut- + -(I)yor → korkutuyor (last vowel is u, so -uyor) Suffix vowels follow the last vowel of the stem (front/back, rounded/unrounded).

What’s the pronunciation of the special letters?

• ö and ü are front rounded vowels (like French eu in “peur” and u in “tu”).
• ğ (“soft g”) does not make a hard sound; it lengthens the preceding vowel: köpeği ≈ “köpe:yi”.
• In korkutuyor, the stress typically falls on -yor.

Can I change the word order?

Yes, Turkish allows scrambling for emphasis/focus. Neutral is S–O–V:

• Gök gürültüsü köpeği korkutuyor. (neutral) To emphasize what frightens the dog:
• Köpeği gök gürültüsü korkutuyor. (“It’s thunder that’s frightening the dog.”) The verb generally stays at the end in neutral style.

Could I drop the subject if it’s obvious?

Yes. Turkish is pro‑drop. If the context already established the subject (e.g., thunder), you can say:

• Köpeği korkutuyor. “(It) is frightening the dog.”

How do I intensify the meaning (e.g., “really/very much”)?

Use adverbs like çok or gerçekten:

• Gök gürültüsü köpeği çok korkutuyor.
• Gök gürültüsü köpeği gerçekten korkutuyor.

Is gök gürültüsü ever written as one word?

You may see gökgürültüsü in some sources, but the spaced form gök gürültüsü is common and clear. Both refer to the same thing.

What’s the difference between gök gürültüsü, şimşek, and yıldırım?

• gök gürültüsü = thunder (the sound).
• şimşek = lightning (the visible flash).
• yıldırım = a lightning strike (the discharge that hits something).

How would I say it in the past or future?

• Past: Gök gürültüsü köpeği korkuttu.
• Future: Gök gürültüsü köpeği korkutacak.
• Habitual (aorist): Gök gürültüsü köpeği/köpekleri korkutur.