Şimşek çocukları korkutuyor.

Lightning is scaring the children.

Breakdown of Şimşek çocukları korkutuyor.

• çocuk: the child
• şimşek: the lightning
• korkutmak: to scare

Questions & Answers about Şimşek çocukları korkutuyor.

What exactly does Şimşek refer to—lightning or thunder?

Şimşek means lightning (the flash in the sky). A lightning bolt/strike is usually yıldırım, and thunder is gök gürültüsü.

• şimşek: lightning (flash)
• yıldırım: a lightning strike/bolt
• gök gürültüsü: thunder

Why is it çocukları and not çocuklar?

Because Turkish marks a definite/specific direct object with the accusative suffix (-ı/-i/-u/-ü). Here:

• çocuk = child
• çocuklar = children (plural)
• çocukları = the children (plural + accusative)

In this sentence the object is specific in the situation (or can be generic as a class; see below). Using bare çocuklar as an object is uncommon and can cause ambiguity with the subject.

Could çocukları also mean “their children”? How do I tell?

Yes. çocukları can mean “his/her/their children” (3rd person possessive + plural), or “the children” (plural accusative) as a direct object. Context disambiguates.

• To make “their children” clear, you typically add the possessor: Onların çocuklarını korkutuyor = “(He/She/It) is scaring their children.”
• In your sentence, with no possessor shown, readers take çocukları as the direct object “the children.”

How is korkutuyor formed?

• Base verb: korkmak = to be afraid (intransitive)
• Causative suffix -t: korkutmak = to frighten (make someone afraid)
• Present continuous -(I)yor (here -uyor by vowel harmony) + 3sg: korkutuyor = “is frightening” Breakdown: kork-
  • -ut-
    • -uyor → korkutuyor

What’s the difference between korkuyor and korkutuyor?

• korkuyor = is afraid (intransitive). It takes the ablative with the thing feared:
  • Çocuklar şimşekten korkuyor. = “The children are afraid of lightning.”
• korkutuyor = is scaring (transitive). It takes a direct object in the accusative:
  • Şimşek çocukları korkutuyor. = “Lightning is scaring the children.”

What tense/aspect is korkutuyor, and how do I say a general truth?

-iyor/-ıyor/-uyor/-üyor is the present continuous (“is ...-ing”). For a general truth/habitual, use the aorist (-r/-ır/-ir/-ur/-ür):

• Şimşek çocukları korkutur. = “Lightning frightens children” (generally).

Is there a separate word for “is” here?

No. Turkish expresses “is ...-ing” with verbal suffixes. korkutuyor already means “is frightening”; no separate “to be” is used.

What’s the default word order, and can I move things around?

Default Turkish word order is Subject–Object–Verb (SOV): Şimşek çocukları korkutuyor. Variations are possible for emphasis:

• Çocukları şimşek korkutuyor. (Focuses that it’s lightning that is scaring them.)
• Şimşek çocukları korkutuyor. (Neutral.) In most statements, the verb stays at the end.

How do I negate the sentence?

Insert the negative -ma/-me before -(I)yor, observing vowel harmony:

• Şimşek çocukları korkutmuyor. = “Lightning is not scaring the children.”

How do I ask a yes–no question?

Add the question particle mi/mı/mu/mü (harmonized) after the verb:

• Şimşek çocukları korkutuyor mu? = “Is lightning scaring the children?”

How do I say it in other tenses?

• Past (simple): Şimşek çocukları korkuttu. = “Lightning scared the children.”
• Future: Şimşek çocukları korkutacak. = “Lightning will scare the children.”
• Habitual/general: Şimşek çocukları korkutur. = “Lightning frightens children.”

Why is it -ları (not -leri) and -uyor (not -iyor)?

Vowel harmony:

• çocuk has a back vowel, so plural is -lar, then accusative after that is -ı → çocuk + lar + ı = çocukları.
• korkut- ends with back vowel u, so the continuous suffix is -uyor → korkutuyor.

Any pronunciation tips for the special letters here?

• Ş ş = “sh” as in ship (Şimşek ≈ SHEEM-shek; stress usually on the last syllable).
• Ç ç = “ch” as in chess.
• C c = “j” as in jam (in çocukları, the c sounds like “j”: cho-JOOK-lah-rɯ).
• ı (dotless ı) = a back, unrounded vowel [ɯ], somewhat like the ‘a’ in “sofa” but further back.
• yor in -yor is pronounced like “yor” (not “your”).