Şimşek çocukları korkutuyor.

the child

Breakdown of Şimşek çocukları korkutuyor.

• 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.”