Kulüp broşürleri ücretsiz dağıtıyor.

The club distributes brochures for free.

Breakdown of Kulüp broşürleri ücretsiz dağıtıyor.

• dağıtmak: to distribute
• kulüp: the club
• broşür: the brochure
• ücretsiz: for free

Questions & Answers about Kulüp broşürleri ücretsiz dağıtıyor.

Who is the subject, and why is there no word for “the”?

The subject is Kulüp (club). Turkish has no articles like “the” or “a.” Whether you read it as “the club” or “a club” depends on context. If you want to force “a club,” you can say Bir kulüp.

What tense/aspect is dağıtıyor, and how is it built?

It’s the present continuous (“is distributing”).

• Stem: dağıt- (to distribute)
• Progressive suffix: -(I)yor → here -ıyor by vowel harmony
• Person/number: 3rd singular (no extra ending) So: dağıt- + ıyor → dağıtıyor.

How do we know broşürleri means “the brochures” (a definite direct object)?

Because it’s in the accusative plural:

• broşür-ler-i
  • broşür = brochure
  • -ler = plural
  • -i = accusative (marks a specific/definite object) In Turkish, definite/specific direct objects take the accusative. If it’s indefinite, you leave it bare: Kulüp broşür dağıtıyor = “The club is distributing brochures.”

Could broşürleri mean “their brochures” or “his/her brochures”?

Not in this sentence. A possessed direct object would show an extra buffer -n- before the accusative:

• “their/his/her brochures” as a direct object: broşürlerini Without that -n-, broşürleri here is read as “the brochures.” If you want to say “their brochures” as a noun phrase (not object-marked), you can say onların broşürleri.

What does ücretsiz do here?

It’s used adverbially to modify the verb: “for free” (i.e., the act of distributing is free of charge). Turkish freely uses adjectives adverbially, so you don’t add an “-ly”-type ending.

• Kulüp broşürleri ücretsiz dağıtıyor = The club is distributing the brochures for free.
• If you say ücretsiz broşürler, that’s adjectival: “free brochures.”

Is the word order fixed? Can I move words around?

Basic order is Subject–Object–Verb, with the verb at the end. Elements just before the verb are typically in focus.

• Neutral: Kulüp broşürleri ücretsiz dağıtıyor.
• Focusing “for free”: Kulüp broşürleri ÜCRETSİZ dağıtıyor.
• Emphasizing the doer: Broşürleri kulüp ücretsiz dağıtıyor.
• Be careful: Kulüp ücretsiz broşürleri dağıtıyor means “the free brochures” (adjective), not “for free” (adverb).

How do I pronounce dağıtıyor? What are ğ and the dotless ı?

• ğ (soft g) does not make a hard g sound; it lengthens/smooths adjacent vowels. In dağıt-, it lengthens the a: roughly “daa-ıt.”
• ı (dotless i) is a high, back, unrounded vowel—somewhat like the ‘a’ in “sofa,” but more centralized: [ɯ]. Approximation: “daa-ɯ-TEE-yor” (stress typically near the end).

Why is it kulüp with a final p, and what happens when you add suffixes?

Turkish devoices word-final consonants, so borrowed kulüp ends with p. When a vowel-initial suffix is added, it voices back to b:

• Dative: kulübe (to the club)
• Accusative: kulübü (the club, as object)
• Genitive: kulübün (of the club)
• Locative: kulüpte (in the club)

Can I use dağıtır instead of dağıtıyor?

Yes, but it changes the meaning:

• dağıtıyor = present continuous/ongoing or “these days”: “is distributing.”
• dağıtır (aorist) = habitual/general truth or scheduled: “distributes (as a rule).” Example: Kulüp broşürleri ücretsiz dağıtır = The club distributes the brochures for free (as a general policy).

Is Kulüp broşürler dağıtıyor correct for “The club is distributing brochures”?

Not natural. Indefinite direct objects in Turkish are usually singular:

• Natural: Kulüp broşür dağıtıyor. Use plural only if it’s specific/definite (and then mark it accusative): Kulüp broşürleri dağıtıyor.

How do I form the yes/no question or the negative?

• Yes/no question uses the particle mi/ mı/ mu/ mü with vowel harmony:
  • Kulüp broşürleri ücretsiz dağıtıyor mu?
• Negative present continuous: -mIyor
  • Kulüp broşürleri ücretsiz dağıtmıyor. (“is not distributing”)

Do I need to make the verb plural because a club has many people?

No. Kulüp is grammatically singular, so the verb is 3rd person singular: dağıtıyor. With a plural subject, both are common:

• Kulüpler broşürleri dağıtıyor / Kulüpler broşürleri dağıtıyorlar. But with a singular subject like Kulüp, saying dağıtıyorlar is nonstandard.

Why is the accusative vowel in broşürleri an i, not ü?

Vowel harmony applies to the immediately preceding syllable in the suffix chain. After adding plural -ler (with e), the accusative -(y)I harmonizes with e → i:

• Singular accusative: broşürü (harmonizes with the root’s ü)
• Plural accusative: broşür-ler-i → broşürleri

Are there synonyms for ücretsiz? Any register differences?

• bedava = free (more colloquial)
• parasız = without money (can mean “penniless” in other contexts)
• ücretsiz olarak is a common adverbial phrase meaning “free of charge,” a bit more formal/explicit.

What’s the origin of the stem dağıt-?

It’s the causative form of the intransitive dağıl- (“to scatter/disperse”). Adding the causative -t gives dağıt- (“to cause to scatter,” i.e., “to distribute/hand out”).