Breakdown of Siz çıkarken ışıkları kapatın; ben eskizleri masada bırakacağım.
ben
I
masa
the table
bırakmak
to leave
kapatmak
to turn off
Questions & Answers about Siz çıkarken ışıkları kapatın; ben eskizleri masada bırakacağım.
Why is Siz used, and what does kapatın indicate?
- Siz is the plural or polite form of “you.” It’s used for addressing more than one person or a single person respectfully.
- kapatın is the imperative for siz: stem kapat-
- plural/polite imperative -ın/-in/-un/-ün (here -ın by vowel harmony).
- Casual singular would be Sen … kapat. Very formal/written instruction signs might use kapatınız.
Can I drop the pronouns Siz and Ben?
- Yes. Turkish often omits subject pronouns because the verb endings show person: Çıkarken ışıkları kapatın; eskizleri masada bırakacağım.
- Keeping Siz and Ben adds contrast/emphasis (“you…; I…”), which is useful here to assign tasks clearly.
What exactly does -ken in çıkarken mean, and why is it çıkarken (not “çıkken”)?
- -ken makes a time clause meaning “while/as.”
- With verbs, it attaches to the aorist stem: çık-ar-ken (the aorist of çıkmak is çıkar), hence the extra -ar-.
- Compare: gel-ir-ken (from gelmek), okur-ken (from okumak).
What’s the difference between -ken and -ınca/-ince (e.g., çıkarken vs çıkınca)?