Komşum kapıyı çalıyor.

My neighbor is knocking on the door.

Breakdown of Komşum kapıyı çalıyor.

• benim: my
• kapı: the door
• çalmak: to knock
• -yı: accusative
• komşu: neighbor

Questions & Answers about Komşum kapıyı çalıyor.

Why does komşu become komşum?

-m is the 1st person singular possessive suffix, meaning my.

• komşu = neighbor
• komşum = my neighbor
  So the sentence literally starts with My neighbor...

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Why is it kapıyı and not kapı?

Because kapı is the direct object (the thing being knocked), and Turkish marks definite direct objects with the accusative case: -(y)I.

• kapı = door
• kapıyı = the door (as a specific/definite object)

The -y- is a buffer consonant inserted because kapı ends in a vowel, so you don’t get two vowels in a row: kapı + ı → kapıyı.

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What exactly does çalıyor mean here? I thought çalmak means “to steal”.

çalmak has more than one common meaning. Two major ones are: 1) to steal
2) to play (an instrument) / to strike / to knock

In the fixed expression kapıyı çalmak, it means to knock on the door (literally “to strike the door”). So çalıyor here is (is) knocking.

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What tense is çalıyor? Is it present or continuous?

çalıyor is the present continuous / progressive form (often taught as “-iyor tense”). It typically means is knocking (right now).
Formation:

• verb stem: çal-
• progressive suffix: -ıyor (chosen by vowel harmony)

So: çal- + -ıyor → çalıyor

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Why is it -ıyor (ı) and not -iyor (i) or something else?

Because of vowel harmony. The progressive suffix has four variants: -ıyor / -iyor / -uyor / -üyor.
Which one you use depends on the last vowel of the verb stem. In çal-, the last vowel is a, which pairs with ı, so you get -ıyor:

• çal- → çalıyor
  (Compare: gel- → geliyor, gör- → görüyor, bul- → buluyor.)

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Where is the word is/are? How can the sentence mean “is knocking” without it?

Turkish doesn’t use a separate “to be” word like English in this kind of present continuous sentence. The meaning of “is” is built into the verb form çalıyor.
So Komşum kapıyı çalıyor is naturally equivalent to My neighbor is knocking on the door.

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Does Turkish need a word for “on” in “knocking on the door”?

Not in this expression. Turkish typically uses kapıyı çalmak (door-ACC + knock) rather than a structure like “knock on X.” The “on” idea is just part of how the verb phrase is expressed in Turkish.

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Is the word order fixed? Can I say Kapıyı komşum çalıyor?

Turkish word order is flexible because case endings show grammatical roles. The neutral order is often Subject + Object + Verb, like this sentence:

• Komşum kapıyı çalıyor.

But you can reorder for emphasis:

• Kapıyı komşum çalıyor. = It’s my neighbor who is knocking on the door (not someone else).
• Komşum çalıyor kapıyı. = possible in speech, often with a more casual or narrative feel.

The verb often comes last in neutral style, but alternatives are common.

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Could kapıyı be dropped? When would you omit it?

Yes, if it’s obvious what’s being knocked, you can omit the object:

• Komşum çalıyor. = My neighbor is knocking (implied: at the door)

But if you want to be explicit or contrast it with something else, you keep kapıyı.

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How would you make it negative: “My neighbor isn’t knocking on the door”?

Add the negative marker -mA- before the progressive ending:

• Komşum kapıyı çalmıyor. = My neighbor isn’t knocking on the door.

Breakdown: çal- + -mıyor (negative + progressive with vowel harmony).

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How do you ask it as a question: “Is my neighbor knocking on the door?”

Add the question particle mu/mi/mı/mü (chosen by vowel harmony), usually after the verb:

• Komşum kapıyı çalıyor mu?

Here it’s mu because the last vowel in çalıyor is o.

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If I wanted to say “My neighbor knocks on the door (habitually),” would I still use çalıyor?

Not usually. For habitual/general present meaning, Turkish commonly uses the aorist:

• Komşum kapıyı çalar. = My neighbor knocks on the door (in general / habitually)

Whereas:

• Komşum kapıyı çalıyor. = My neighbor is knocking (right now).