Rüzgârda dudaklarım kuruyor, bu yüzden merhem sürüyorum.

The ending -da is the locative suffix, which usually means in / on / at.

So:

• rüzgâr = wind
• rüzgârda = in the wind / when exposed to wind

In natural English, this sentence is not really about physically being inside wind; it means something like when it’s windy or in windy conditions.

Turkish often uses the locative this way to describe a condition or environment.

Yes, but it would shift the nuance.

• rüzgârda = in the wind / when it’s windy
• rüzgârdan = from the wind / because of the wind

So:

• Rüzgârda dudaklarım kuruyor = My lips get dry in the wind
• Rüzgârdan dudaklarım kuruyor = My lips get dry because of the wind

Both can make sense, but rüzgârda sounds very natural for describing the situation or condition.

Dudaklarım breaks down like this:

• dudak = lip
• -lar = plural
• -ım = my

So dudaklarım literally means my lips.

This is very normal in Turkish: instead of using a separate word for my, Turkish usually attaches a possessive ending directly to the noun.

Compare:

• dudak = lip
• dudağım = my lip
• dudaklarım = my lips

Because in Turkish, non-human plural subjects often take a singular verb.

So even though dudaklarım is plural, kuruyor is the normal choice.

• Dudaklarım kuruyor = natural
• Dudaklarım kuruyorlar = unnatural in standard Turkish

This is a very common pattern:

• Çiçekler açıyor = The flowers are blooming
• Kitaplar masada duruyor = The books are sitting on the table

With human subjects, plural verbs are more possible, but with things, animals, or body parts, singular verbs are very common.

Kuruyor comes from kurumak, which means to dry or to become dry.

So kuruyor means:

• is getting dry
• is drying out

In this sentence, it does not mean that someone is drying something else. It is intransitive: the lips themselves are becoming dry.

Compare:

• Dudaklarım kuruyor = My lips are drying out
• Dudaklarımı kurutuyorum = I am drying my lips

So kurumak = become dry, while kurutmak = make something dry.

-yor is the Turkish present continuous marker.

It often corresponds to English forms like:

• am/is/are ...-ing
• sometimes also a general present, depending on context

So:

• kuruyor = is drying / is getting dry
• sürüyorum = I am applying

In everyday Turkish, -yor is used a lot for actions happening now, but it can also describe something that regularly happens in a certain situation.

Here it suggests an ongoing/current situation: the wind is making the lips dry, so the speaker is applying ointment.

It comes from the verb sürmek.

Breakdown:

• sür- = verb stem
• -üyor = present continuous form here
• -um = I

So sürüyorum means I am applying.

The vowel changes because of vowel harmony. After a verb like sür-, the -yor form appears as -üyor:

• geliyorum = I am coming
• gidiyorum = I am going
• okuyorum = I am reading
• sürüyorum = I am applying / driving, depending on context

So the exact form changes, but the function is the same.

Yes — sürmek has several meanings.

Common ones include:

• to drive
  
  • araba sürmek = to drive a car
• to spread / apply
  
  • krem sürmek = to apply cream
  • merhem sürmek = to apply ointment
• to last / continue
  
  • Toplantı iki saat sürdü = The meeting lasted two hours

In this sentence, because the object is merhem, the meaning is clearly to apply ointment.

Because merhem here is an indefinite object.

In Turkish, a direct object often stays without the accusative ending when it means some ointment / ointment in general, rather than a specific known one.

So:

• merhem sürüyorum = I’m applying ointment / some ointment
• merhemi sürüyorum = I’m applying the ointment

The second version sounds like both speaker and listener already know which specific ointment is meant.

This is a very important Turkish pattern:

• bare noun = indefinite/general
• accusative-marked noun = definite/specific

Bu yüzden means for this reason / therefore / so.

It connects a cause to a result:

• Dudaklarım kuruyor, bu yüzden merhem sürüyorum.
• My lips are getting dry, so I’m applying ointment.

By contrast, çünkü means because and usually introduces the reason after the main clause:

• Merhem sürüyorum çünkü dudaklarım kuruyor.
• I’m applying ointment because my lips are getting dry.

So both are possible, but the structure changes:

• cause + bu yüzden + result
• result + çünkü + cause

Yes. Turkish word order is flexible, although some versions sound more natural than others depending on emphasis.

For example:

• Rüzgârda dudaklarım kuruyor.
• Dudaklarım rüzgârda kuruyor.

Both are possible. The first one gives a little more emphasis to the condition in the wind.

Likewise:

• Bu yüzden merhem sürüyorum = neutral and natural
• Merhem sürüyorum bu yüzden = possible, but usually more marked in tone

So word order can move around, but it affects focus and emphasis, not just grammar.

It can lean toward right now, but Turkish -yor can cover both an ongoing event and something that happens in a repeated situation.

So this sentence could mean either:

• My lips are getting dry in the wind right now, so I’m applying ointment
• or more generally, When my lips get dry in the wind, I apply ointment

Without more context, most learners should understand it as a present, current situation. Turkish often leaves that kind of distinction to context.