Çenesini tutup uzun süre sustu.

Çenesini breaks down like this:

• çene = chin / jaw
• -si = his/her/its
• -ni = accusative case marker, marking it as a specific direct object

So çenesini literally means his/her chin/jaw as the object of the verb.

Turkish very often uses possessive endings with body parts. Where English might just say his chin or sometimes leave it implied, Turkish usually marks that relationship directly on the noun.

Because the noun is doing two jobs at once:

1. It shows whose chin/jaw it is: çene + si → çenesi = his/her chin
2. It shows that this noun is the definite object of tutmak: çenesi + ni → çenesini

So the structure is:

çene + si + ni

This is very common in Turkish:

• elini kaldırdı = he/she raised his/her hand
• başını çevirdi = he/she turned his/her head

Tutup is from tutmak and uses the converb ending -ıp / -ip / -up / -üp.

Here:

• tut- = hold
• -up = linking ending

This form connects one action to another. Depending on context, it can feel like:

• and
• by ...-ing
• after ...-ing

So çenesini tutup ... sustu means something like:

• holding his/her chin, he/she stayed silent
• he/she held his/her tongue and stayed silent
• he/she shut up and remained silent

A key point: this -ıp/-ip/-up/-üp form normally links actions done by the same subject.

It can be understood literally, but in a sentence like this it strongly feels idiomatic.

Because it is followed by uzun süre sustu, the expression suggests something like:

• kept quiet
• held his/her tongue
• shut up

So even though çene literally means chin/jaw, the phrase is probably not mainly about physically touching the chin. The context points toward silence and not speaking.

The verb is susmak = to be silent / to fall silent / to keep quiet.

The past tense suffix is the -DI type suffix, but its first consonant changes according to sound harmony and consonant voicing.

Since sus- ends in the voiceless consonant s, the suffix begins with t, not d:

• sus + du would not be correct here
• sus + tu → sustu

This is a regular pattern in Turkish:

• bakmak → baktı
• gitmek → gitti
• susmak → sustu

Basically, susmak means to become silent, to stop talking, or to keep quiet.

In English, the best translation depends on context. In this sentence, sustu can naturally be understood as:

• fell silent
• kept quiet
• remained silent

Because of uzun süre, English often prefers remained silent or kept quiet, even though the Turkish verb itself is susmak.

Because Turkish often drops subject pronouns when they are already clear from the verb form or context.

Sustu already tells you it is third person singular:

• he/she/it became silent

So adding o is possible, but not necessary. Turkish commonly leaves it out unless the speaker wants emphasis or contrast.

Also, Turkish does not mark gender here, so sustu could mean:

• he became silent
• she became silent

You need context to know which one.

Uzun süre is a time expression meaning for a long time or for a long period.

It functions adverbially, modifying sustu:

• uzun süre sustu = he/she stayed silent for a long time

You may also see:

• uzun bir süre

Both are common, though uzun süre is very compact and natural.

Turkish word order is flexible, but this order is very natural:

• çenesini tutup = linked action first
• uzun süre = time expression
• sustu = main verb at the end

A rough structure is:

[first action] + [time phrase] + [main verb]

Putting the main verb at the end is especially typical in Turkish. Other word orders are possible, but they would usually change the emphasis rather than the basic meaning.

Yes, in a sense.

The -ıp/-ip/-up/-üp form often does the job that English and does between two actions. So tutup sustu can feel like:

• held ... and stayed silent
• shut up and remained silent

But it is not exactly the same as simply adding ve. The converb form makes the two actions feel more tightly connected, often as part of one flow of action by the same person.