Yengem mutfakta salata hazırlıyor.

Yengem means my sister-in-law, but in Turkish yenge is used more specifically than English sister-in-law.

It usually refers to:

• your brother’s wife
• your uncle’s wife
• sometimes your older male relative’s wife

The exact relationship depends on context.

Also, the -m at the end means my, so:

• yenge = sister-in-law
• yengem = my sister-in-law

Turkish usually shows possession with an ending attached to the noun, rather than with a separate word like my.

So:

• yenge = sister-in-law
• yengem = my sister-in-law
• yengen = your sister-in-law
• yengesi = his/her sister-in-law

This is very normal in Turkish. You do not need a separate word for my here.

Mutfakta means in the kitchen.

It comes from:

• mutfak = kitchen
• -ta / -te / -da / -de = the locative ending, meaning in / at / on

So:

• mutfak = kitchen
• mutfakta = in the kitchen

The ending changes form because of vowel harmony and consonant harmony. Since mutfak ends in the voiceless consonant k, the locative becomes -ta rather than -da.

This is a very common question.

In Turkish, a direct object often takes the accusative ending -(y)ı / -(y)i / -(y)u / -(y)ü only when it is specific or definite.

So:

• salata hazırlıyor = she is preparing salad / a salad
• salatayı hazırlıyor = she is preparing the salad / a specific salad

In your sentence, salata is indefinite or non-specific, so it appears without the accusative ending.

Hazırlıyor means is preparing or prepares, depending on context.

It comes from the verb stem:

• hazırla- = to prepare

Then Turkish adds the present continuous ending:

• -ıyor / -iyor / -uyor / -üyor

So:

• hazırla-
• hazırlıyor = is preparing

This tense is very commonly used for actions happening now.

Turkish often leaves out subject pronouns when they are understood from context.

In English, you usually need to say:

• She is preparing salad

In Turkish, the subject is often clear without a pronoun:

• Yengem mutfakta salata hazırlıyor.

Since yengem is already the subject, there is no need to add o (he/she/it).

The sentence follows a very common Turkish word order:

Subject + place + object + verb

So here:

• Yengem = subject
• mutfakta = place
• salata = object
• hazırlıyor = verb

A key difference from English is that the verb usually comes at the end in Turkish.

English:

• My sister-in-law is preparing salad in the kitchen.

Turkish:

• My sister-in-law in the kitchen salad is preparing.

That final verb position is very typical.

Yes, Turkish word order is flexible, but the default is with the verb at the end.

For example, you might also hear:

• Mutfakta yengem salata hazırlıyor.
• Salata yengem mutfakta hazırlıyor. (less neutral, more marked)

Changing the order usually changes the focus or emphasis, not the basic meaning.

The most neutral version here is:

• Yengem mutfakta salata hazırlıyor.

Usually, yes, it often corresponds to is preparing in English. But Turkish present continuous can also sometimes express a present-time or near-present action more broadly.

Depending on context, hazırlıyor could be understood as:

• is preparing
• is making
• sometimes even prepares in a practical sense, though is preparing is the most direct match here

In this sentence, is preparing is the most natural translation.

This is because of vowel harmony.

The present continuous ending has four forms:

• -ıyor
• -iyor
• -uyor
• -üyor

Which one appears depends on the vowel before it.

In hazırla-, the relevant vowel leads to -ıyor, so:

• hazırlıyor

You do not need to memorize it separately for each verb forever, but it helps to get used to these patterns early.

It is a very natural and common combination.

Turkish often uses:

• yemek hazırlamak = to prepare food / a meal
• salata hazırlamak = to prepare salad
• kahvaltı hazırlamak = to prepare breakfast

So yes, salata hazırlamak is a normal, idiomatic way to say to prepare salad.

You would make the object definite by adding the accusative ending:

• Yengem mutfakta salatayı hazırlıyor.

Here:

• salata = salad
• salatayı = the salad / a specific salad

That -yı marks the object as specific.

Yes, sometimes.

In Turkish culture, yenge can also be used as a friendly or respectful way to address the wife of an older male friend, brother, or acquaintance. So it is not always limited to a strict family-tree meaning.

But in a sentence like this, learners should first understand it as a kinship term:

• yengem = my sister-in-law

You would add the negative marker to the verb:

• Yengem mutfakta salata hazırlamıyor.

This means:

• My sister-in-law is not preparing salad in the kitchen.

So:

• hazırlıyor = is preparing
• hazırlamıyor = is not preparing

You can add the Turkish question particle mu / mü / mı / mi:

• Yengem mutfakta salata hazırlıyor mu?

This means:

• Is my sister-in-law preparing salad in the kitchen?

The question particle is written separately, and its form changes according to vowel harmony. Here it is mu.