Tutarsız açıklama tanığın sözlerini çarpıttı.

In Turkish, adjectives normally come before the noun they describe, just like in English.

• tutarsız = inconsistent, contradictory
• açıklama = explanation, statement

So tutarsız açıklama means an inconsistent explanation or a contradictory statement.

Unlike in English, Turkish adjectives do not change form for singular/plural or anything else here.

Açıklama usually means explanation, statement, or clarification, depending on context.

In this sentence, it could naturally be understood as something like:

• an explanation
• a statement
• an account

A learner may expect one exact English equivalent, but Turkish words often cover a wider range of meanings than a single English word.

Tanığın is the genitive form of tanık (witness), and it means of the witness or the witness’s.

Breakdown:

• tanık = witness
• tanığın = witness’s / of the witness

This is the Turkish possessive construction. The possessor takes the genitive ending.

Also note the sound change:

• tanık
  • -ın
• becomes tanığın

The final k often softens to ğ when a vowel-initial ending is added.

Sözlerini is more complex than it looks. It contains both a possessive marker and the accusative case.

Breakdown:

• söz = word, remark
• sözler = words
• sözleri = his/her words, their words, or the words, depending on context
• sözlerini = his/her words / their words + accusative

In this sentence, tanığın sözlerini means the witness’s words as a definite direct object.

A useful way to see it is:

• tanığın sözleri = the witness’s words
• tanığın sözlerini = the witness’s words (as the thing being affected by the verb)

The extra -ni part is there because the object is definite and marked with the accusative.

That -n- is a buffer consonant.

When a noun already has a third-person possessive ending and then takes another vowel-initial suffix such as the accusative, Turkish often inserts -n- to make pronunciation smoother.

So the structure is roughly:

• sözler-i = his/her words
• sözler-i-n-i = his/her words + accusative

That middle -n- helps connect the endings.

Turkish often marks definite direct objects with the accusative case.

Here, tanığın sözlerini refers to specific words: the witness’s words. Because the object is definite/specific, it takes the accusative ending.

Compare the idea:

• sözler = words in a general sense
• sözleri / sözlerini in this kind of sentence = specific words being acted on

English does not mark this with a special ending, so this is something English speakers often need time to get used to.

Çarpıttı is in the simple past tense.

Breakdown:

• çarpıtmak = to distort, twist, misrepresent
• çarpıttı = distorted / twisted / misrepresented

The ending -tı / -ti / -tu / -tü is a common Turkish past tense marker, with vowel harmony and consonant variation affecting the exact form.

So çarpıttı means it distorted or it twisted.

The subject is tutarsız açıklama.

That is the thing doing the action in the sentence.

So the structure is:

• tutarsız açıklama = subject
• tanığın sözlerini = object
• çarpıttı = verb

This is a very normal Turkish word order pattern: Subject + Object + Verb.

Yes. It follows the common Turkish pattern:

• Subject
• Object
• Verb

So:

• Tutarsız açıklama = subject
• tanığın sözlerini = object
• çarpıttı = verb

This is one of the most basic and natural word orders in Turkish. English learners often notice that the verb comes at the end much more consistently than in English.

Yes, that is a very good literal understanding.

• tanığın = the witness’s
• sözlerini = words, as a definite object

So together: the witness’s words

Depending on the context, söz can also mean:

• words
• remarks
• statements
• testimony-related utterances

So English translations may vary a little.

Turkish does not normally use a word equivalent to English the in the same way.

Definiteness is often understood from:

• context
• possessive constructions
• accusative marking
• word structure

In this sentence, the object is clearly specific because of the possessive structure and accusative marking:

• tanığın sözlerini = the witness’s words

So even without a separate word for the, the meaning is still definite.

Here it is figurative.

Çarpıtmak often means:

• to distort
• to twist
• to misrepresent

So in this sentence, it means that the explanation or statement misrepresented what the witness said.

It is not about physically bending words, of course. English also uses similar figurative language, as in to distort someone’s words or to twist what someone said.

Yes. Söz is a flexible word in Turkish.

It can mean things like:

• word
• words
• remark
• statement
• promise, in some contexts

So sözlerini could be understood as:

• his/her words
• what he/she said
• his/her statements

The exact English translation depends on context. That flexibility is very common in Turkish vocabulary.