Questions & Answers about Kuş uçuyor.
Why is the suffix -uyor used here instead of -iyor?
This happens because of 4-way vowel harmony. The root of the verb is uç- (to fly). Since the vowel in the root is 'u', the present continuous suffix changes to match it, becoming -uyor.
Why isn't there an extra personal ending after uçuyor?
In Turkish, the third-person singular (he, she, or it) doesn't take a personal suffix in the present continuous tense. The word kuş (bird) acts as an 'it', so just adding the tense suffix -uyor to the verb root is all you need.
How do we know it means 'the bird' when there is no word for 'the'?
Turkish doesn't have a definite article like 'the'. The single word kuş can mean 'bird', 'a bird', or 'the bird'. Because it is the subject performing a specific action right now, 'the bird' is the most natural translation in English.
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