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Questions & Answers about Kedi kaçıyor.
How is the word kaçıyor formed?
The root verb is kaçmak (to run away or escape). Since the root kaç- ends in a consonant, we must add a vowel before the present continuous suffix -yor. Because the vowel in kaç is 'a', 4-way vowel harmony rules dictate we use the undotted ı. So, we get kaç + ı + yor = kaçıyor.
Why does it translate to "The cat" when there is no word for "the"?
Turkish doesn't have a direct equivalent for the English definite article "the". When a plain noun like kedi is the subject of a sentence, it is generally understood as specific ("the cat"). If we wanted to say "a cat", we would add the word bir (a/one) and say Bir kedi kaçıyor.
Does kaçıyor mean "running" in general?
No, the root kaç- specifically means "to run away", "to escape", or "to flee". If the cat were just running around the room playfully, you would use the verb koşmak (to run), which becomes koşuyor.
Why is there no personal suffix at the end of kaçıyor?