Questions & Answers about Onlar yeni araba satıyor.
How is the present continuous suffix added to the verb root in satıyor?
The root of the verb 'to sell' is sat-. Because it ends in a consonant, we have to insert a vowel before the -yor suffix. According to 4-way vowel harmony, the 'a' in sat- means we use -ı-, giving us satıyor.
Since the subject is Onlar (they), why doesn't the verb end in -lar (satıyorlar)?
In Turkish, if you already state the plural subject Onlar (they), you don't actually have to make the verb plural too! Onlar ... satıyor is perfectly correct and very common in everyday speech. You could also say Onlar ... satıyorlar, but it is completely optional.
The translation says 'cars', but araba doesn't have the plural suffix -lar. Why is it singular?
When talking about a direct object in a general, unspecific sense—like 'selling cars' as a broad activity—Turkish keeps the noun singular. You would usually only use the plural arabalar if you were talking about a specific, known group of cars.
If they were selling specific cars and we used the plural arabalar, would the adjective yeni (new) change?
No, it wouldn't. Just like in English, Turkish adjectives do not change to match plural nouns. It will always stay exactly the same: yeni araba (new car) and yeni arabalar (new cars).
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