Learn Turkish: Kadın kalkıyor. - The woman is getting up.

The verb root is kalk- (to get up), which ends in a consonant. The present continuous suffix -yor needs a vowel to attach to it. Following 4-way vowel harmony rules, the a in kalk- means we must use the buffer vowel ı, making the full word kalkıyor.

Why isn't there a personal suffix at the end of kalkıyor?

In Turkish, the third-person singular (he, she, it) does not have a visible personal suffix. Since kadın (the woman) is a 'she', the verb simply ends with the tense suffix -yor.

Where is the word for 'is' in this sentence?

Turkish doesn't use a separate word like 'is' or 'are' for continuous actions. The 'is doing' meaning is entirely packed into the -ıyor suffix, which tells us the action is happening right now.

Could kalkıyor mean something else in a different context?

Yes! While it means 'getting up' or 'standing up' for people, it is also the standard verb used for vehicles departing. If you see a bus, train, or plane leaving, you can say it kalkıyor (is departing or taking off).