Questions & Answers about Kim susmuyor?
How is the negative suffix formed in susmuyor?
The root verb is susmak (to be quiet), so the stem is sus-. Usually, the negative suffix is -ma or -me. However, when we add the present continuous suffix -yor, the vowel in the negative suffix changes (narrows) to match the root. Because sus- has an u, the negative suffix becomes -mu, giving us susmuyor (is not being quiet).
Why isn't there a personal ending at the end of susmuyor?
In Turkish, when the question word kim (who) is the subject of the sentence, it is treated like a third-person singular pronoun (he/she/it). Since the "he/she/it" form doesn't take a personal ending in the present continuous tense, we just leave the verb as susmuyor.
I've heard people just say "Sus!" before. Is that the same word?
Yes! Sus is the direct command (imperative) form of the verb susmak. By itself, it means "Be quiet!" or "Hush!". In this sentence, we are taking that exact same root and adding the negative present continuous suffixes to ask who is not doing it.
Could I translate this as "Who is not speaking?"
They mean almost the same thing in English, but Turkish uses a different verb for "to speak" (konuşmak). "Who is not speaking?" would be Kim konuşmuyor?. Susmak specifically means "to be quiet" or "to keep quiet," so kim susmuyor? focuses on the fact that someone is actively refusing to be quiet!
Learn Kim susmuyor and more in Turkish
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free