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Questions & Answers about Taksi merkeze gidiyor.
How does merkeze translate to 'to the center'?
It combines the noun merkez (center) with the dative case suffix -e (to/towards). Since the last vowel in merkez is 'e', we use -e instead of -a to follow vowel harmony.
Do we need a buffer letter for the dative suffix here?
Not in this word! The buffer letter y is only used when the noun ends in a vowel, to keep two vowels from crashing together (like in bankaya). Because merkez ends in the consonant 'z', the suffix attaches directly.
Why is it gidiyor with a 'd' when the verb is gitmek?
This is a rule called consonant softening. When a verb stem ending in 't' (like git) gets a suffix starting with a vowel (like the present continuous suffix -iyor), the 't' changes to a 'd'. This makes the word flow better when spoken!