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Questions & Answers about Bugün neyi kutluyoruz?
Why does this sentence use neyi instead of just ne for "what"?
While ne means "what" in a general sense, we are asking about a specific event or occasion being celebrated here (like a birthday or holiday). When "what" is the direct object of the verb and refers to a specific thing, we use the specific object ending (the accusative case), making it neyi.
How exactly is the word neyi formed?
It starts with the question word ne (what). To show it is a specific object, we need to add the suffix -i. Because ne ends in a vowel and the suffix is a vowel, we must use the buffer letter -y- to connect them, giving us neyi.
The dictionary form of "to celebrate" is kutlamak. Why does it become kutlu- in kutluyoruz?
This is due to a rule called vowel narrowing. When a verb stem ends in -a or -e (like kutla-), adding the present continuous suffix -yor causes that final vowel to narrow into ı, i, u, or ü. Because of vowel harmony with the u in kutla-, the final -a changes to an -u, resulting in kutluyor.
Where is the "we" in this sentence?
The "we" is built into the verb ending! The -uz suffix in kutluyoruz is the "we" personal ending for the present continuous tense. You could add biz (we) to the sentence for emphasis, but it is normally left out because the verb already tells us who is doing the action.