Learn Turkish: Program ne zaman başlıyor? - When does the program start?

In Turkish, ne zaman literally translates to 'what time'. The word ne means 'what' and zaman means 'time'. Together, they are always used as the question phrase for 'when'.

Where should I put 'ne zaman' in a sentence?

Question words in Turkish usually go right before the verb. In this sentence, ne zaman sits exactly before the verb başlıyor. While word order can be flexible in Turkish, placing the question word right before the action is the most standard and natural position.

The English translation says 'does start'. Why is the Turkish verb 'başlıyor' in the present continuous (-iyor) tense?

Even though başlıyor literally means 'is starting', Turkish frequently uses this present continuous tense for scheduled events, routines, or near-future plans. In English, we usually ask 'when does it start' for schedules, but Turkish prefers the -iyor ending here.

Isn't the root verb for 'start' 'başla-'? Why does it change to 'başlıyor' instead of 'başlayor'?

Great catch! The dictionary form is başlamak, making the root başla-. In Turkish, when a verb root ends in an 'a' or 'e' and you add the -iyor ending, that final vowel narrows. The 'a' changes to 'ı' to flow better with the rest of the word, resulting in başlıyor.