Questions & Answers about Yaşlı adam durdu ve çok şaşırdı.
Where is the "he" suffix in durdu and şaşırdı?
In the Turkish past tense, the third-person singular (he, she, or it) doesn't take an extra personal suffix. The past tense marker alone (-du or -dı) attached to the verb stem is all you need for "he stopped" or "he was surprised."
Why is the past tense suffix -du for durdu but -dı for şaşırdı?
This is because of 4-way vowel harmony. The vowel in the past tense suffix changes to match the last vowel in the verb stem. The stem dur- has an u, so it takes -du. The stem şaşır- ends with an ı, so it takes -dı.
In English we say "was surprised". Why isn't there a past tense word for "was" here?
In English, "surprised" is often used as an adjective with the verb "to be". But in Turkish, şaşırmak is an actual verb that means "to be surprised". When you add the past tense suffix to get şaşırdı, it completely covers the meaning of "was surprised".
Does yaşlı only mean "old" for people?
Yes, yaşlı (which literally means "with age") is generally used for living things, like people or animals. If you wanted to talk about an old building or object, you would use the word eski instead.