Word
Herkes bir sır saklıyor.
Meaning
Everyone is keeping a secret.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Questions & Answers about Herkes bir sır saklıyor.
Why does the verb saklıyor not have a plural ending like -lar if herkes means "everyone"?
Even though herkes refers to multiple people, it acts as a singular subject in Turkish grammar. That is why we use the singular verb saklıyor instead of saklıyorlar. This is similar to English, where we say "everyone is" instead of "everyone are".
The dictionary form of the verb is saklamak (to hide/keep). Why is it spelled saklıyor here?
When a verb root ends in -a or -e (like sakla-), adding the present continuous ending -yor causes that final vowel to narrow. The -a changes to -ı to fit vowel harmony rules, creating saklıyor.
Does the verb saklamak mean "to keep" or "to hide"?
It means both! In Turkish, keeping a secret (sır saklamak) uses the exact same verb as hiding a physical object.
Why doesn't sır have a direct object ending here?
Because it is "a secret" (an indefinite object), not "the secret". When a direct object is indefinite and paired with bir, it stays in its plain dictionary form and does not take the accusative case ending.