Breakdown of Toplantı uzun süredir devam ediyor.
uzun
long / tall
toplantı
meeting
süre
period
devam etmek
to continue
Questions & Answers about Toplantı uzun süredir devam ediyor.
How does the -dir suffix change the meaning of süre here?
Süre means "duration" or "period of time". Adding the time duration suffix -dir (which follows vowel harmony rules) translates to "for [a period of time]". Therefore, uzun süredir literally means "for a long duration".
Why is the verb devam ediyor in the present tense when the English translation says "has been going on"?
In English, we use a special tense ("have/has been doing") for actions that started in the past and are still happening right now. Turkish is simpler: it just uses the regular present continuous tense (-iyor) along with a time phrase like süredir to show that the action is still ongoing.
Why does ediyor have a d instead of a t?
The dictionary form of the verb "to continue" is devam etmek, which is formed using the helper verb etmek (to do/make). When a suffix starting with a vowel is added to etmek (like the -iyor present tense suffix), the t softens into a d. This consonant mutation makes it ediyor rather than etiyor.
Could I say uzun zamandır instead of uzun süredir?
Yes, absolutely! Zaman means "time" and süre means "duration". Saying uzun zamandır and uzun süredir are both extremely common and mean the exact same thing in this context.
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