Breakdown of Buhar ne zaman çıkar?
ne
what
zaman
time
çıkmak
to go out / to leave / to exit / to break out / to arise (of a storm)
buhar
steam
Questions & Answers about Buhar ne zaman çıkar?
Why does the verb çıkmak take the -ar suffix here to become çıkar?
The root of the verb is çık- (to come out). In the aorist tense, most single-syllable roots ending in a consonant take the -ar or -er suffix instead of the four-way vowel harmony suffixes. Because çık- has a back vowel (ı), it takes -ar to make çıkar.
Why do we use the aorist tense (çıkar) in this sentence instead of the present continuous (çıkıyor)?
The aorist tense is used to state general facts, habits, and scientific truths. Asking 'When does steam come out?' is a general question about how a process works, not a question about steam coming out right at this exact moment.
Why is the question word ne zaman in the middle of the sentence?
In Turkish, the most important information usually goes right before the verb. Question words like ne zaman (when) are almost always placed immediately before the verb. Since çıkar is at the end, ne zaman goes right before it, and the subject buhar (steam) sits at the beginning.
I thought the verb çıkmak meant 'to go up' or 'to exit'. Does it also mean 'to come out'?
Yes! Çıkmak is a very flexible verb. Depending on the context, it can mean to exit a room, to go up stairs, or to come out (like steam escaping a kettle, or a new movie hitting theaters).