Breakdown of Koğuştayken askerler konuşmaz.
konuşmak
to speak / to talk
asker
soldier
koğuş
dormitory (ward, prison or military)
Questions & Answers about Koğuştayken askerler konuşmaz.
How is koğuştayken formed, and what does it literally mean?
It breaks down to koğuş (dorm/barracks) + -ta (locative suffix "in") + -y- (buffer letter) + -ken (while). So it literally means "while in the dorm". Notice that you must attach the locative case -ta before adding -ken to say "while in/at a place". Also, remember that -ken is an exception and never changes for vowel harmony!
How do we know who is in the dorm, since koğuştayken doesn't have a personal suffix?
The suffix -ken never takes personal endings (there is no "-kenim" or "-kenler"). The person or people it refers to is understood from the main subject of the sentence, which in this case is askerler (soldiers).
Since the subject is plural (askerler), why doesn't the verb have a plural suffix (konuşmazlar)?
In Turkish, if a plural subject is explicitly stated in the sentence (like askerler), the verb doesn't necessarily need the plural suffix -lar or -ler. Using the singular form konuşmaz is perfectly natural and common here, though konuşmazlar would also be grammatically correct.
Why does the sentence use konuşmaz instead of the present continuous tense konuşmuyor?
Konuşmaz is the negative form of the aorist (simple present) tense. It is used here because it states a general rule, habit, or fact ("soldiers generally do not speak in the dorm"), rather than describing an action that is failing to happen at this exact moment.
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