Breakdown of Işıklar açık kaldığı için akü muhtemelen bitmiştir.
açık
open
kalmak
to stay / to be left / to remain (in a state)
bitmek
to finish / to end
için
for
ışık
light (illumination)
muhtemelen
probably
akü
car battery
Questions & Answers about Işıklar açık kaldığı için akü muhtemelen bitmiştir.
Why is -tir added to bitmiş? Doesn't bitmiş already mean it happened in the past?
Yes, -miş is the past tense, but adding the -tir suffix here expresses an assumption or strong probability. In this lesson's context, attaching -dir or -tir to a verb tells us the speaker is making a logical guess based on the lights being left on. So bitmiştir translates to 'must have died' or 'has probably died'.
If bitmiştir already expresses probability, why do we also need the word muhtemelen (probably)?
It is very common in Turkish to use an adverb like muhtemelen (probably) or belki (maybe) alongside the -dir suffix for emphasis. They work together to reinforce that this is a deduction rather than a confirmed fact.
How exactly does kaldığı için translate to 'because they stayed'?
To say 'because an action happened', Turkish uses the structure: Verb + -dık suffix + possessive ending + için. Here, kalmak (to stay) takes -dık, followed by the third-person possessive -ı (which softens the k to ğ, making kaldığı). Literally, it translates to 'for the reason of its staying'.
Why use akü for battery? I learned that battery is pil.
Pil refers to small, standard batteries like AA batteries used in remote controls. Akü refers specifically to a vehicle battery. Since the sentence mentions leaving the lights on and the battery dying, it implies a car, so akü is the correct word.
I thought açık meant 'open'. Why is it translated as 'on' here?
In Turkish, the verbs for 'to open' (açmak) and 'to close' (kapatmak) are also used for turning electronics and lights on and off. Because of this, the adjective açık means 'open' for a door, but 'turned on' for lights.
Learn Işıklar açık kaldığı için akü muhtemelen bitmiştir and more in Turkish
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free