Learn Turkish: Bu ürkek kedi hâlâ hırlıyor mu? - Does this timid cat still growl?

The circumflexes show that the 'a' is pronounced a bit longer and softer. More importantly, they are crucial for distinguishing hâlâ (still) from the word hala (father's sister / paternal aunt). Without them, your sentence might look like it's talking about a very strange aunt!

Why is the present continuous verb hırlıyor (is growling) translated as "does... growl" in English?

When using hâlâ (still) to describe an ongoing action, state, or behavior, Turkish naturally defaults to the present continuous tense (-ıyor). While English sometimes uses the simple present ("Does it still growl?") for habits or animal behaviors, Turkish emphasizes the ongoing nature of the growling by keeping it in the continuous tense.

How is the adjective ürkek (timid) formed?

It comes from the verb ürkmek, which means "to be startled" or "to get spooked." The suffix -ek (or -ak) is attached to verb roots to create adjectives that describe a tendency to do that action. Therefore, an ürkek cat is one that gets spooked easily.

If I wanted to ask the opposite—"Is this timid cat not growling anymore?"—how would I change the sentence?

You would swap out hâlâ (still) for the lesson's other adverb, artık (anymore / from now on), and change the verb to the negative form: Bu ürkek kedi artık hırlamıyor mu?