Questions & Answers about Bebek uyuyor, öpme!
How is the present continuous suffix added to the verb uyumak here?
The verb root is uyu- (from uyumak, to sleep). Normally, we add a four-way vowel before the -yor suffix. However, because uyu- already ends in the narrow vowel u, we do not need an extra connecting vowel. We simply add -yor directly: uyu- + -yor = uyuyor.
The lesson is about vowel narrowing. Why doesn't the final vowel in uyu- change?
Vowel narrowing only happens when a verb root ends in the wide vowels a or e (for example, oyna- becomes oynuyor). Because the root uyu- already ends in a narrow vowel (u), it does not need to change at all.
Where is the word for "him" in the Turkish sentence?
There isn't one! Turkish frequently drops object pronouns like him, her, or it when the context is clear. Because the first half of the sentence mentions the baby (bebek), it is completely obvious who shouldn't be kissed. Just saying öpme (don't kiss) is enough.
How is the command "don't kiss" formed in öpme?
To give a negative command (telling someone not to do something), you take the verb root (here, öp- from öpmek, to kiss) and add the negative suffix -me or -ma. We use -me here to match the ö in öp- according to vowel harmony rules.
Learn Bebek uyuyor, öpme 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