Breakdown of Niye geç kalıyorsun? Otobüs yok mu?
yok
there is not / non-existent
otobüs
bus
mi
question particle (mı/mi/mu/mü)
geç kalmak
to be late
niye
why (colloquial)
Questions & Answers about Niye geç kalıyorsun? Otobüs yok mu?
Why does this sentence use kalıyorsun for "running late"?
In Turkish, the phrase for "to be late" is geç kalmak, which literally translates to "to stay late" or "to remain late". So geç kalıyorsun means "you are staying late" (you are being or running late).
What is the difference between niye and neden?
Both niye and neden mean "why" and are usually interchangeable. Niye is slightly more conversational and informal, making it a very natural choice for asking someone why they are running late.
How do yok and mu work together in the second sentence?
Yok means "there is not" or "doesn't exist". Mu is a question particle that turns a statement into a yes/no question. By putting them together as yok mu?, you are literally asking "Does it not exist?" or "Is there no...?". Here, it means "Is there no bus?".
Where does the ı come from in kalıyorsun?
The base verb is kalmak (to stay). To add the present continuous ending -yor, we need a linking vowel because the verb stem kal- ends in a consonant. Following the rules of 4-way vowel harmony, the vowel a in kal takes an ı, making it kalıyor (he/she/it is staying) and then we add the "you" ending -sun.
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