Question 1

Why is it evladı with a "d" instead of a "t"?

Accepted Answer

The base word is evlat (child/offspring). Because the sentence says "their child", it takes a possessive suffix (here, -ı). When a suffix starting with a vowel is added to a word ending in t, the t often softens to a d. This rule is called consonant softening or mutation.

Question 2

What is the root of the verb yaşıyor, and why isn't it "yaşayor"?

Accepted Answer

The root verb is yaşamak (to live). When the present continuous suffix -yor is added to a verb stem ending in a wide vowel like a or e (like yaşa-), that final vowel narrows to ı, i, u, or ü. In this case, the a narrows to ı, resulting in yaşıyor. This is known as vowel narrowing.

Question 3

Why is the word order uzak bir şehirde instead of bir uzak şehirde?

Accepted Answer

In Turkish, when a noun has both an adjective (uzak) and the indefinite article (bir), the bir almost always goes between the adjective and the noun. So "a faraway city" translates to the structure "faraway a city" (uzak bir şehir).

Question 4

Could I use çocuk instead of evlat here?

Accepted Answer

Yes, you could say Onların tek çocuğu... and it would be perfectly understood. However, evlat specifically means "one's offspring" or "one's own son/daughter," whereas çocuk is the general word for "child" or "kid" and can refer to anyone's child.

Onların tek evladı şimdi uzak bir şehirde yaşıyor.

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