Question 1

How does this sentence say "whose" without using a specific word for it?

Accepted Answer

In Turkish, "whose" is created by combining a possessed noun (like sorunu, meaning "their problem") with a subject relative participle ending in -(y)an/-(y)en. Here, the participle is çözülmeyen ("that is not resolved"). Put together, sorunu çözülmeyen literally means "the one that their problem is not resolved," which translates to "whose problem is not resolved."

Question 2

Where is the noun that usually comes after the -(y)en word, like "the people whose..."?

Accepted Answer

It has been left out! Just like regular adjectives, participles in Turkish can stand alone as nouns if the noun they describe is obvious from context. By attaching the plural suffix -ler directly to the participle, çözülmeyen becomes çözülmeyenler, meaning "the ones / those whose..."

Question 3

Why is the verb çözülmeyenler and not just çözmeyenler?

Accepted Answer

The -ül suffix makes the verb passive. If you used çözmeyenler (active), it would mean "those who do not solve the problem." Because the problems are being solved by someone else, we need the passive çözülmek (to be solved), making it "those whose problems are not solved."

Question 4

Since the English translation says "whose problems" (plural), why is sorunu in the singular form?

Accepted Answer

In Turkish, when referring to a group of people who each have one of something (like one specific problem or case per person), it is very common and natural to leave the possessed noun in the singular form. You could say sorunları çözülmeyenler, but sorunu çözülmeyenler sounds perfectly natural and avoids double-plural clunkiness.

Sorunu çözülmeyenler hâlâ bekliyor.

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