If you know Dutch, compare “Ik werk vandaag thuis” with “omdat ik vandaag thuis werk”. The verb changes position. Use the second pattern as a memory aid for Turkish, even in a standalone statement. This A2 lesson uses simple clauses and reasons with çünkü; other ways of building subordinate clauses come later.
The idea
Dutch normally puts the finite verb in second position in a statement, but near the end after “omdat”. Turkish has no equivalent main-clause switch: Ben bugün evde çalışıyorum and Bugün ben evde çalışıyorum both keep the verb last. In Otobüsü bekliyorum çünkü yağmur yağıyor, each clause has its own final verb. This compares meanings, not identical clause structures. The general Turkish word-order rule is on the linked grammar page.
Examples
- Ben bugün evde çalışıyorum.I am working at home today.
- Biz akşam çorba içiyoruz.We are having soup this evening.
- Çocuklar şimdi bahçede oynuyor.The children are playing in the garden now.
- Bugün evde çalışıyorum çünkü hava çok soğuk.I am working at home today because it is very cold.
- Otobüsü bekliyorum çünkü yağmur yağıyor.I am waiting for the bus because it is raining.
- Çocuklar bahçede oynuyor çünkü hava güzel.The children are playing in the garden because the weather is nice.
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Watch out
Do not move çalışıyorum into second position merely because the sentence begins with bugün, as Dutch does with “Vandaag werk ik thuis”. Turkish allows other orders in context, so verb-final is a useful default, not a ban on words after the verb. Nor must every clause contain a verb: hava çok soğuk means “it is very cold”, with no separate “is”.
Try it yourself
Rebuild the Turkish equivalent of Dutch “Vandaag werk ik thuis” using ben / bugün / evde / çalışıyorum. Keep the verb last and the place immediately before it.
Show answer or example answer
Ben bugün evde çalışıyorum. / Bugün ben evde çalışıyorum.
Ben bugün evde çalışıyorum. / Bugün ben evde çalışıyorum. Both put the place evde directly before the verb, as requested. Starting with today does not force the verb into second position.
In Otobüsü bekliyorum çünkü yağmur yağıyor, which verb says what I am doing, before the reason begins?
Show answer or example answer
bekliyorum
bekliyorum means “I am waiting” and completes the statement about the speaker. yağıyor belongs to the reason and describes the rain; it cannot replace the waiting verb.
In Bugün evde çalışıyorum çünkü hava çok soğuk, write the adjective meaning “cold” in the reason.
Show answer or example answer
soğuk
soğuk describes the weather as cold; çok adds “very”. Dutch uses “is” here, but this Turkish third-person present statement needs no separate verb for “be”.
Practice round
Answer questions, then rebuild Turkish sentences and words where available. We keep your score.
Rebuild the Turkish equivalent of Dutch “Vandaag werk ik thuis” using ben / bugün / evde / çalışıyorum. Keep the verb last and the place immediately before it.
Ben bugün evde çalışıyorum. / Bugün ben evde çalışıyorum.
In Otobüsü bekliyorum çünkü yağmur yağıyor, which verb says what I am doing, before the reason begins?
In Bugün evde çalışıyorum çünkü hava çok soğuk, write the adjective meaning “cold” in the reason.
Tap the words in the right order.
Tap the words in the right order.
Tap the words in the right order.
Keep your progress
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Write a Turkish statement about today and add a reason with çünkü. Mark the predicate in each part, then compare it with a Dutch sentence using “omdat”. Use the linked word-order and present-tense lessons for more practice.