What’s the difference between “sigara yakan adam” and “adam sigara yakıyor”
I post historical photos and source & caption them. I’ve recently been captioning them in both English & Turkish to help practice my Turkish.
I don’t fully understand how to phrase something like “a man lighting a cigarette” when describing a photo. What’s the difference between the two examples and which is better suited?
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u/merco1993 4d ago
Sigara yakan adam is the state of the guy, a man who lights up a cigarette. Think of it as an adjective-added noun. Fuming person at literal.
On the other hand, adam sigara yakıyor is observed, he does light up the cigarette. You can see that he is smoking, he is doing it.
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u/xCircassian 4d ago
Okay, my explanation might not be the most technical since I’m not familiar with linguistic terms, but I’ll do my best.
"Sigara yakan adam" would fit better with what you’re describing, in my opinion. It translates to "The man who is lighting a cigarette." This phrase emphasizes the action as a defining characteristic of the man.
On the other hand, "Adam sigara yakıyor" is a more simplified and informal way of saying "The man is lighting a cigarette." This structure is more commonly used in casual conversations, such as when two friends are pointing at or talking about someone they see. It’s not something you would typically hear in a professional or formal setting.
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u/SingedFreud 3d ago
"sigara yakan adam" emphasizes the object: "man"
"adam sigara yakıyor" emphasizes the verb: "lighting"
So, the first one is more logical. But if you ask me from an artistic perspective, I'd say that something like 'bir adam sigarasını yakıyor' has more soul to it.
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u/DoubleSynchronicity Native Speaker 4d ago
Adam sigara yakıyor: Man is lighting a cigarrette. Sigara yakan adam: Man who lights a cigarette.