sürdürmek

Sürdürmek is a Turkish verb meaning to continue, to maintain, or to sustain something over time. It is used transively to indicate keeping a process, activity, habit, or condition going, often requiring ongoing effort, resources, or discipline. Common objects include projects, programs, businesses, habits, activities, and life styles.

In usage, sürdürmek emphasizes the act of keeping something existing or progressing rather than simply beginning or briefly continuing. It is frequently found in contexts such as maintaining a project (bir projeyi sürdürmek), preserving a habit (alışkanlığı sürdürmek), or running an operation (faaliyetleri sürdürmek). The verb collocates with expressions like “devam ettirmek” (to cause to continue) and with time-related phrases such as “uzun süre sürdürmek” (to sustain for a long time). The related noun sürdürme denotes the act or process of maintaining, while sürdürülmesi can describe the need to maintain something.

Grammatical notes: sürdürmek forms regularly like other Turkish verbs. Present tense forms include sürdürürüm, sürdürürsün, sürdürür, sürdürürüz, sürdürürsünüz, sürdürürler. Past tense is formed as sürdürdüm, sürdürdün, sürdürdü, sürdürdük, sürdürdünüz, sürdürdüler. The imperative forms are sürdür and sürdürünüz. The verb can appear in passive or nominalized forms such as sürdürülmek or sürdürme.

Etymology: the verb is built from the root sür- with the causative/ intensifying suffix -dür- and the infinitive marker -mek, yielding a meaning centered on causing or ensuring continuation.

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