yürürken

Yürürken is a Turkish adverbial form meaning “while walking” or “as one walks.” It is used to introduce a time clause that describes an action occurring simultaneously with another action in the main clause. The term comes from the verb yürümek (to walk) and the suffix -ken, which marks simultaneity in Turkish.

Morphology and syntax balance: yürürken is formed by taking the present tense stem of the verb (yürür) and adding the -ken suffix. In sentences, the -ken clause typically shares the same subject as the main clause, though Turkish allows flexibility with context. The construction functions as an adverbial modifier of time, useful for situational descriptions and narrative sequencing.

Usage: Yürürken is most commonly used to connect two ongoing actions. It is frequent in everyday speech and writing. Examples include:

- Yürürken telefonla konuşuyorum. (I am talking on the phone while walking.)

- Yaşlı adam yürürken vatandaşlar ona yardım etti. (While the old man was walking, passersby helped him.)

- Yürürken düşmemek için dikkat etmek gerekir. (One must be careful to avoid falling while walking.)

Notes: While yürürken typically implies the same subject in both clauses, Turkish can convey different subjects by adjusting sentence structure or using explicit noun phrases. The -ken form is part of a broader family of time-related -ken clauses in Turkish, which also appear with other verbs to express concurrent actions.

See also: Turkish grammar, -ken clauses, yürümek, yer değiştirme bağlaçları (time conjunctions).