Çocuk tıpkı annesi gibi gülüyor.

The child laughs just like her mother.

Breakdown of Çocuk tıpkı annesi gibi gülüyor.

• gülmek: to laugh
• gibi: as
• çocuk: the child
• anne: the mother

Questions & Answers about Çocuk tıpkı annesi gibi gülüyor.

What does tıpkı ... gibi mean, and why are both words used?

This is a common Turkish pattern meaning just like or exactly like.

• gibi = like / as
• tıpkı adds emphasis: just, exactly, precisely

So:

• annesi gibi = like his/her mother
• tıpkı annesi gibi = just like his/her mother

You can often leave out tıpkı if you do not need the extra emphasis.

Why is it annesi instead of anne?

Because annesi means his/her mother.

It is made from:

• anne = mother
• -si = third-person possessive suffix

So:

• anne = mother
• annesi = his/her mother

In this sentence, annesi naturally refers to the child’s mother.

This is very common in Turkish, especially with family words. Where English might say the child laughs like his mother, Turkish often uses the possessed form directly: annesi.

Where does the -s- in annesi come from?