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Questions & Answers about Köpek sakin.
What do the words köpek and sakin mean in English?
Köpek translates as dog and sakin means calm. So the sentence Köpek sakin. conveys that the dog is calm.
Why is there no verb like is in the sentence?
In Turkish, the present tense of the verb to be is usually omitted in simple statements. Instead, the predicate adjective sakin implies the state of being, so there’s no need to include an explicit equivalent of is.
Why doesn’t the sentence use an article like the before köpek?
Turkish does not use definite or indefinite articles such as a or the. Context determines whether the noun is specific or general, allowing the sentence to convey the correct meaning without an article.
Does the adjective sakin change form to agree with the noun köpek?
No, adjectives in Turkish do not inflect for gender or number. Whether köpek is singular, plural, or any other form, sakin remains unchanged.
Could the adjective be placed before the noun, and would that change the meaning?
Yes, adjectives can also come before the noun when used attributively. For example, sakin köpek can be used to describe a calm dog. In the sentence Köpek sakin., however, sakin functions as a predicate adjective following the subject, which is customary in Turkish when the verb to be is omitted.
What is the typical word order in Turkish, and how does this sentence fit into that structure?
Turkish is generally a Subject-Object-Verb (SOV) language. In sentences with predicate adjectives, the subject appears first and the adjective follows—while the copula is dropped. Köpek sakin. fits this pattern since köpek (subject) is followed by sakin (predicate adjective) without an explicit verb.