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Questions & Answers about Rehber geldi.
Why is there no article before Rehber in the sentence Rehber geldi?
Turkish does not have articles like a or the. Nouns are used without any definite or indefinite articles, so Rehber geldi naturally translates to (The) guide came in English.
What tense is used in the verb geldi, and how is it formed?
The verb geldi is in the simple past tense. It is formed by taking the verb stem gel- (meaning to come) and adding the past tense suffix -di. Vowel harmony plays a role here since the vowel in gel- is e, and the suffix adapts accordingly to become -di.
Can Turkish omit subject pronouns, and why is the subject explicitly mentioned in this sentence?
Yes, Turkish is a pro-drop language, which means that subject pronouns are often omitted because the verb conjugation clearly indicates the subject. In Rehber geldi, however, the noun Rehber (meaning guide) is explicitly provided to clearly identify who came.
How does vowel harmony affect the formation of geldi?
Vowel harmony in Turkish ensures that the vowels in suffixes match those in the root word. Since gel- contains the vowel e, the appropriate form of the past tense suffix is -di. If the stem had a different vowel, the suffix might appear as , , or to maintain harmony.