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Questions & Answers about Hangi kitap senin?
What does hangi mean, and what is its function in the sentence?
Hangi translates to which in English. It serves as an interrogative adjective modifying kitap (book) to ask the listener to specify which book is being referred to.
Why is there no equivalent of the verb "is" in this sentence?
Turkish typically omits the copula in the present tense. The sentence "Hangi kitap senin?" literally translates to "Which book yours?" but is understood as "Which book is yours?" without needing an explicit form of the verb to be.
What role does senin play, and how is possession expressed here?
Senin is a possessive pronoun meaning yours. In this sentence, it functions as the predicate complement, indicating ownership of the noun kitap without the need for a linking verb.
Is the adjective-noun order in Turkish similar to that in English?
Yes, adjectives such as hangi come directly before the noun they modify, just like in English. However, unlike English, Turkish omits the linking verb (e.g., is) in such constructions, so the structure remains concise.
Could the word order be rearranged to "Senin hangi kitap?" without changing the meaning?
No, rearranging the words to "Senin hangi kitap?" would disrupt the standard Turkish sentence structure. In Turkish, the interrogative adjective hangi must immediately precede the noun it modifies, and the possessive senin is placed at the end to clearly denote ownership.