Learn Hardcore Turkish: Fotoğraf etkileyici.

In Turkish, the present tense of the copula “to be” is usually omitted in simple descriptive sentences. So instead of saying “The photo is impressive,” Turkish simply states “Fotoğraf etkileyici.”

Why does the adjective “etkileyici” come after “fotoğraf” in this sentence?

In this construction, “etkileyici” functions as a predicate adjective describing the subject “fotoğraf.” When used in a complete sentence, Turkish places the predicate adjective after the subject. If you wanted to use it attributively (as in “impressive photo”), it would typically come before the noun: “etkileyici fotoğraf.”

What is the grammatical structure of "Fotoğraf etkileyici"?

The sentence follows a subject–predicate adjective structure. “Fotoğraf” is the subject and “etkileyici” is the predicate adjective. The linking verb (equivalent to “is”) is omitted, which is a common feature in Turkish.

Why are there no articles like “the” or “a” in the sentence?

Turkish does not use definite or indefinite articles. The meaning is usually clear from the context, so words like “the” or “a” are not needed as they are in English.

Can the word order be changed without altering the meaning?

Not exactly. While “Fotoğraf etkileyici” is a complete sentence meaning “The photo is impressive,” reversing the order to “Etkileyici fotoğraf” turns it into a noun phrase that means “impressive photo.” The two orders serve different functions: one is a full sentence, and the other is an attributive phrase.