Pastane, bakkaldan daha uzak ama kasaptan daha yakın.

Pastane, bakkaldan daha uzak ama kasaptan daha yakın.
(English: “The pastry shop is farther than the small grocery store but closer than the butcher.”)
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Questions & Answers about Pastane, bakkaldan daha uzak ama kasaptan daha yakın.

Why are the nouns "bakkal" and "kasap" followed by –dan in this sentence?
In Turkish, when making comparisons that indicate distance or origin, the noun being compared is put into the ablative case. Adding –dan (or –den, depending on vowel harmony) to “bakkal” and “kasap” turns them into "bakkaldan" and "kasaptan," which function like "from the grocery store" and "from the butcher" to indicate the point of comparison (“than the grocery store” and “than the butcher”).
How is the comparative degree formed in this sentence?
The comparative is formed by combining "daha" (meaning more) with the adjective. Here, uzak (far/distant) becomes daha uzak (further away) and yakın (near/close) becomes daha yakın (closer). This is similar to saying more distant or more close in English, although English uses "more" and "less" differently.
What role does the conjunction "ama" play in this sentence?
The word ama means but. It is used to contrast the two relationships: the pastry shop is further away from the grocery store, yet at the same time, it is closer to the butcher.
Why is there no verb like “is” in this sentence?
Turkish often omits the copula (the equivalent of “is” in English) in simple descriptive sentences. The meaning is clear from context, so the sentence structure relies on the comparisons and case endings rather than an explicit linking verb.
Can you break down the overall structure of this sentence?

Certainly. The sentence is structured in two parts linked by a contrastive conjunction:
• Pastane is the subject, meaning the pastry shop.
• The first part, bakkaldan daha uzak, indicates that the pastry shop is further away relative to the grocery store.
• The conjunction ama introduces a contrast.
• The second part, kasaptan daha yakın, tells us that the pastry shop is closer relative to the butcher.
Each comparison uses daha with an adjective and the respective noun in the ablative, clearly outlining the relationship.