Learn Hardcore Turkish: Ekolojik tarım yöntemleri toprağı korur. - Ecological farming methods protect the soil.

It literally translates as "Ecological farming methods protect the soil." Here, Ekolojik means ecological, tarım means farming (or agriculture), yöntemleri means the methods, and toprağı means the soil (with the accusative case marking its definiteness).

How does the word order of this Turkish sentence differ from typical English sentence structure?

Turkish generally follows a Subject-Object-Verb (SOV) order, whereas English uses Subject-Verb-Object (SVO). In this sentence, Ekolojik tarım yöntemleri is the subject, toprağı is the object, and korur is the verb, which comes at the end.

Why is the noun toprak modified to toprağı with the suffix -ı?

In Turkish, definite direct objects are marked with the accusative case suffix. The addition of -ı to toprak turns it into toprağı, indicating that it is a specific (definite) object—in this case, "the soil."

What does the suffix -leri in yöntemleri indicate?

The suffix -leri attached to yöntem indicates both plurality and a definite quality. It tells us that we are referring to "the methods"—specifically, the methods related to farming as indicated by the preceding noun tarım.

Why does the verb korur remain unchanged even though the subject is plural?

In Turkish, verbs in the simple present tense do not change form based on whether the subject is singular or plural. Therefore, korur is used for both singular and plural subjects.