Learn Hardcore Turkish: Girişimcilik ruhu risk almaktan korkmamaktır. - The spirit of entrepreneurship means not being afraid to take risks.

The sentence is divided into two main parts. The subject is Girişimcilik ruhu (the entrepreneurial spirit) and the predicate is risk almaktan korkmamaktır. In Turkish, definitions are often expressed by equating the subject with an infinitive clause, and the ending -maktır functions like a copula that means “is” in this context.

How is the negative form in korkmamaktır constructed and what does it mean?

The base verb is korkmak (“to be afraid”). To negate it, the negative morpheme -ma is added, forming korkmamak (“not to be afraid”). The sentence then uses the infinitive form korkmamaktır—with the defining suffix -maktır—to indicate that the entrepreneurial spirit is defined by not being afraid of taking risks.

What does the phrase risk almaktan mean and how is it built grammatically?

The phrase comes from risk almak, where risk is the noun “risk” (borrowed directly from English) and almak means “to take.” The form risk almaktan uses the ablative case marker -dan/den attached to almak, typically meaning “from taking” or “by taking”—in this context, it describes the action that the subject is not afraid of.

Why is there no separate linking verb, such as “is,” in the Turkish sentence?

In Turkish, especially when giving definitions, the linking verb is not expressed as a separate word. Instead, the -maktır ending in the predicate inherently serves as the copula. This construction equates the subject with its defining quality without needing an explicit English-style “is.”

How can this Turkish sentence be translated into English while keeping its meaning intact?

A clear translation would be: “The entrepreneurial spirit is not being afraid of taking risks.” This retains the definition-like structure, where the subject (the entrepreneurial spirit) is defined by its lack of fear in taking risks.