Kravat takmak zor.

Wearing a tie is difficult.

Breakdown of Kravat takmak zor.

• olmak: to be
• zor: difficult
• takmak: to wear
• kravat: the tie

Questions & Answers about Kravat takmak zor.

What is takmak doing in Kravat takmak zor? Why isn’t it conjugated?

In this sentence, takmak is in its infinitive -mak form, which turns the verb into a noun-like action.
• kravat takmak = “wearing a tie” or “to wear a tie.”
Turkish uses the infinitive as a gerund when talking about actions in general, so you don’t conjugate it here.

Why takmak and not giymek for kravat?

Turkish distinguishes verbs by item type:
• Giymek is for garments (gömlek, pantolon, elbise) – “to put on clothes.”
• Takmak is for accessories or items you “attach” (kravat, şapka, saat, gözlük).

There’s no word for “is” or “to be.” How can it be a complete sentence?

In simple present statements with adjectives, Turkish drops the copula. The adjective directly follows the subject/phrase:
• Kravat takmak zor = “Wearing a tie is hard.”
If you want an explicit “is,” add the suffix -dur:
• Kravat takmak zordur.

I don’t see a subject. Who is it hard for?

This is a generic or impersonal statement (“Wearing a tie is hard” in general). Turkish often omits an explicit subject when it’s understood or generic, similar to English “It’s hard to wear a tie,” but without the dummy “it.”

How do I say “For me, wearing a tie is hard”?

Add a dative experiencer phrase:
• Benim için kravat takmak zor.
• Kravat takmak bana zor.

What’s the difference between zor and zorunda olmak?

• Zor = “difficult, hard” (an adjective).
• -mek zorunda olmak = “to have to, must.”
Examples:
• Kravat takmak zor. = “Wearing a tie is hard.”
• Kravat takmak zorunda kalıyorum. = “I have to wear a tie.”

Why aren’t there articles like a or the before kravat?

Turkish has no direct equivalents of English articles. Nouns appear bare; context or case endings indicate definiteness. Here kravat is indefinite/general.

Why not say kravatı takmak with the accusative -ı?

With a general, unspecified object, the noun stays unmarked: kravat takmak.
Use kravatı if you mean a specific tie known to both speaker and listener:
• Kravatı takmak zor. = “Putting on that (specific) tie is hard.”