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Questions & Answers about Patika uzun ve dar.
Why isn’t there a verb like is in this sentence?
In Turkish, the copula (the verb to be) is often omitted in the present tense. You simply place the noun followed by the adjective(s). So Patika uzun ve dar literally reads “Path long and narrow” but is understood as “The path is long and narrow.”
Why do the adjectives follow the noun here? Aren’t Turkish adjectives supposed to come before nouns when they modify?
When adjectives are used attributively (directly modifying a noun), they precede it (e.g., uzun yol, “long road”). But in a predicate structure—describing the subject—adjectives follow the noun: Patika (subject) uzun ve dar (predicate).
Why don’t uzun and dar change form? Don’t adjectives agree with nouns in some languages?
In Turkish, adjectives never inflect for gender, number, or case. They remain in their base form whether used attributively or predicatively.
Why is there no article before patika? How do you say “a path” or “the path” in Turkish?
Turkish lacks a direct indefinite article. You use bir to mean “a/an”: bir patika (“a path”). There’s no word for “the”; definiteness is usually clear from context, so patika can mean “the path” if the situation demands.
What does ve do here, and can I omit it?
ve means “and” and links the two adjectives. You can’t drop it if you want a clear “long and narrow.” In writing you might separate adjectives with a comma (Patika uzun, dar), or for emphasis say Patika hem uzun hem dar (“the path is both long and narrow”).
Is Patika correctly capitalized?
Yes—only the first word of a sentence and proper nouns are capitalized in Turkish. Because Patika begins the sentence, it’s capitalized. In the middle of text you’d write patika (lowercase).
What case is patika in?
It’s in the nominative case (unmarked) as the subject of a copular sentence. Subjects in zero-copula (“to be”) sentences are not marked with case suffixes.
How can I express the same idea with adjectives before the noun (attributively)?
Use bir for “a” and put the adjectives before the noun: uzun ve dar bir patika (“a long and narrow path”).
Can I make the “to be” explicit instead of relying on zero copula?
Yes. Attach the suffix -dur (with vowel harmony) to each adjective: Patika uzundur ve dardır. This adds an explicit “is” to each adjective, giving a more formal or definitive tone.