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Questions & Answers about Kar sokakları kapladı.
What does the suffix -ları on sokakları indicate?
-ları is the plural definite accusative ending.
- sokak = “street”
- sokak-lar = “streets” (plural)
- sokak-ları = “the streets” (definite, direct object)
Because kaplamak (“to cover”) is a transitive verb and we’re talking about specific streets that got covered, we mark them with the definite accusative -ı/-i/-u/-ü, here realised as -ları by vowel harmony.
Why is the verb kapladı at the end of the sentence?
Turkish is typically a subject-object-verb (SOV) language, so the verb comes last. That’s why Kar (subject) + sokakları (object) + kapladı (verb) follows this default order.
How do we know who did the covering? There is no pronoun like “it” in the sentence.
Turkish verbs carry person and number information in their endings. In kapladı, the -ı in -dı shows 3rd person singular (he/she/it). Since kar (“the snow”) is explicitly the subject, we understand “it (the snow) covered the streets.” You don’t need a separate pronoun.
Why is there no article like “the” or “a” before kar or sokakları?
Turkish doesn’t have separate words for “a” or “the.” Definiteness is shown by case endings:
- No suffix on kar simply means “snow” (the subject can be generic or definite by context).
- The definite accusative -ları on sokak indicates “the streets.”
What does the ending -dı in kapladı mean, and why is it -dı and not -di or some other form?
-dı is the 3rd person singular simple past tense suffix. Vowel harmony determines its shape:
- After the back vowel a in kapla-, the past tense appears as -dı (not -di/-du/-dü).
So kapla-- -dı → kapladı = “it covered.”
Why is kar not marked with any case suffix, while sokakları is in the accusative case?
kar is the subject of the sentence, so it stays in the nominative (no suffix). Only direct objects of transitive verbs (when definite) take the accusative. That’s why sokak gets -ları but kar remains unsuffixed.
Is kaplamak the same as örtmek? Why do we use kaplamak here?
Both verbs can mean “to cover,” but there’s a nuance:
- kaplamak implies “covering something extensively or completely” (e.g. snow blanketing an area).
- örtmek can be more general or physical “to cover/veil” (e.g. covering with a cloth).
Since snow spreads over and blankets the streets, kaplamak is the most natural choice.
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