Learn Hardcore Turkish: Atkı soğuk havada çok yararlı. - A scarf is very useful in cold weather.

Turkish does not have an indefinite article like “a” or “an.” When making a general statement (e.g. “A scarf is useful…”), you simply use the noun in its bare form: atkı. You can add bir (e.g. Bir atkı…) if you mean “one particular scarf,” but for generic facts bir is usually omitted.

Why is soğuk havada used to mean “in cold weather”?

Soğuk (“cold”) is an adjective describing hava (“weather”). The suffix -da marks the locative case, which corresponds to English “in” or “at.” Thus soğuk havada literally means “in cold weather.”

Could I say soğuk havalarda instead of soğuk havada?

Yes. Adding the plural -lar before the locative -da gives soğuk havalarda, which also means “in cold weather,” often used to stress “during cold seasons” in general. Both forms are correct and interchangeable here.

Why is there no “is” or any other verb in this sentence?

In Turkish, the present‐tense copula (“is/are”) is usually omitted in simple descriptive or equational sentences. The adjective yararlı (“useful”) by itself carries the meaning “is useful.” If you wanted to be more formal or emphatic, you could add –dır: Atkı soğuk havada çok yararlıdır.

What is the function of çok in çok yararlı and why is it placed there?

Çok means “very” or “much” and is an adverb modifying the adjective yararlı (“useful”). In Turkish, adverbs of degree (like çok, pek) generally precede the adjective they modify: çok yararlı = “very useful.”

What is the difference between yararlı and faydalı?

Both adjectives mean “useful.”

Yararlı has a slightly more formal or abstract flavor, often used in contexts like reports or instructions.
Faydalı is more everyday‐conversation friendly.
In this sentence, you could say either Atkı soğuk havada çok faydalı.

Why doesn’t atkı have any case ending here?

As the subject of the sentence, atkı is in the nominative case, which in Turkish is unmarked (no suffix). Only objects or other grammatical relations take case endings (e.g. accusative, dative, locative).

Is the word order in Turkish fixed? Could I say Soğuk havada atkı çok yararlı?

Turkish generally follows Subject–Object–Verb (SOV) order, but with adjectives and adverbial phrases you have flexibility. Since yararlı is the predicate adjective, placing soğuk havada first (as an adverbial phrase) and atkı next is perfectly acceptable: Soğuk havada atkı çok yararlı. The emphasis just shifts slightly.