Questions & Answers about Hastanede muayene ücretsiz.
What is the function of the suffix -de in hastanede, and why is it -de instead of -da?
-de here is the locative case ending, meaning “at” or “in.” Turkish locative is formed with:
- the consonant d, and
- a vowel that agrees with the last vowel of the stem (vowel harmony).
Since hastane ends in the front, unrounded vowel e, the locative vowel is e (not a). Hence hastane + de → hastanede (“at the hospital”).
Why does muayene have no suffix or article in this sentence?
- muayene is the subject of the sentence, and subjects in Turkish are in the nominative case (no extra ending).
- Turkish has no definite or indefinite articles like “the” or “a.” A noun on its own can be definite (context-driven) or indefinite. Here it means “(the/general) examination.”
Why is there no word for “is” in Hastanede muayene ücretsiz? How could I add it?
- In Turkish simple present statements, the copula “to be” is usually omitted (zero copula).
- If you want a more formal or explicit form, you can add the copula suffix -dir to the adjective:
Hastanede muayene ücretsiztir. - You could also use the verb olmak with the adjective:
Hastanede muayene ücretsiz oluyor, but this is rarely used for permanent qualities.