Şampuansız saçlarım tiftik gibi oluyor.

Şampuansız saçlarım tiftik gibi oluyor.
My hair feels like fluff without shampoo.

Breakdown of Şampuansız saçlarım tiftik gibi oluyor.

olmak
to be
benim
my
gibi
like
şampuan
the shampoo
-sız
without
saç
the hair
tiftik
the fluff
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Questions & Answers about Şampuansız saçlarım tiftik gibi oluyor.

What does the suffix -sız in şampuansız mean and how does it work?

The suffix -sız means “without.” You attach it to a noun to express the absence of that thing. It follows Turkish vowel harmony, so it can appear as -sız / -siz / -suz / -süz:

  • şampuan (shampoo) + -sız → şampuansız (“without shampoo”)
Is şampuansız an adjective or an adverb here?

şampuansız is an adjective modifying saçlarım (“my hair”). The phrase şampuansız saçlarım literally means “my hair that is without shampoo.”

Why is saçlarım plural when talking about hair?

In Turkish, mass nouns like hair, clothes, or leaves often take the plural to refer to all individual pieces collectively.

  • saç = “hair (a single strand or concept)”
  • saçlar = “hairs” (i.e. all the strands on your head)
    Thus saçlarım = “my hair” (collectively).
Could you use saçım instead of saçlarım? What would change?

Yes. saçım (singular) is also grammatically correct and means “my hair” in a general sense.

  • saçım tiftik gibi oluyor is acceptable and a bit more colloquial.
  • saçlarım is more common when referring to the full head of hair.
What does tiftik mean, and why is gibi used after it?
  • tiftik literally means “fuzz,” “fluff,” or “Angora wool.”
  • gibi means “like” or “as.”
    Together, tiftik gibi means “like fuzz” or “all fuzzy.”
What is the role of gibi in the sentence?

gibi is a postposition that creates a simile:

  • A gibi B = “B is like A.”
    Here, tiftik gibi oluyor = “(it) becomes like fuzz.”
Why is the verb oluyor used here instead of verbs like yapmak or etmek?

The verb olmak means “to become” or “to be.”

  • X oluyor indicates a change of state or resulting condition.
    So saçlarım tiftik gibi oluyor = “my hair becomes (or ends up) like fuzz.”
Why does şampuansız come before saçlarım rather than after it?

In Turkish, adjectives (and adjectival phrases) typically precede the nouns they modify.

  • şampuansız saçlarım (natural)

  • saçlarım şampuansız (less common, shifts emphasis onto “my hair”)

    The first order sounds more neutral and idiomatic.