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Questions & Answers about çöp kutusu dolu.
Why is there no is in çöp kutusu dolu?
In Turkish simple present sentences the copula to be is omitted. You put the noun and adjective/past participle directly together. So çöp kutusu = the trash can and dolu = full, meaning the trash can (is) full.
What does the ending -u in kutusu indicate?
The -u is the third-person singular possessive suffix on kutu (meaning box/can). Turkish shows possession by adding a suffix to the possessed noun. Here çöp is the possessor and kutusu literally means its box or the box of the trash, which gives us the compound trash can.
Why does the adjective dolu come after the noun instead of before it?
As a predicate adjective, dolu follows the noun and no copula is used. If it were attributive, it would precede the noun (e.g. dolu kutu = a full box). For a state description you say çöp kutusu dolu: its box is full.
How do I make çöp kutusu dolu negative to say the trash can is not full?
Attach değil after the adjective:
çöp kutusu dolu değil = the trash can is not full.
Or negate the verb dolmak in the past tense:
çöp kutusu dolmadı = the trash can did not fill up (implying it is not full).
How can I turn çöp kutusu dolu into a question?
Add the question particle -mu (with vowel harmony) after dolu:
çöp kutusu dolu mu? = Is the trash can full?
Why are there no words for a or the in çöp kutusu dolu?
Turkish does not have articles like a or the. Definiteness is clear from context. To force a you can say bir çöp kutusu dolu = a trash can is full; to force that/the, add o: o çöp kutusu dolu = that trash can is full.
Can you break çöp kutusu dolu down into its parts and explain each one?
Yes:
- çöp = trash, garbage
- kutu = box, bin, can
- -su (-sU) = 3rd-person singular possessive suffix (marks its) on kutu, forming kutusu = its box (trash’s box)
- dolu = adjective (from dolmak, “to fill”) meaning full
Literally: trash its box full → the trash can is full.
How do I say my trash can is full?
Use the first-person singular possessive suffix -um on kutu:
çöp kutum dolu = my trash can is full.
You can also say benim çöp kutum dolu, but the suffix alone usually suffices.