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Questions & Answers about Ekonomi zor.
Why isn't there an English-like verb such as is, var, or -dir in Ekonomi zor?
Turkish uses a zero-copula for present-tense nominal and adjectival predications. That means you simply put the subject and the adjective together without a linking verb. So Ekonomi zor literally is Ekonomi (economy) + zor (difficult) = “The economy is difficult.” The existential var expresses “there is,” and the suffix -dir is optional (often dropped in speech).
What case is ekonomi in? It ends in -i, which looks like the accusative suffix.
Here ekonomi is in the nominative (subject) case. Many Turkish loanwords end in a vowel that coincides with the accusative marker. The true accusative would be ekonomiyi (with a buffer -y-). Since there’s no buffer, ekonomi remains unmarked for case.
Why is there no article like the or a before ekonomi?
Turkish has no articles equivalent to a, an, or the. Definiteness is determined by context or by case markings on direct objects. In subject–predicate statements like Ekonomi zor, you simply state the noun followed by the adjective.
Do adjectives in Turkish change form for number or gender? Why isn't zor pluralized?