Learn Hardcore Turkish: Yamaç dik ve zorlu. - The slope is steep and challenging.

In Turkish, simple present‐tense statements of being often omit the copula (to be). Instead, you form a nominal sentence with a noun (subject) followed directly by an adjective (predicate). So Yamaç dik ve zorlu literally reads “slope steep and challenging,” but it’s understood as “The slope is steep and challenging.” You can supply a formal copula by adding the suffix -dir to the adjective (see a later question), but in everyday speech it’s dropped.

What does yamaç mean, and why is there no article like a or the?

yamaç means “slope” or “hillside.” Turkish has no definite or indefinite articles, so you use the noun in its base (nominative) form. Context tells you whether it’s specific or general. If you really want “this slope,” you’d add the demonstrative bu: Bu yamaç dik ve zorlu.

What parts of speech are dik and zorlu, and why do they appear after the noun?

Both dik (“steep”) and zorlu (“challenging” or “full of difficulty”) are adjectives. In a nominal (copula‐zero) sentence, predicate adjectives follow the subject noun: Subject + Adjective. If you wanted them to modify the noun directly (attributive), you’d place them before it—e.g. dik yamaç or zorlu yamaç.

What’s the difference between zor and zorlu?

– zor is a basic adjective meaning “difficult” or “hard (to do).”
– zorlu is derived with the suffix -lu, giving “full of difficulty” or “challenging.”
Both can function as predicates, but zorlu often describes something that inherently poses challenges, whereas zor might describe difficulty in performing an action.

How do I make the sentence negative?

To negate predicate adjectives, use değil after each adjective:
• Yamaç dik değil ve zorlu değil. (“The slope is not steep and not challenging.”)
For “neither… nor,” you can say:
• Yamaç ne dik ne zorlu. (“The slope is neither steep nor challenging.”)
If you only negate one adjective, you attach değil just after it:
• Yamaç dik değil ve zorlu. (“The slope is not steep, but it is challenging.”)

How can I add the formal copula -dir to this sentence?

You can explicitly mark “to be” by adding -dir to the final predicate (or to each adjective):
• Yamaç dik ve zorludur. (formal)
• Yamaç diktir ve zorludur. (more emphatic, marking both adjectives)
In most daily contexts, though, you’d simply say Yamaç dik ve zorlu.

How do I express comparatives (“steeper,” “more challenging”) and superlatives (“the steepest,” “the most challenging”)?

– Comparative: place daha before the adjective:
• Yamaç daha dik ve daha zorlu. (“The slope is steeper and more challenging.”)
To compare with another slope, add -den to that noun:
• Bu yamaç diğerinden daha dik.
– Superlative: use en before the adjective:
• Yamaç en dik ve en zorlu. (“The slope is the steepest and the most challenging.”)

How would I say “These slopes are steep and challenging” in Turkish?

Add the plural suffix -lar to yamaç and the demonstrative bu:
• Bu yamaçlar dik ve zorlu.
This means “These slopes are steep and challenging,” with no article needed.