Beton köprü güvenli.

The concrete bridge is safe.

Breakdown of Beton köprü güvenli.

• olmak: to be
• köprü: the bridge
• güvenli: safe
• beton: concrete

Questions & Answers about Beton köprü güvenli.

Why is there no explicit verb like “is” in the sentence?

In Turkish, the copula “to be” is usually omitted in the present tense. This is called the zero copula. So “güvenli” (safe) alone functions as the predicate without a separate verb.

How do I know if “Beton köprü güvenli” means “the concrete bridge is safe” or “a concrete bridge is safe”?

Turkish has no articles like “a” or “the.” Whether it’s definite or indefinite comes from context. Here we just have “beton köprü” in the nominative, and you decide from context if it’s “a” or “the.”

Why is it “beton köprü” and not “betonlu köprü”?

“Beton” is a noun used attributively to modify “köprü.” Attributive nouns require no suffix: e.g. su şişesi (water bottle), kütük masa (log table). The adjective-like suffix -lu could be used, but that usually means “having concrete” rather than “made of concrete.”

What case are “beton” and “köprü” in?

They are both in the nominative case (the basic form) because “Beton köprü” is the subject of the sentence. Nouns in the nominative carry no suffix in Turkish.

Why isn’t there a -dir at the end of “güvenli” (i.e. “güvenlidir”)?