Learn Hardcore Turkish: Taş soğuk.

Turkish typically drops the present‐tense copula (the equivalent of “is/are”) in simple nominal sentences. So instead of saying Taş soğuk’tur, you just say Taş soğuk and it naturally means “The stone is cold” or “It’s stone-cold.”

What’s the literal word order here? Isn’t it usually adjective + noun in English?

Yes, in English we say “cold stone,” but in Turkish this is literally “stone cold.” The noun taş comes first (nominative, unmarked), then the adjective soğuk. Noun + adjective order is quite common in predicative (copula‐less) statements.

Is Taş soğuk an idiom like “stone-cold” in English, or is it just describing an actual stone?

It can be both. Literally, Taş soğuk means “the stone is cold.” Idiomatically, you can use it just as in English—to say something is “bone-chilling” or “freezing,” even if it isn’t a stone (e.g. “Bu su taş soğuk!” = “This water is stone-cold!”).

Why doesn’t taş take a case ending here? Shouldn’t it be in the nominative or something else?

It is already in the nominative (the default, unmarked form). Subjects and predicate nouns in such copula‐less sentences remain unmarked. Only objects, indirect objects, or possessives get specific case or possessive endings.

How would I negate it? How do I say “The stone is not cold”?