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Questions & Answers about Araba tamiri pahalı.
Why is there no article like a or the in Araba tamiri pahalı?
Turkish does not have separate words for indefinite or definite articles. Nouns stand alone and their definiteness or indefiniteness is inferred from context or suffixes. So Araba tamiri pahalı simply means “Car repair is expensive” without needing a or the.
What is the function of the -i suffix on tamiri?
The -i is the third-person singular possessive suffix. In Turkish, when one noun modifies another (forming a compound), the head noun takes a possessive suffix corresponding to the modifier. So tamir + -i → tamiri means “repair of (the) car.”
Why is there no genitive marker (like -ın) on araba?
This is a bare noun compound. In such compounds the modifier noun (araba) remains unmarked, while the head noun (tamiri) carries the possessive to show the relationship. A fully marked genitive would be arabanın tamiri for “the repair of the car,” but araba tamiri is a common, more general form.
Where is the verb “to be” in Araba tamiri pahalı?
In Turkish present-tense nominal or adjectival sentences, the copula (the verb “to be,” olmak) is omitted. The adjective pahalı “expensive” itself serves as the predicate. The “is” is implied: “Car repair (is) expensive.”
How do you turn Araba tamiri pahalı into a question?
Attach the interrogative particle mı/mî/mi/mu (with vowel harmony) to the end of the predicate. Here it becomes mı after the front unrounded ı sound in pahalı.
Example:
Araba tamiri pahalı mı?
= “Is car repair expensive?”
What is the difference between Araba tamiri pahalı and Arabanın tamiri pahalı?
- Araba tamiri pahalı is a bare compound meaning “car repair is expensive” in general.
- Arabanın tamiri pahalı uses the full genitive (-nın) on araba, meaning “the repair of the (specific) car is expensive.”
The second is more specific or definite.
Can adjectives be used as predicates without a verb in Turkish?
Yes. Adjectives can stand alone as predicates in the present tense. Examples:
- Hava güzel. (The weather is nice.)
- Film sıkıcı. (The movie is boring.)
The copula is understood.
Why is the vowel in the suffix -i (in tamiri) an i and not ı, u, or ü?
Turkish vowel harmony dictates that the possessive suffix matches the last vowel of the word. Tamir ends in the front unrounded vowel i, so the suffix is -i.
What would Tamiri pahalı araba mean?
This reorders the words into an attributive phrase: “a car whose repair is expensive.” Here tamiri pahalı modifies araba, describing the kind of car rather than making a full sentence.
How do you make Araba tamiri pahalı more formal or written?
Add the copular suffix -dır/-dir/-dur/-dür (with harmony) to the adjective:
Araba tamiri pahalıdır.
This explicitly includes “is” and is common in formal or written Turkish.