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Questions & Answers about Şehir sınırı burada.
Why are there no English articles the or a/an in Şehir sınırı burada?
Turkish has no definite or indefinite articles. Nouns appear without the or a/an. Definiteness is shown by context or by suffixes (here the possessive -ı on sınırı makes it “the city’s limit”).
Why is sınırı not sınır?
This sentence uses a noun-noun compound meaning “limit of the city.” The head noun sınır takes the 3rd person singular possessive suffix -ı, so sınır + -ı = sınırı (“its limit”).
Why is şehir not şehrin to show possession?
In many Turkish compounds, the first noun stays in its base form and the second noun carries the possessive suffix. So şehir sınırı is a shorter equivalent of şehrin sınırı.
Why is there no verb like dir or var in Şehir sınırı burada?
Turkish often omits the present-tense copula -dir (“is”) and the existential var (“there is”) in simple statements. The meaning “is here” is implied by context.
What is the difference between burada and burası, and why is burada used in the sentence?
burada is a locative adverb meaning “here” (at this spot).
burası is a demonstrative noun meaning “this place.”
We use X burada when giving a location (“The city limit is here”), and Burası X when naming or defining a place (“This place is the city limit”).
Could I say Şehir sınırı buradadır or Burada şehir sınırı instead of Şehir sınırı burada?
Yes. Şehir sınırı buradadır adds the copula suffix -dır to burada but means the same. Burada şehir sınırı simply swaps focus (puts location first) and is also grammatical. Turkish word order is fairly flexible.
How would I ask “Where is the city limit?” in Turkish?
You would say Şehir sınırı nerede? — nerede means “where.” A possible reply is Şehir sınırı burada.
If I wanted to say “a city limit” instead of “the city limit,” would I use bir?
Yes, you could say bir şehir sınırı, where bir means “a/an.” However, because a city’s boundary is generally understood as unique or specific, native speakers usually omit bir and rely on the possessive suffix to signal definiteness.