Merdiven uzun ve eğlenceli.

to be

Breakdown of Merdiven uzun ve eğlenceli.

• ve: and
• uzun: long
• eğlenceli: fun

Questions & Answers about Merdiven uzun ve eğlenceli.

Why doesn’t the sentence include is or are?

In Turkish, the verb to be (especially in the present tense) is usually omitted. You simply put the subject and its adjective(s) together.
• Merdiven uzun ve eğlenceli literally reads “Stairs long and fun,” which idiomatically means “The stairs are long and fun.”

Why is Merdiven singular if it means “stairs”?

Merdiven is treated as a collective or mass noun in Turkish—one word that refers to the whole staircase. You normally keep it singular when you mean “the stairs.” If you really wanted to talk about multiple separate staircases, you’d say merdivenler (“staircases”).

Why are adjectives placed after the noun here instead of before it?

In a full sentence (with a predicate), Turkish adjectives follow the noun they describe:
• Subject + adjective = predicate.
Example: Merdiven uzun. (“The stairs are long.”)
When adjectives modify a noun inside a noun phrase (attributive use), they go before the noun:
• uzun merdiven = “long staircase.”

What does the suffix -li in eğlenceli do?

The suffix -li means “having” or “full of.” It turns a noun into an adjective:
• eğlence = “fun” (noun)
• eğlenceli = “fun” or “entertaining” (adjective)

Why is it -li rather than or ?