Sınavın süresi kısa.

The duration of the exam is short.

Breakdown of Sınavın süresi kısa.

• olmak: to be
• kısa: short
• sınav: the exam
• -ın: 's

Questions & Answers about Sınavın süresi kısa.

Why is there no word equivalent to is in this sentence?

In Turkish, the present-tense copula (the verb “to be”) is usually omitted when linking a noun (or noun phrase) to an adjective. So Sınavın süresi kısa literally reads “The exam’s duration short,” but native speakers understand it as “The exam’s duration is short.”

What do the suffixes -ın in sınavın and -si in süresi indicate?

This pattern is called the genitive–possessive construction: • -ın on sınav marks the genitive (“of the exam”).
• -si on süre is the possessive suffix showing that the duration belongs to that genitive possessor (third person singular).
Together, sınavın süresi = “the duration of the exam.”

Why is the genitive suffix -ın and not -in, -un, or -ün?

Turkish genitive suffixes follow four-way vowel harmony based on the noun’s last vowel: • Last vowel a / ı → -ın
• Last vowel e / i → -in
• Last vowel o / u → -un
• Last vowel ö / ü → -ün
Since sınav’s last vowel is a, the correct genitive form is sınavın.

Why does süre take -si instead of -sı, -su, or -sü?