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Questions & Answers about Yağmur damlası camda duruyor.
Why is there no equivalent of “the” or “a” in Yağmur damlası camda duruyor?
Turkish does not use articles like “a” or “the.” Nouns appear without any article, and context tells you if something is definite or indefinite. If you really need to specify “a raindrop,” you could add bir (one): Bir yağmur damlası camda duruyor, but it’s not required.
What does the suffix -sı on damlası do?
That -sı is the 3rd-person singular possessive suffix. It turns damla (drop) into damlası, literally “its drop.” Combined with yağmur (rain), yağmur damlası means “the drop of rain,” i.e. “raindrop.”
Why doesn’t yağmur have a genitive ending like -un (yağmurun)?
In Turkish compounds, you often drop the explicit genitive on the modifier and keep only the possessive on the head. So instead of yağmurun damlası, most speakers simply say yağmur damlası. Both are grammatically possible, but the shorter form is more idiomatic.
What case is camda and what does it mean?
Camda is the locative case of cam (glass, windowpane). The suffix -da means “on” or “at.” So camda = “on the glass.”
Why is the locative suffix spelled -da and not -de?
Turkish vowel harmony: cam has the back vowel a, so you use the back variant -da (not -de). If it were şehir (city), with front vowel e, it would be şehirde.
What is the function of duruyor here?
Duruyor is the present-continuous form of the verb durmak, which literally means “to stand” or “to stop.” In this context it means “is staying” or “is sitting” on the glass.
How would you say “The raindrop is not on the glass” in Turkish?
Insert the negative suffix -m before the tense ending:
Yağmur damlası camda durmuyor.
Can I change the tense or person of durmak here?
Yes. For example:
- Past: Yağmur damlası camda durdu. (It stood on the glass.)
- Future: Yağmur damlası camda duracak. (It will stay on the glass.)
- 1st person: Yağmur damlası camda duruyorum (I am…)? That would sound odd, because the subject is the raindrop. To speak about yourself, swap subject and use ben.
Why is the verb always at the end: Yağmur damlası camda duruyor?
Turkish is a subject-object-verb (SOV) language by default: subject first, then any objects or adverbials (here camda), then the verb (duruyor). You can sometimes reorder for emphasis, but the verb usually stays last.
Could I say Camda yağmur damlası duruyor instead?
Yes. Turkish word order is relatively flexible. Moving camda to the front just emphasizes the location. The overall meaning stays the same.