Learn Hardcore Turkish: Kask sağlam ve hafif. - The helmet is sturdy and light.

In Turkish the present‐tense form of to be (the copula) is usually dropped in simple descriptive sentences. Instead of saying Kask is sağlam ve hafif, you simply say Kask sağlam ve hafif—the noun and its adjectives stand side by side without a separate verb.

Why does kask have no ending (case marker or plural suffix)?

Here kask functions as an indefinite, generic subject. Turkish often uses a bare noun to talk about something in general. If you wanted to mark definiteness or plurality, you’d add a suffix (e.g., kaskı for “the helmet” as an object, or kasklar for “helmets” in plural). But for a basic statement about a “helmet” in general, no suffix is needed.

How would I say “helmets are sturdy and light” (plural) in Turkish?

Simply add the plural suffix -lar to kask:
Kasklar sağlam ve hafif.
Note that sağlam and hafif remain unchanged—Turkish adjectives don’t take plural endings.

Why do the adjectives sağlam and hafif come after kask? Don’t adjectives normally precede nouns?

When adjectives are used directly before a noun (attributive use), they indeed come first: sağlam kask (“a sturdy helmet”). But in a nominal sentence where the noun is the topic or subject and you’re predicating qualities about it, the noun can come first and the adjectives follow as the predicate: Kask sağlam ve hafif.

What exactly do sağlam and hafif mean, and can they change form?

Sağlam means “sturdy,” “solid,” or “durable.”
Hafif means “light” (in weight).
Turkish adjectives are invariable: they never agree with number or gender and don’t take case endings. So sağlam and hafif stay the same whether you talk about one helmet or many, male or female, definite or indefinite.

Can you omit ve and just separate sağlam and hafif with a comma?

Yes. It’s perfectly acceptable to write Kask sağlam, hafif. Using ve (“and”) is more explicit and common in everyday speech, but a simple comma also works for listing adjectives.

How do you pronounce Kask sağlam ve hafif?

Roughly:

kask [kas k] with two clear /k/ sounds and a short /a/.
sağlam [sah-lahm], where ğ is silent but lengthens the preceding /a/.
ve [ve], like the English “veh.”
hafif [ha-feef], stress on the second syllable.

Put it all together: [kask sah-LAHM veh ha-FEEF].