Elon.io is an online learning platform
We have an entire course teaching Turkish grammar and vocabulary.
Questions & Answers about Tapu evde.
What does tapu mean in this sentence?
Tapu means title deed (the official document proving ownership of a property).
Why is there no verb equivalent to “is”?
In Turkish, the present‐tense copula (the verb to be as in “is”) is usually omitted in simple nominal sentences. So Tapu evde literally reads “Deed at home,” but idiomatically it means “The deed is at home.”
How is evde constructed and what does it mean?
Ev means house/home. The suffix –de is the locative case marker (indicating in/at). By vowel harmony, ev + –de → evde, meaning at home.
Why is the locative suffix –de and not –da here?
Turkish vowel harmony requires matching front vs. back vowels. Since ev contains the front vowel e, the correct locative suffix is the front form –de. After back vowels you’d use –da.
Why don’t we use an article like “the” or “a”?
Turkish has no separate definite or indefinite articles. Definiteness is understood from context or added by demonstratives (bu tapu = “this deed”) or quantifiers (bir tapu = “a deed”).
What case is tapu in, and why doesn’t it take an accusative suffix?
Here tapu functions as the subject of a nominal sentence and remains in the nominative case (unmarked). Only definite direct objects take the accusative suffix –ı/–i/–u/–ü.
How would you ask “Where is the deed?” in Turkish?
You say Tapu nerede?
• nerede = “where”
How can I say “My deed is at home”?
Add the 1st‐person possessive suffix –um to tapu:
Tapum evde. = My deed is at home.
Is there a difference between evde and ev de?
Yes.
• evde (one word) = “at home” (locative case)
• ev de (two words) = “home too” or “but home”, where de is the conjunction meaning “also/but.”