Kitap kısa, ikincisi uzun.

The book is short, the second one is long.

Breakdown of Kitap kısa, ikincisi uzun.

• olmak: to be
• kitap: the book
• uzun: long
• kısa: short

Questions & Answers about Kitap kısa, ikincisi uzun.

What does ikincisi mean and how is it formed?

ikincisi means “the second one.” It comes from ikinci (second) + the 3rd-person singular possessive suffix -si, which refers back to kitap (“book”). Literally, it’s “its second.”

Why isn’t there a verb equivalent to “is” in Kitap kısa, ikincisi uzun?

In Turkish, the present-tense copula (to be) is usually omitted. When an adjective serves as the predicate, you simply follow the subject with that adjective. So Kitap kısa reads “The book is short” without a separate verb.

Why is kitap used without an article? How would you say “the book” or “a book”?

Turkish has no words for “a” or “the.” kitap can mean “book,” “a book,” or “the book” depending on context. To clarify definiteness, speakers add demonstratives: bu kitap (this book), o kitap (that book).

Why are kısa and uzun placed after the subject rather than before it?

As attributive adjectives modifying a noun, they would precede it (kısa kitap = “short book”). But as predicates (“[something] is short/long”), they follow the subject: Kitap kısa (“The book is short”), ikincisi uzun (“the second one is long”).

Can you connect these two clauses with a conjunction? How would you say “the book is short and the second one is long”?