Learn Hardcore Turkish: Fabrikanın bacasının çapı üç metre. - The chimney’s diameter at the factory is three meters.

First you add -sı to baca (root) → bacası (“its chimney”), indicating possession by the factory. Then you add the genitive -nın → bacasının, marking “of the chimney” so you can attach the next noun (çapı).

In what order do possessive and case suffixes attach to Turkish nouns?

The sequence is: noun root → possessive suffix (if any) → case suffix (if any).
Example: baca (root) + –sı (3 sg. possessive) + –nın (genitive) = bacasının.

Why does çap take the suffix -ı in çapı?

Since we’re talking about a specific diameter (that of the chimney), we use the 3 sg. possessive suffix -ı to link çap back to fabrikanın bacasının (“the chimney of the factory”).

Why is there no verb like “is” in this sentence?

Turkish allows nominal predicates without a copula in the present tense. You can state “A is B” simply by using nouns with appropriate suffixes, omitting “is.”

What about articles like “the” or “a”? Why don’t we see them?

Turkish has no articles. Definiteness (definite vs. indefinite) is understood from context and from suffixes, so you don’t need “the” or “a.”

Why is üç metre left without any suffix after çapı?

In simple measure constructions following a possessed noun (… çapı), the numeral + unit (üç metre) remains uninflected. It directly specifies the size.

Can I add the copula -dir to the sentence to make “is” explicit?

Yes. You can say Fabrikanın bacasının çapı üç metredir. Here -dir on metredir serves as “is.” In everyday speech it’s common to drop -dir, but in formal writing it’s often included.

How do you pronounce çapı?

In IPA it’s [ˈtʃaːpɯ], roughly “CHAHP-uh,” with the final ı as a back, unrounded vowel.