Kantin büyük.

The canteen is big.

Breakdown of Kantin büyük.

• olmak: to be
• büyük: big
• kantin: the canteen

Questions & Answers about Kantin büyük.

Why isn’t there a verb like is in Kantin büyük?

In Turkish, the present-tense copula (“to be”) is usually omitted in simple statements. You link a noun and adjective directly. So Kantin büyük literally reads Canteen big, but is understood as The canteen is big.

How do I say The canteen isn’t big?

Make the adjective negative by adding değil after it. You get Kantin büyük değil (lit. Canteen big not), which means The canteen is not big.

How do I form the question Is the canteen big??

Attach the question particle mı/mi/mu/mü (according to vowel harmony) to the adjective. Since büyük has ü, you use mü:
Kantin büyük mü?

Turkish has no articles like the or a. How would I say a big canteen?

Attributive adjectives come before the noun, and you use bir for a/an:
Büyük bir kantin
(This literally means big a canteen, i.e. a big canteen.)

How do I say There is a big canteen?