Elon.io is an online learning platform
We have an entire course teaching Turkish grammar and vocabulary.
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?
Combine büyük bir kantin with the existence verb var:
Büyük bir kantin var
(lit. Big a canteen exists)
How do I express The canteens are big (plural)?
Add the plural suffix -ler/-lar to kantin:
Kantinler büyük
(lit. Canteens big, meaning The canteens are big)
Why doesn’t kantin have any case ending in Kantin büyük?
As the subject (nominative) of a simple nominal sentence, it stays in its base form. Turkish adds case endings for definite objects (accusative), locations (locative), etc., but not for subjects here.
Can I swap to büyük kantin? What changes?
Putting the adjective before the noun (büyük kantin) creates a noun phrase (“big canteen”), not a full predicate. To make a complete sentence (“The canteen is big”), the adjective follows the noun: Kantin büyük.